Awards and accolades continue to follow Sachin Tendulkar who added the ‘Lebara People’s Choice’ honour at the inaugural Asian Awards to his trophy cabinet.
Presenting the award to the iconic batsman, Ratheesan Yoganathan, CEO Lebara, said, “Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Sachin is a hero and a role model to many young Indians.”
“His skill on the pitch is remarkable, but his influence goes beyond just cricket — he has become an inspiration for future generations,” he added.
Tendulkar said getting popular choice awards is the ultimate honour. “To receive an accolade from your peers is one thing, but to receive acknowledgment from the public is the ultimate honour. Thank you to all those who voted for me,” he said.
The Asian Awards 2010, presented by Lord Sebastian Coe, saw leaders in business, sports and the arts in attendance, including Yash Chopra, A R Rahman and Vijay Mallya alongside guests Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, Gurinder Chadha, Christian Louboutin and singer Sonu Nigam.
Rahman won the award for outstanding achievement in music, while Yash Chopra received the outstanding achievement award in cinema. Vijay Mallya was chosen as the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ while telecom giant Bharti-Airtel owner Sunil Mittal was named the ‘Philanthropist of the Year’. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan got the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
Other recipients of the awards were: Ratan Tata (Business Leader of the Year), Zarin Patel (Public Servant of the Year), Prof. Muhammad Yunus (Social Entrepreneur of the Year), Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla (outstanding achievement in arts and design), George Alagiah OBE (outstanding achievement in television).
Created to honour excellence and achievement among in the South Asian community, the inaugural Asian Awards in partnership with Lebara, saw South Asians gather at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Tuesday night.
