Gandhi, Akbar among list of top 25 political icons

Indian political geniuses Mahatma Gandhi and Emperor Akbar have been listed among the 'Top 25 Political Icons' of all time by Time magazine, along with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Mao Zedong, the father of modern China.

Released on the 100th birth anniversary of the late US president Ronald Reagan, the list features names like Alexander the Great and some of history's most polarizing figures like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Gandhi's experiments with satyagraha and his leadership of India's freedom movement that has inspired many revolutionaries of later years, led him to the top of the list of the 25 all time greats.

Describing Mohandas Gandhi as a figure "few will ever forget", the magazine said his struggle paved the way for other social movements including America's struggle for civil rights.

The 16th century Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, a figure who played a major role in unifying the largely scattered fiefdoms in northern India, also finds a place in the elite list.

The ethos of pluralism and tolerance pioneered by the Muslim ruler in a Hindu-majority India underline the values of the modern republic of India, the magazine said. 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.