News Broadcasting
India Today Group Back with Another Edition of Safaigiri Awards
The India Today Group is back with the sixth edition of the Safaigiri Awards. The annual event this year will honour COVID-19 Warriors who have been leading the fight against COVID-19 from the front. The platform will therefore be called ‘India Today Safaigiri: Healthgiri Awards’ to honour the spirit of Corona Warriors and to felicitate the pioneering efforts of those who have significantly contributed during this pandemic.
For the last few months since the outbreak of Covid-19, India is facing a big challenge. The entire nation is trying to fight the pandemic mainly due to the efforts of selfless warriors from various walks-of-life. These brave citizens have been fronting the battle to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. Doctors and paramedics as the frontline are providing medical assistance despite their personal safety concerns. Administrations from the centre to local governments are inundated with the task of improving health infrastructure, ramping up testing and treatment facilities, maintaining law and order. A host of Indians are voluntarily contributing to this effort mainly by spreading awareness and highlighting the safety precautions and running relief measures.
The India Today Group invites nominations from Individuals/Organisations who have appreciably contributed and brought about a significant change during this pandemic. The categories for this year are:
• Best State in Combating Covid-19
• Best Celebrity Contribution in Spreading Awareness
• Best Far-Reaching Corporate Contribution for a Wider Social Impact
• Best Testing Facility
• Best NGO or other Entity that Extended Timely Help to Migrants
• Best Innovation for Covid -Related Activity in Times of the Pandemic
• Best Logistics Services Provider
• Best NGO or Other Entity Offering Healthcare Services
• Best Health Manager
Nominations with all details can be sent to safaigiri@intoday.com or they can be filed on www.safaigiri.in under respective categories meeting the criteria requirements. The last date of filing nominations is 12th September 2020.
This year’s esteemed jury for selecting and honouring the awardees will be:
• Mr. Aroon Purie, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group
• Ms. Anu Aga, Former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Businesswoman and Social Worker
• Mr. Manish Sabharwal, Chairman, TeamLease Services Ltd.
• Dr. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India
• Dr. Devi Shetty, Chairman and Founder, Narayana Health
• Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta
• Dr. Gagandeep Kang, Vaccine Expert
• Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Group
About India Today Group’s Safaigiri Awards:
In the first edition of Safaigiri Awards in in 2015, India Today was privileged to host Prime Minister Modi who gave away the Safaigiri Awards to a series of amazing achievers involved in the mission to clean India. Over a day-long singathon on October 2nd, India Today celebrated Safaigiri champions, highlighting their achievements and showcasing best practices. The second edition of the awards was equally successful, with Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and actor Ms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the chief guests. The third edition saw the Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, giving away the awards. The fourth edition, which was held in Mumbai, saw Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways give away the awards. At the fifth edition last year, which was held in New Delhi, Hon’ble President of India, Ram Nath Kovind graced the occasion and felicitated the champions of clean India.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
