Narendra Modi becomes the world’s most admired Indian… Deepika Padukone, Big B and Pee Cee follows suit

It’s a thing to be influential, but it’s a thing of greater pride to be admired. On the contrary however, and on second thoughts, being among the most admired of people living on the planet would in fact be a truly humbling experience.

An online survey conducted by UK-based internet market research and data analytics firm YouGov has listed up prominent people around the globe who are also the most admired in 2019.

While business tycoon and philanthropist Bill Gates tops the list of most admired men in the world, on the other side of the line it is former First Lady Michelle Obama ruling the roost. Interestingly, Gates has forever at the top rung on the ladder every time YouGov has conducted the survey. For Mrs Obama though, her claim to the top spot has seen Hollywood actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie been dislodged from being supremo uno to occupying third spot in the list.

But even when it is in fact the world’s top five most admired men who remain static in their past ‘positions’, the sixth coveted rank has been claimed by an Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged to be the most admired Indian and sixth overall in the world behind the likes of Gates, Barack Obama, Jackie Chan, Xi Jinping and Jack Ma.

Likewise, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is the most admired Indian women with her rank of 13 in the global list. Global icons and fellow actresses Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sushmita Sen follows Padukone closely at the 14th, 16th and 17th positions respectively.

The other Indian males in the top 20 of the list include Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan at the 12th, 16th and 18th global positions respectively.

Here’s the complete list of the 40 most admired personalities in the world-

Whether it be a sign of widening stature or his greater political assertion and a more visible presence on the world stage, the presence of Narendra Modi at the top alongside other global leaders is indeed significant, specially when other powerful country supremos like Donald Trump is cut out from the list.