I would like to thank CNN-IBN for giving me this opportunity, jury and viewers who voted for me. Such awards gives great encouragement, its just unbelievable that today there were such great contenders in spite that I got the award I am really happy for this I would like to thank my parents and my coach who supported me and because of them I am here and achieved so much.

It’s a long queue and I think I jumped the queue. It gives me strength to go forward do something better than what all I have done.

Thank you CNN-IBN first, this award really belongs to many individuals in the organization, above all we had tremendous guidance and help from government of India and it’s therefore a special honor and very appropriate that we should receive it from you sir, because it is under you leadership, your guidance and your very clear direction that we had all the support that we had from the government in terms of prompt and immediate action when we wanted it.

DR. MADHAV CHAVAN: It’s an honor to get an award from PM.I must thank CNN-IBN for including public service as a category because 100 of people are working out there perhaps we people are slightly better known group.

I was the captain of team which was number two in the world and current team with VVS and Dravid are the number one team in the world so congratulation to all of them and congratulations to Anil who I think was captain at a very important period in the middle. Hopefully Indian cricket will go forward and will keep attaining high goals.

I think it is truly a great honor and time for the team to reflect the contribution of all the past greats and all the great players who inspired us in the past. I think this award is the culmination of a journey that started in 1947.

Thanks to the consistency that the Indian cricket team who showed over the years that this current team has been able to achieve the number one test status and I wish the Indian team all the very best and hope that we remain number one, thank you CNN-IBN again.

I think it’s a achievement of all the Indians and I should really thank all the Indians for supporting our team and being our well wishers all through our journey, thank you very much.

I would like to thank CNN-IBN for selecting us for the special award and that too getting from a special person makes it even more special and thanks to the esteemed colleagues of mine who have contributed a lot to Indian cricket and its one of the main reasons why we are getting this award today.

Exactly almost this day 70 years ago I give my first performance in Allahabad music conference I had as audience Baba Ladin khan, Omkarnathji all the greatest musicians of that era and the last concert I played day before yesterday in Bombay I have just come from Bombay it was a wonderful experience playing along with my daughter Anoushka and I am so grateful for that great honor that is being bestowed on me by CNN-IBN.

It is special and it’s triumph for music also being on the same stage with Pundit ji and hope this inspires all the musicians to play a larger role in unification and to lessen the divide in the country and inspire all of us.

I am grateful to CNN-IBN and distinguished jury for having selected me CNN-IBN Indian of the year in the Politics category. It is a privilege to be among a host of luminaries, much more deserving than I, who have been selected by CNN-IBN both this year and in prior years.