 "Newsmakers of 2024: The Indian personalities who dominated the headlines")
The year 2024 has been a whirlwind of stories, with Indian personalities stealing the spotlight across industries and around the world. From visionary industrialists like Ratan Tata to leaders like Narendra Modi, here’s a look at the trailblazers who shaped the headlines and captured the nation’s attention.
Politics
Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dominated headlines throughout the year. From participating in the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to securing a historic third term as prime minister of India, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) marked big wins during the year. He also made headlines globally after meeting many world leaders and securing better ties with India.
Rahul Gandhi
After returning from suspension as a member of the parliament in 2023, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took charge as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha after the General Election this year. His speech in the United States and remarks on India’s democracy created chaos back home, triggering criticism from ruling party leaders.
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Arvind Kejriwal
Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal became the first sitting chief minister of a state to be arrested. Accused in Delhi excise policy scam, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, 2024, after skipping its nine summonses. On September 13, 2024, the Supreme Court granted him bail.
Baba Siddique
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique was shot on October 12 this year. A former minister in the Maharashtra government, Siddique was attacked by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang. Following his death, reports suggested that he became a target for his closeness with Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
Kangana Ranaut
Actor Kangana Ranaut made her official political debut with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) this year as she contested for Lok Sabha elections from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. She dominated the headlines this year quite a few times, sparking controversies on issues like farmers’ protests and the repealed farm laws.
Sitaram Yechury
On September 12, Sitaram Yechury, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) passed away at the age of 72. He was being treated for a respiratory tract infection in the national capital. His body was later donated to AIIMS Delhi for medical research.
Business
Ratan Tata
Industrialist Ratan Tata passed away on October 9, leaving behind a legacy of leadership and philanthropy. His death felt like a personal loss to many. From business leaders and politicians to film celebrities, people from all walks of life paid tributes to the veteran industrialists. Following his demise, he was accorded a state funeral by the Maharashtra government in Mumbai.
Gautam Adani
Following the Hindenburg Research report in January 2023, billionaire Gautam Adani has been making headlines, both for developments in his business and controversies. In November 2024, Gautam Adani was indicted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in an alleged multibillion-dollar bribery and fraud scheme. According to reports, Gautam Adani and seven other accused agreed to pay $265 million in bribes to government officials to develop India’s largest solar power plant project. On the other hand, Adani Group’s project with the Kenyan government to operate the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was also suspended by the court after protests.
Deepinder Goyal
Chief Executive of Zomato Deepinder Goyal made headlines quite a few times this year. From introducing a pure-vegetarian fleet and later revoking it amid backlash to navigating challenges faced by delivery partners with restaurants, Deepinder Goyal found himself at the center of both praise and criticism. His latest post seeking a candidate as ‘chief of staff’ also created social media debates. Goyal has recently been added to the ‘India’s Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2024’, released by IDFC FIRST Private and Hurun India.
Narayana Murthy
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy once again reiterated his stand for a six-day workweek. Earlier this year, Murthy advocated for a 70-hour work week and suggested Millennials follow his suggestions. According to Murthy, a 70-hour work week is crucial in making India ‘number one’. Earlier, in April, Narayana Murthy gave his grandson Ekagrah Rohan 1.5 million shares (0.04 per cent stake) of Infosys, which was valued at Rs 240 crore.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant
In March, the Ambani family kicked off the celebrations with a pre-wedding bash for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding. The lavish wedding festivities continued for months with international celebrities and businessmen flying especially to attend the wedding of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Some of the most influential personalities that were seen during this $600 million wedding celebration included Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, the Kardashian sisters, Rihanna, and Hillary Clinton among many others. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's wedding garnered a lot of attention.
Sports
Manu Bhaker
A professional shooter, Manu Bhaker created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She became the first Indian athlete to win two medals in a single Olympic edition. Bhaker claimed two bronze medals, one in the 10m air pistol event and the other in the mixed 10m air pistol competition. She also became the first Indian female athlete to win an Olympic shooting medal.
Vinesh Phogat
From fighting against sexual harassment at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) in 2023 to preparing for the 2024 Olympics, Vinesh Phogat has been dominating headlines. Phogat made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics to become the first female Indian wrestler to reach the finals. However, her chance at gold was cut short when she was disqualified from the women’s 50 kg freestyle. Even though the Indian contingent protested, their efforts were in vain. Soon after this, Phogat decided to retire from wrestling. She then joined politics and contested with the Congress party in the Haryana Assembly elections and won from Julana.
