Portrait Gallery: Hall of Fame at Indian of the Year

The dignitaries at this year's NDTV Indian of the Year Awards were a heady mix of politicians, Bollywood celebrities, entrepreneurs and sports stars. We discovered that the gravitas that comes with heading an august body such as the Election Commission makes for as impressive a picture as does the sparkle of showbiz.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, who gave away the awards for Public Service and Actor of the Year, urged people to stop voting for criminals contesting elections.

Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award and said it was important to encourage classical musicians under the age of 40.

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor's Dil may have been Badtameez, he was polite. "Aamir Khan is a superstar, Dr (Prannoy) Roy is a superstar, I am not, he said. Ranbir was named Bollywood Youth Icon.

Deepika Padukone, who was named the Entertainer Of The Year, said the award meant a lot to her. She also disclosed that she was nervous about being called Bollywood's Golden Girl.

Soundarya R Ashwin was honoured for Technical Innovation In Film for her work in Kochadaiiyaan, starring superstar father Rajinikanth.

Queen star Kangana Ranaut won the Actor of the Year Award and told us just why she broke her 'no award shows' rule for NDTV Actor Of The Year.

Rajiv Bajaj, the man who has driven the Indian two-wheeler industry into the 21st century, won the Business Leader of the Year Award. He told Prannoy Roy, "For my generation, you are a statesman like the President so this is my Padma award."

Two generations of Hamara Bajaj: Rajiv poses with his father and Bajaj Auto chairman Rahul Bajaj.

Rahul Bajaj, also a panelist for the business section, revealed that he and and his son often had divergent views on whether Bajaj should have stopped scooter production.

HCL scion Roshni Nadar won the award for Young Philanthropist Of The Year.

HCL founder and Roshni's father Shiv Nadar was there to see his daughter receive her award.

Roshni and Shiv Nadar pose for a photograph together.

Acid attack victim Laxmi, the LIC Unsung Hero Of The Year, was a powerful reminder of one of India's ugliest truths. Laxmi, an acid attack survivor, now leads a campaign to stop acid attacks and spoke about how she was abandoned by her friends and relatives. It was the support of her parents that gave her strength, she said.

Badminton ace P V Sindhu revealed that her secret weapons were her parents and coach.

Social activist Aruna Roy was a panelist for the session on public service.

The Election Commission was named Indian of the Year. The awards was received collectively by an eminent group of former Chief Election Commissioners, among them J M Lyngdoh.

Former Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy received the Indian of the Year Award on behalf of the Election Commission.

And so did former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami.

Also among the former Chief Election Commissioners was Naveen Chawla.

Former Chief Election Commissioner B B Tandon represented the Election Commission.

Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi also represented the Election Commission and co-chaired the session on public service.