TIME's 100 Most Influential People Of 2021 Features Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee And SII's Adar Poonawalla
Narendra Modi
Though criticised for his government's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushing the country from secularism and toward Hindu nationalism, Modi has been termed as the third pivotal leader of independent India after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Mamata Banerjee
Hailed for returning to power for a third time in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee was termed by TIME Magazine as one of the key coalition forces to counter PM Modi in India.
Adar Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of Serum Institute of India, was included in the list for his company's role as one of the world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers.
Manjusha P. Kulkarni
Manjusha P. Kulkarni is the executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and one of the co-founders of Stop AAPI hate which has been working to raise awareness about violence against Asian people in the US.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
Abdul Ghani Baradar is one of the founders of the Taliban and Deputy Prime Minister in the intermin government. Baradar was the Taliban's chief negotiator in peace talks with the US.
Joe Biden
US President Joe Biden has been hailed for his work bringing the US back on track following four tumultuous years under Donald Trump which saw racial tensions rise and a pandemic devastating the country.
Katalin Kariko
Biochemist Katalin Kariko's work on RNA over the years demonstrated mRNA's potential and led to the development of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka has been major voice in the Black Lives Matter movement and has also used her status as a global superstar to talk honestly about her struggles with mental health.
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X has been praised for his talent and for setting new records in hip-hop while embracing his identity as a gay black man.
Vitalik Buterin
Vitalik Buterin is a co-founder of Ethereum, an open-source blockchain. Buterin has been credited for raising Ethereum's market cap to $400 billion as well as pioneering the boom in NFT trading.