News Broadcasting
Star’s Kumud Chowdhary joins SaharaOne as programming head
MUMBAI: Post the restructuring of Sahara’s media and entertainment business under a joint venture management company with Percept, the company saw a couple of high profile exits. One of them was Sahara Media and Entertainment vice president, programming Triptii Sharma in November last year. SaharaOne has found her replacement as programming head in Star India’s commissioning editor Kumud Chowdhary, who is slated to join office on 11 January.
Chowdhary, who was with Star for a period of two years, will be reporting to SaharaOne Television COO Karuna Samtani. Speaking to indiantelevision.com about the new development, Chowdhary says, “It was a great offer and there is nothing to lose here. One can do what one wants in terms of experimenting with different kinds of programming. My agenda here will be first find my focus and then work on it.”
Confirming Chowdhary’s appointment, Samtani, on the other hand says, “There are very few good professionals in this business and we were looking for someone who would gel in with our personality and our business goals. The Percept and Sahara Groups have found a great person in Kumud.”
The change from Sahara Manoranjan to SaharaOne last year has been more than just a name change as far as the channel is concerned. The look and feel of SaharaOne has slowly but surely seen a great deal of improvement in the last few months. And in this competitive market, where there are many players including Star’s new baby Star One, Samtani is looking at putting together a strong core team to take competition head on.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
