News Broadcasting
CNN appoints Sumnima Udas as India correspondent
MUMBAI: CNN International has elevated Sumnima Udas as the Delhi-based correspondent. She will be covering key developments in the country relating to politics, economics, social & environmental and general interest stories.
She has been associated with CNN since 2001. She joined as a news assistant in New York and then moved to Hong Kong in 2006 as a show producer. Since 2010, she has been producer from Delhi. “The eyes of the world will be trained on India as the world’s largest democracy and emerging economic powerhouse goes to the polls in 2014,” said CNN International Asia Pacific VP and managing editor Ellana Lee.
CNN is looking at strengthening its presence in this diverse and dynamic region with the inclusion of Sumnima Udas
Recently, Udas has worked on several assignments such as the Delhi gang-rape, the Bangladesh garment factory collapse as well as the Commonwealth Games corruption scam. She is also the recipient of the Asian Television Awards as show producer for the show CNN Talk Asia, a weekly show that explores personalities of newsmakers.
She has studied her bachelors at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, USA and masters from Oxford University in UK. She knows several languages such as English, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali and French and has grown up in over ten countries.
“With her new appointment as Delhi correspondent we look forward to strengthening our presence in this diverse and dynamic region,” added Lee.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
