About the Jury

About the Jury

DILIP VENGSARKAR Former India cricket captain Member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad and Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in 1987, former India captain Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar’s life is devoted to cricket. ‘The Colonel’, as he is fondly known, played 116 Tests and scored over 10,000 international runs. He is the only visiting batsman to have scored three consecutive Test centuries at Lord’s, the game’s mecca. After retiring in 1995, he set up the Elf-Vengsarkar cricket academy in Mumbai. Elected vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association in 2003, he was also chairman of the Indian selectors in 2006-08. Ramesh S Damani Member, Bombay Stock Exchange Starting out at the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1989, Ramesh S Damani is one of the most well-known faces on the Indian stock market today. He is known not just as a market maven, but also as one of its most intelligent 'investor philosophers'. A software engineer by training, Damani counts CMC Ltd among his many successes. Besides his success in the market, he has hosted television shows, gone trekking on one of the world's tallest mountains and backpacking to its largest desert. His deep understanding of the market has made him a voice to be heard. Jayant Patil Maharashtra minister for rural development This suave yet gritty politician did not always have a cushioned life. A civil engineer by training, he followed in the footsteps of his father, the late Rajaram ‘Bapu’ Patil, a leading light of the state’s cooperative movement, and entered politics to become Maharashtra’s youngest finance minister in 1999. He went on to present the state budget a record nine times. He then served as home minister of the state and was responsible for setting up Force One, the anti-terrorism quick response team. He took over the reins of the rural development ministry in 2009. Amish Tripathi Author Amish Tripathi's blockbuster Shiva trilogy is being touted by some as India's answer to The Lord Of The Rings. The Immortals Of Meluha, his debut novel, broke into the bestseller charts within a week of its launch. It was followed by The Secret Of The Nagas. The third book in the series is expected by the end of this year. Meanwhile, The Immortals is being made into a motion picture. Amish decided to turn writer after working in the corporate world for 14 years. He is one of a new breed of Indian authors who are shaking up the publishing industry with their phenomenal success. Hrishitaa Bhatt Actress The former Liril girl is an actress and model who completed her education from London’s famed Trinity College. A trained Kathak dancer, Hrishitaa Bhatt made her debut in Hindi films with Shah Rukh Khan in Asoka. Though the film didn’t do too well, others that followed, like Haasil, Ab Tak Chhappan and Jigyaasa, were lauded by critics and audiences alike. Bhatt has over 30 films to her credit so far, having worked in Bengali, Marathi, and Telugu cinema as well. She is a life member of the International Film and Television Club of the Asian Academy of Film and Television.