Gukesh Dommaraju
D Gukesh made history after becoming the youngest world chess champion after he dethroned China’s Ding Liren. Gukesh’s victory was congratulated by politicians and sportsmen alike. Following his victory, a battle was ignited between the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh governments over his roots.
KL Rahul
Indian cricketer KL Rahul made the headlines after he was schooled by Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2024. Following their exchange on the field, it was expected that KL Rahul would not be retained by LSG in the upcoming IPL auction. The controversy was addressed by both KL Rahul and LSG-owner Sanjiv Goenka, however, LSG did not retain KL Rahul as the captain for LSG anymore.
Entertainment
Diljit Dosanjh
From sharing a stage with English singer Ed Sheeran earlier this year to his musical performance at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding celebrations, it has been a year of Panjabi artist Diljit Dosanjh. After receiving a massive response at his Dil-luminati tour abroad, the actor and singer kickstarted the tour in India in October. From receiving notices about his songs to facing backlash over his remark on the need for better infrastructure, Dosanjh has faced some challenges.
Salman Khan
Tensions between Bollywood actor Salman Khan and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi escalated this year, with the former receiving death threats. His conflict with the Bishnoi gang remained in the headlines throughout. Incidents of firing were also reported outside his house in Mumbai and the actor was asked for Rs 5 crore along with an apology for killing two blackbucks in 1998. Troubles mounted for him and his security was beefed up after former minister Baba Siddique was shot dead, who was also Salman Khan’s close friend.
Shah Rukh Khan
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan debuted on the Hurun Rich List 2024 with a net worth of Rs 7,300 crore. He also topped the Forbes list of India’s top 10 highest-paid actors. The actor was in the news this year not for his movies and their box-office collections but because of the extortion call he received for Rs 50 lakh.
Hanumankind
Sooraj Cheukat aka Hanumankind is an Indian rapper who rose to fame with his viral hit track ‘Big Dawgs’. The song has over 132 million streams on Spotify and over 83 million views on YouTube since its July release. He is the second Indian artist after Diljit Dosanjh who will perform at Coachella.
Other newsmakers
Madhabi Puri
Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairperson Madhabi Puri was caught in a series of controversies earlier this year after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research claimed that Buch had a stake in the offshore entities used in the Adani scandal. She has also been accused of financial misconduct by the short-seller. While Buch and her husband denied these allegations, the opposition political parties targeted their guns at the Sebi chief and sought a probe against her. She was summoned by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for a probe.
DY Chandrachud
Former chief justice of the Supreme Court Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud retired from his position on November 10. The 50th chief justice made headlines with some of his verdicts. As the chief justice of the Supreme Court, he passed 93 judgements in his two-year tenure. He also made efforts in terms of live streaming the court hearings to make them more accessible to citizens. However, a picture of him went viral with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending Ganesh Chaturthi Puja at the former’s residence and it sparked criticism of the former CJI.
Shaktikanta Das
Shaktikanta Das retired as the 25th governor of the Reserve Bank of India on December 10. During his tenure, Das had to steer through some challenging times faced by the Indian economy. He also gave great importance to modernising the financial ecosystem of the country.
Sanjay Malhotra
Former Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra was appointed as the 26th governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Malhotra is a 1990-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre and a computer science engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
Lawrence Bishnoi
Bishnoi is a Punjab-based gangster who is currently lodged in the Sabarmati jail in Gujarat. He has been in the headlines this year for the death threats that were sent to Bollywood actor Salman Khan over the killing of Blackbucks in 1998. Bishnoi’s gang also took responsibility for killing former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique and firing shots outside Salman Khan’s residence.
Nancy Tyagi
A fashion influencer who made her debut at the Cannes Film Festival. Tyagi garnered attention for her self-designed and self-stitched outfits at the 77th edition of the film festival. She also bagged the top spot on Forbes India’s Top 100 Digital Stars 2024 list.
Ashneer Grover
BharatPe’s former MD Ashneer Grover settled a long-standing dispute with the company on September 30 this year and the legal action against Grover was also dropped. The case pertained to allegations against Ashneer Grover for misappropriation of funds.
Zakir Hussain
Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain passed away on December 16 at the age of 73. He was being treated for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco and passed away from the complications arising out of it.