News Broadcasting
Five Indians leaders feature in BBC’s list for the greatest South Asian leader
MUMBAI: BBC South Asia’s focused news site (www.bbcnews.com/southasia) has announced an online poll for the most important leader in South Asia in modern times. Out of the 16 leaders, five are Indians. The online poll was launched on 20 December and gives the readers a chance to have their say.
Arjun Rana from Delhi says, “Subhash Chandra Bose has to be the greatest since he galvanised millions into fighting colonial rule.” Faiz Hakim from New York, USA feels, “Jinnah was a great leader but with a narrow vision of what was rightfully the heritage of Muslims in the sub-continent.” Nooman Naqvi from Chicago, on the other hand opines, “General Pervez Musharraf is the greatest leader of South Asia. He has turned Pakistan’s economy around, eliminated corruption, gave equal voting rights to religious minorities and had the guts to take on the fundamentalists.”
The result of the poll will be announced in early 2005.
The list of leaders is as follows: Ahmed Shah Masood (Afghanistan), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (India), JR Jayawardene (Sri Lanka), BP Koirala (Nepal), Chandrika Kumaratunga (Sri Lanka), Indira Gandhi (India), Jawahar Lal Nehru (India), Mahatma Gandhi (India), Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Pakistan), Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh), Sirimavo Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka), Subhash Chandra Bose (India), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan), Ziaur Rahman (Bangladesh), Zahir Shah (Afghanistan) and Zia ul Haq (Pakistan).
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
