Jim Sarbh, Nushrat Bharucha, Remo D’Souza and Pankaj Advani were among a select list of genuine achievers recognized with full honours on 16th November 2019, at the Teacher’s Golden Thistle Awards held in Mumbai. As a platform created to celebrate unique, authentic achievers and their impact, the awards identify and acknowledge those achievers who have carved a niche for themselves through passion and grit, creating an unmatched legacy that inspires millions of people daily.

The evolved Indian today places characteristics such as authenticity and genuineness in high regard. Teacher’s Golden Thistle Awards are a platform where these attributes are acknowledged, celebrated and rewarded in the form of recognition for those genuine achievers who are an inspiration to all. The awards span seven categories: four are in the areas of Business, Sports, Entertainment and Culture (Culinary Excellence), while three special awards have been curated to encourage and celebrate Genuine Spirit. The list of winners include:

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for Entertainment - Ayushmann Khurrana, an actor who has created a mark for himself in the hearts of movie lovers due to his hard work, passion and versatility by continuously challenging himself every time he essays a new role.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for GQ Man Most Stylish Man - Jim Sarbh for portraying varied characters on screen with equal ease and grabbing the limelight off-screen with his charming personality and quirky fashion sensibilities.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for GQ Most Stylish Woman - Nushrat Bharucha broke onto the Bollywood fashion stage with her elegant and clean style, always finding herself on everyone’s style radar.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for Sports - Pankaj Advani, for his immense contribution to Billiards bringing it to the mainstream, in a country where cricket is the only religion in sports.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for Entertainment (Special Category) - Remo D’Souza, choreographer and director par excellence celebrated for his immeasurable talent, humility and contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for being Forever Genuine (Lifetime Achievement) - Subhash Ghai, an ace director known for some of the biggest Bollywood hits, his contribution to the film industry is truly outstanding.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for being Forever Genuine (Lifetime Achievement) - Hemendra Kothari is one of the most accomplished and trusted investment bankers in the country known for creating a positive impact on 120 national parks and reserves across India.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for Business - Yashish Dahiya, an entrepreneur responsible for scaling up PolicyBazaar, a company with a valuation of $1 billion, with an intent to provide and advise general consumers on their financial needs.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for Culture (Culinary Excellence) - Manish Mehrotra, India’s most celebrated chef who has brought the best of Indian cuisine - colour, culture and taste - onto a modern platter. His work has inspired budding chefs in India and taught them the importance of resilience and perseverance.

• Teacher’s Golden Thistle Award for Genuine Impact (Growing for Good) - Neerja Birla, for her devotion to sensitize India on the importance of mental health both from an individual point of view as well as desensitizing masses to the various stigmas attached with it.

The host for the evening, Cyrus Sahukar, took the audience through the stories of the winners, their achievements and the journey culminating in this special recognition. The audience included Rahul Bose, Manjit Gill, Geeta Chandran, Sandeep Arora, Ayaz Memon, Arjun Bajwa, Sabbas Joseph and several others.

“Today’s Indian is evolved and aware, looks beyond the surface of commercial success and inspires the society with their genuine will to win and grow for good. It is only right that we celebrate and recognise these accomplishments with the Teacher’s Golden Thistle Awards. The awards celebrate stories of rare individuals who dared to dream big and truly inspire. This platform attempts to encourage a new generation with the courage and confidence of achievers who are rare to find and genuine in their entrepreneurship, craftsmanship and sportsmanship,” said Mr. Neeraj Kumar, Managing Director, Beam Suntory India.

This year, Teacher’s Golden Thistle Awards partnered with Republic TV, one of the leading news networks in India, as the Co-Host and Media Partner. To ensure an extremely fair and thoroughly audited process, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was appointed as the Process Validator. The names shortlisted by PwC were then discussed and debated by a credible and respected jury comprising of Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor, dance Icon Geeta Chandran, cricketing legends Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Harbhajan Singh, Legendary Masterchef Manjeet Gill (of Bukhara fame) and Restaurateur- Chef Farrokh Khambata, Business Leaders D. Shiva Kumar, Group Executive President - Corporate Strategy and Business, Aditya Birla Group, Nimish Shah, Head - Investments at BNP Paribas Wealth Management, and Wiz Sabbas Joseph, Founder and CEO, Wizcraft. Neeraj Kumar, Managing Director - Beam Suntory India, is the chairman of the jury and the meeting was hosted by Arnab Goswami, founder of Republic TV and one of India’s leading news personalities. The jury met in October this year to select the winners and runners-up.

“It is a great responsibility and privilege to identify and make examples of individuals who have carved a niche and created a positive impact on those around them. We are honoured and excited to partner with Beam Suntory to co-host this edition of these iconic awards and inspire passionate Indians to achieve their dreams despite all odds,” says Arnab Goswami, Founder of Republic TV. “The Teacher’s Golden Thistle Awards are not just any awards, it is a platform that represents and celebrates a group of achievers who dared to dream and then pursued that dream in their own way,”he added.