Age: 74
Occupation: Anticorruption activist
Through a highly publicized hunger strike, this diminutive septuagenarian channeled frustration across India over corruption, inspiring mass protests that brought the government virtually to its knees. A figure of Gandhian simplicity, Hazare's movement has compelled New Delhi's politicians to get to work on a bill that would create a powerful, independent anticorruption ombudsman — a body that could radically transform the way things work in the world's largest democracy.