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about Asia Buzz | more Asia Buzz
Subcontinental Drift: Picking Winners
Name your own South Asian of the Year
By APARISIM GHOSH
November
29, 2000
Web posted at 1:15 p.m. Hong Kong time, 12:15 a.m. EDT
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ASIA BUZZ
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Subcontinental Drift: Queering the Pitch
Ending Indo-Pakistani cricketing ties is a mistake
- Wednesday,
November 22, 2000
Subcontinental Drift: Musharraf's Mind
The General has some pretty strange -- and dangerous -- notions
- Wednesday,
October 25, 2000
Subcontinental Drift: Year of the General, Part Two
In which I offer (faint) praise of Pakistan's dictator
- Wednesday,
October 18, 2000
Subcontinental Drift: Year of the General, Part One
Musharraf began with promise: he hasn't kept it
- Thursday,
October 12, 2000
Subcontinental Drift: Games Plan
How to improve South Asia's Olympic medal haul
- Thursday,
September 28, 2000
Subcontinental Drift: Bronze Goddess
An Indian athlete lifts the Olympic gloom
- Thursday,
September 21, 2000
Subcontinental Drift: Wooden Spoons
More Olympic views from our readers
- Thursday,
September 14, 2000
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ASIAWEEK
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INTERACTIVE
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The Subcontinental Drift message board -- sound-off about the news in South Asia to TIME
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I've been in Delhi these past three days, attending the India Economic Summit,
organized by the World Economic Forum. As usual, the most anticipated speaker at
the event was Chandrababu Naidu, the charismatic Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh state. He didn't disappoint, delivering a polished presentation before
an audience of international business leaders. His message has become familiar:
India (and specifically, Andhra Pradesh) enjoys enormous competitive advantages
in Information Technology. With the right kind of government -- meaning as
little of it as possible -- the country can not only make money, it can also
improve the lives of its people.
Unlike most politicians these days, Naidu came across as a man of vision and
purpose. These are the qualities that persuaded me to name him South Asian of
the Year, 1999. It was reassuring to see he isn't a one-year wonder.
That reminds me: In a few weeks, I will name this year's winner of that
accolade. As I mull over my shortlist of candidates, I invite you to write in
with your nominations. Name your winner and, in no more than 100 words, explain
why you picked her/him. As always, the most interesting submissions will be
published in this column.
To get you going, here are some of the people on my shortlist, in no particular
order: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Pakistan's military ruler
Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Indian
weightlifter and Olympic medallist Karnam Malleswari, cricket match-fixing
whistle-blower Manoj Prabhakar and Indian quizmaster Amitabh Bachchan. Don't
feel obliged to name one of these six. They are not the only candidates I will
consider.
Here are the rules.
The question is straightforward: Who, in your opinion, exerted the greatest
influence -- for good or evil -- on subcontinental affairs in 2000? Don't limit
yourself to Good Guys.
The actions that qualify your candidate must have taken place in 2000:
repercussions of actions from previous years don't count.
A related rule: Your candidate must have been alive for at least a part of
the year. The good works of Mother Teresa are still with us, but you can't
nominate her.
Your candidate must be a South Asian, but doesn't have to be resident in the
subcontinent.
Remember, your supporting argument should be no longer than 100 words.
You can e-mail your nominations to me (see address at the end of this column) or
post them on the Subcontinental Drift bulletin board. Get cracking, folks!
The Subcontinental Drift message board -- sound-off about the news
in South Asia to TIME
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