PRESS RELEASE

~Win IBN 7 & Divya Bhaskar’s ‘Sabse bada Gujarati’ opinion poll~

New Delhi, October 24, 2007: At a recent event, IBN 7 & Divya Bhaskar’s extensive search for the ‘Sabse Bada Gujarati’ came to an end when the winners of the initiative were finally announced. The first of its kind opinion poll was conducted in the country from 4 th October to 21st October and was a search to find the greatest living non-political Gujarati. The citizens voted through a myriad of mediums such as SMS, IVR and IBN 7’s website, IBNLive.com . Upon tallying the hordes of votes received from across the country, including those of prominent Gujarati personalities, the title went to none other than Mukesh and Anil Ambani! Winning by a considerable margin, the Ambani’s won the coveted title due to their unsurpassed achievements in numerous fields that made their state shine and their country proud.

With seven other contestants in the race for the title, second place went to educationist Bakul Dholakia; followed closely in third place by Cricket sensation Irfan Pathan. Entrepreneurs, Gautam Adani and Sam Pitroda; singer & composer Himmesh Reshamiya; founder of SEWA, Ela Bhat and classical danseuse, Mrinalini Mirabhai followed closely behind.

As a part of the entire series a panel discussion on the subject of ‘Gujarat – Kal, Aaj aur Kal ‘ was also conducted to gain a deeper understanding into the journey the state and its people have made over the years. This consequently helped delineate the reasons how people like the Ambanis, Irfan Pathan, Dholakia, Adani, etc. have contributed to making their home-state one of the most progressive in the country. The discussion saw active participation from Ajay Umath, Resident Editor, Divya Bhaskar; Mrinalini Mirabhai; Mukesh Patel, Economist; Paroben Jaikrishna, President, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Sunil Parikh, Management Consultant.  

‘Sabse Bada Gujarati’ is IBN 7’s way of acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of the country’s most influential non-political Gujaratis across various disciplines. It acts as an exclusive platform for people to review and compare the works of the candidates and subsequently choose the ultimate Gujarat ki Jaan… Bharat ki Shaan!

Speaking on the occasion, Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN 7 said, ” Sabse Bada Gujarati has been an immense success with citizens sending in their votes from across the country. While it is commendable that the Ambani brothers won the title, the achievements of the other candidates have been no less important. The aim of the initiative was to showcase the gems of Gujarat and how they have gone beyond state and national boundaries to make the entire country proud. ” “Our editorial collaboration with IBN 7 for this initiative was very fruitful as both readers and viewers alike enthusiastically participated in deciding the ‘Sabse Bada Gujarati’. We look forward to working together again in the future .” Added, Ajay Umath, Resident Editor, Divya Bhaskar.