Vikram Chandra (journalist)

Vikram Chandra
Born Vikramaditya A. Chandra
(1967-01-07) 7 January 1967
New Delhi, India
Other names Vikramaditya Chandra
Alma mater University of Delhi
Oxford University
Stanford University
Occupation News Anchor and group CEO of NDTV
Agent Veena Janet Basil
Notable credit(s) The Big Fight, Gadget Guru
Spouse(s) Seema Chandra

Vikram Chandra (Hindi: विक्रमादित्य चन्द्रा 7 January 1967 ) is the executive director and CEO of NDTV Group.[1][2] He has been called in the popular press, one of the top journalists in India today.[3] Chandra's reputation as a journalist was built while covering the Kashmir conflict. He is the former anchor for the Nine O'Clock News and current host of Gadget Guru and anchor of The Big Fight, on which he still appears despite his management responsibilities.[4][5][6]

Early life and career

Vikram Chandra's mother Nandini Chandra was a journalist with The Hindustan Times.[2] He is an alumnus of The Doon School, where he was the editor of The Doon School Weekly. After his secondary education, Chandra received his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.[2][7] He also studied at Oxford on an Inlaks Scholarship.[2][6] He studied mass media at Stanford University for a three-month period.[2][6] He is married to Seema Chandra.[2]

Chandra began his career in television journalism in 1991 working with a TV news magazine called Newstrack.[2] He has been with New Delhi Television Limited since 1994.[2] During these years, he worked on the prime time 9 O'Clock News, Gadget Guru (with Rajiv Makhni), which was a review show about new technologies. He is best known for his award winning anchor position on The Big Fight, which is one of India's top rated talk and current affairs shows.[2]

Chandra was appointed head of NDTV Profit before its launch. NDTV Profit is India's leading English-language business channel.[5] In 2007, he was named CEO of NDTV Networks.[8] He added NDTV Convergence to his portfolio in 2009.[9] Chandra is currently the CEO of NDTV Group a member of the NDTV Board.[1][2][10]

Chandra's first work of fiction, the thriller The Srinagar Conspiracy, was published in 2000 and became a best seller. The book was notable for its combination of setting the action in Kashmir, a place in which Chandra had become familiar through his journalism, and of using English.[5]

Notable assignments

As a reporter, Chandra was assigned to Kashmir, where he reported on war and conflict. Chandra had an exclusive footage of the army camps at the Saltoro Heights in Siachen.[11] He was in Charari Sharief prior to insurgents burning the entire town in 1995.[5] In 1999, he reported on the Kargil War.[6]

As the anchor of The Big Fight (NDTV), Chandra has interviewed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2006,[12] Bill Gates in 2012,[13] Shimon Peres, and Rupert Murdoch. He also interviewed Tim Cook, CEO of Apple in May 2016, during the latter's visit to India.

Chandra has been active in public interest media campaigns in India. He has worked on several "Greenathons," which is a media campaign to expand the electrical system to rural areas and finance solar lanterns to bring light to homes.[6] He has also been active in the "Save our Tigers" campaign to stop poaching. He is also very popular among scholars for his significant contribution to various social and political themes.[6]

Awards

In 2007, Chandra received the designation "Global Leader for Tomorrow" from the World Economic Forum in Davos when he was selected as a "Young Global Leader."[2][14] He has twice won the Hero Honda Indian Television Academy Award Award for Best Anchor for a Talk Show for The Big Fight in 2005 and 2008[2][15][16] and the Teacher's Achievement Award for Communication,[7] amongst other coveted recognitions.

References

  1. 1 2 Bhat, Varada (30 July 2011). "NDTV rejigs management". Business Standard. New Delhi: Business Standard Ltd. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "A nose for news – Mehnaz Nasreen and Rohit Manchanda". The Sunday Indian. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Top Five Journalists in India". Chillibreeze.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  4. ↑ Bansal, Shuchi (19 February 2008). "NDTV scores big with entertainment channel". Business Standard. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "I will still do the 'Big Fight': Vikram Chandra". Exchange4media.com. 1 August 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kargil was a very emotional experience: Vikram Chandra – CoolAge". Coolage.in. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 "A rendezvous with Mr. Vikram Chandra – CoolAge". Coolage.in. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Vikram Chandra made CEO of NDTV Networks PLC". Exchange4media.com. 24 February 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  9. ↑ 25 August 2009 – 2:09PM (25 August 2009). "Vikram Chandra Is CEO, Suparna Singh Named Deputy CEO at NDTV Convergence – paidContent". Paidcontent.org. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Vikram Chandra Appointed CEO, NDTV Group". Medianewsline.com. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "My Life My Style: Vikram Chandra, CEO of NDTV". Business-standard.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Saudi King Abdullah Begins Asian Tour, Signaling Shift in Foreign Policy: #evworld". Evworld.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "Steve Jobs and I are quite different: Bill Gates - NDTVProfit.com". Profit.ndtv.com. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  14. ↑ Social Post (17 January 2007). "Omar says honoured to be named young global leader | India – Oneindia News". News.oneindia.in. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "IndianTelevisionAcademy.com". IndianTelevisionAcademy.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  16. ↑ "IndianTelevisionAcademy.com". IndianTelevisionAcademy.com. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
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