News Broadcasting
NEWJ (New Emerging World of Journalism Limited) announces appointment of Siddharth Zarabi as Managing Editor
NEWJ (New Emerging World of Journalism Limited) today announced the appointment of senior journalist Siddharth Zarabi as the Managing Editor.
An award-winning media professional and Chevening Scholar, Siddharth Zarabi is among India’s best-known journalists with over two decades of experience as a results-oriented, decisive leader.
Siddharth has led newsrooms in marquee Indian print companies, as well as headed two business news channels with global partners. Credited with multiple content and platform innovations in the fiercely competitive news industry, he has deep knowledge and wide experience across the media value chain.
NEWJ, one of India’s fastest growing tech-media startups, was founded by a team of young entrepreneurs led by Shalabh Upadhyay.
It is a video-only, mobile-first publisher focused on curating and producing high impact video content for the smartphone obsessed young Indians. As a “social-first” publisher, NEWJ has, since its launch in January 2019, produced and distributed over 10,000 videos in 7 languages, aggregating over 4 billion views while creating an audience of over 6 million across 12+ social media and OTT platforms. As many as 550 video stories produced by the ‘NEWJRoom’ have recorded over a million views each.
Speaking on the appointment, Shalabh Upadhyay, Founder & CEO said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Siddharth on board at NEWJ to drive growth and value creation. As a young startup, we have achieved significant landmarks in a short span of time. In the midst of the massive disruption caused by the Covid19 pandemic, we believe now is the time to ramp up our mission of creating a voice for India’s emerging youth. In the fast-growing digital media landscape, we are committed to providing a platform for young journalists and content creators by continuing to expand our team.”
“In the days ahead, NEWJ aims to scale up its capabilities in visual storytelling with a focus on #BharatFirst. An important part of this mission will be to deepen efforts to reduce the urban-rural divide in India’s new media space by leveraging data and tech to serve one of the largest and fastest growing news markets in the world. Our mission is to tell stories that matter to India’s masses. NEWJ remains committed to helping build a ‘Digital Bharat’ and grow the country’s Digital Knowledge Economy through impactful and India-centric storytelling”, Upadhyay added.
Speaking on the new assignment, Siddharth Zarabi said, “India’s news media landscape is witnessing a massive transformation. The costs of the past and the legacy of old systems are weighing on innovation in content creation. The ongoing disruption is sowing the seeds for a new generation of tech-enabled, data driven news producers. The news consumer of tomorrow will be even more ‘social’ than today and continue to ‘distance’ from existing, legacy news platforms.”
“Affordable data and connected devices have meant that an unprecedented amount of news is being consumed socially. NEWJ is extremely well placed to lead the ongoing transformational shift in the industry. I look forward to working with the phenomenal NEWJ team to continue serving great content to 400 million plus Indians active on social platforms like Facebook among others”, Zarabi added.
The startup’s ‘NEWJRoom’ currently produces videos in seven languages – Hindi, English, Tamil, Bangla, Marathi, Telugu, and Kannada. Some of the most popular offerings are NEWJ Rajneeti, NEWJ Dharohar, NEWJ Garv and Filmy NEWJ.
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.
