5 Indians make it on TIME's most influential list

The TIME magazine has released a list of 100 pioneers, leaders, titans, artists, and icons who marked their impact on people this year (external link).

This year, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana, the 'dadi from Shaheen Bhagh' Bilkis, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Professor Ravindra Gupta are among TIME’s 100 most influential people of 2020.

Bilkis -- The ‘dadi from Shaheen Bagh’

82-year old Bilkis -- is now one of TIME 100 most influential people in the world. Bilkis became one of the prominent faces of the protest for her sheer resistance despite her age. She was aong the many women who sit in protest all day into the night at Shaheen Bagh.

"Bilkis deserves recognition so the world acknowledges the power of resistance against tyranny," says the Time piece by journalist Rana Ayyub.

Ayushmann Khurrana

The actor has been lauded for featuring in films that break the stereotype of masculinity. He gained much attention for his first movie, where he played the role of a sperm donor.

"The reason you and I talk about him today is because of the impact he has been able to create through memorable films and iconic characters. Where male protagonist roles often fall into the trap of stereotypical masculinity, Ayushmann has successfully and convincingly transformed into characters who challenge those very stereotypes," wrote Deepika Padukone in the magazine.

Narendra Modi

The prime minister is the only politician from India who has made it to the coveted list.

Explaining why Modi made the list, TIME editor Karl Vick wrote, "Though almost all of India’s Prime Ministers have come from the nearly 80% of the population that is Hindu, only Modi has governed as if no one else matters. First elected on a populist promise of empowerment, his Hindu-­nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party rejected not only elitism but also pluralism, specifically targeting India’s Muslims."

​Ravindra Gupta

Last year in March, a UK patient walked free of HIV because of a study led by Professor Ravindra Gupta. The ‘London patient’ was the second on the planet to be cured of HIV.

In recognition of his work, last year the University of Cambridge appointed him professor of clinical microbiology at the Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease.

Sundar Pichai

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai is among TIME's 100 most influential people. He became the CEO of Google, one of most valued tech company in the world, at the age of 42.

"Sundar Pichai’s uniquely American story -- emigrating from India as a young adult and working his way to become CEO of a $1 trillion corporation -- represents the best of what we aspire for our society. He used his natural gifts and strong work ethic to rise through the ranks of Google (now Alphabet) by leading many of their most successful products, such as Drive, Gmail and Maps, and officially took the reins of the company in December," wrote CEO of JP Morgan Jamie Dimon wrote in the TIME magazine.