Aroon Purie
Encyclopedia
Aroon Purie is an India
n businessman who is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of India Today
and the Chief Executive of the India Today Group. He is also the Managing Director of Thomson Press (India) Limited and the Chairman and Managing Director of TV Today. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest
India
, Aroon Purie was educated at the Doon School and went onto get his B.Sc in Economics from the London School of Economics
in 1965.
He sets the journalistic style for the largest and most respected magazine publishing group in India and for the premier 24-hour news and current affairs Hindi news channel, Aaj Tak and English news channel Headlines Today.
- a prestigious civilian award, by the Government of India, for his contribution to Indian journalism. He has received numerous other honors which include the B.D. Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (1988), 'Journalist of the Year 1990' award by the Indian Federation of Small and Medium Newspapers, The G.K. Reddy Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism (1993–1994), the Hall of Fame Award from the Advertising Club of Kolkata (2002) and the NT Award for Lifetime achievement from www.Indiatelevision.com (2008).
He is associated with several prestigious councils, amongst them, as Member, Council of Management, Audit Bureau of Circulations (Chairman, 2000–2001). He is on the Executive Committee of The Editors' Guild of India, Council of Management All India Management Association (Special Invitee). He was also Chairman, CII National Committee on Media (2001–2002).
He is currently the chairman of FIPP Federation of International Periodicals and Publications. This is the first time the post has been held by an Indian national. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accounts (England & Wales).
Along with the above, the group also publishes several supplements for their magazines.
The India Today Group has also entered into a tie-up with AOL Time Warner Group for exclusive marketing and distribution of Time and Fortune magazines.
Apart from a number of publications, the group also controls TV Today, India's most wide-reaching television news network, which owns the popular Hindi
news channel Aaj Tak and English news channel Headlines Today. TV Today, whose CEO is G Krishnan, is a listed company whose shares are traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange
and National Stock Exchange
. Besides Aaj Tak and Headlines Today they also run two other channels - Tez, a snappy-format news channel, using a concept borrowed from CNN Headline News
but in Hindi and Dilli Aaj Tak, a local news channel for Delhi.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n businessman who is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
and the Chief Executive of the India Today Group. He is also the Managing Director of Thomson Press (India) Limited and the Chairman and Managing Director of TV Today. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
India
Education and Personal Life
An indian Chartered AccountantChartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
, Aroon Purie was educated at the Doon School and went onto get his B.Sc in Economics from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1965.
Career
He started his career in 1970 at Thomson Press as Production Controller and still continues to be its guiding force even though he recently handed over the reins to his son Ankoor Purie. Thomson press is the largest commercial printer in South Asia and with five facilities across India has a national presence. He began the India Today Group with an eponymous magazine in 1975. Today the group is India’s most diversified media group with 32 magazines, 7 radio stations, 4 TV channels, 1 newspaper, multiple web and mobile portals, a leading classical music label and book publishing arm. Through its subscribers, readers, viewers and listeners, the group reaches out to over 50 million individuals.India Today
Purie launched India Today, the magazine in 1975 as a strategic move to keep the printing press busy. The magazine was born in the time of emergency. Its never before seen brand of journalism without fear or favour transformed the landscape of Indian journalism. With editions in five languages, it is the most widely–read publication in India–a position it has held for over a decade–with a readership of over 11 million.He sets the journalistic style for the largest and most respected magazine publishing group in India and for the premier 24-hour news and current affairs Hindi news channel, Aaj Tak and English news channel Headlines Today.
Awards & Associations
He was conferred, Padma BhushanPadma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
- a prestigious civilian award, by the Government of India, for his contribution to Indian journalism. He has received numerous other honors which include the B.D. Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (1988), 'Journalist of the Year 1990' award by the Indian Federation of Small and Medium Newspapers, The G.K. Reddy Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism (1993–1994), the Hall of Fame Award from the Advertising Club of Kolkata (2002) and the NT Award for Lifetime achievement from www.Indiatelevision.com (2008).
He is associated with several prestigious councils, amongst them, as Member, Council of Management, Audit Bureau of Circulations (Chairman, 2000–2001). He is on the Executive Committee of The Editors' Guild of India, Council of Management All India Management Association (Special Invitee). He was also Chairman, CII National Committee on Media (2001–2002).
He is currently the chairman of FIPP Federation of International Periodicals and Publications. This is the first time the post has been held by an Indian national. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accounts (England & Wales).
Plagiarism charges
A media watchdog, CounterMedia, has found that the opening paragraph of Purie's October 18, 2010 editorial on the iconic south Indian actor, Rajinikanth, was identical to the one published by Slate, an US-based online Magazine. The only difference between Slate's copy, written by Grady Hendrix, and the one written by Purie for the southern edition of the magazine is the capitalisation of the word 'Superstar' while Hendrix's copy reads 'SUPERSTAR'. Purie later apologized for the mistake occurred stating that it was an inadvertent error. However, Grady Hendrix who initially made mock of apology, accepted Arun's letter to the editor of Slate as a satisfactory closer to the matter.Magazines
The magazines run by the India Today Group are :- India Today EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- India Today Spice
- India Today Home
- Business Today
- India Today HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
- India Today TeluguTelugu languageTelugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
- India Today TamilTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
- India Today Malayalam
- Golf DigestGolf DigestGolf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
(Indian Edition) - CosmopolitanCosmopolitan (magazine)Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
(Indian Edition) - India Today Travel Plus
- Design Today
- G&G (Gadgets and Gizmos)
- Money Today
- Directories Today
- Men's HealthMen's Health (magazine)Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
- Indian Edition - Harvard Business Review (Indian Edition)
- Mail Today (A newspaper bought out as a joint venture with the Daily Mail)
Along with the above, the group also publishes several supplements for their magazines.
The India Today Group has also entered into a tie-up with AOL Time Warner Group for exclusive marketing and distribution of Time and Fortune magazines.
Apart from a number of publications, the group also controls TV Today, India's most wide-reaching television news network, which owns the popular Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
news channel Aaj Tak and English news channel Headlines Today. TV Today, whose CEO is G Krishnan, is a listed company whose shares are traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange
The Bombay Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located on Dalal Street, Mumbai and is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. The equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was 1.63 trillion as of December 2010, making it the 4th largest stock exchange in Asia and the 8th largest...
and National Stock Exchange
National Stock Exchange
The National Stock Exchange is an electronic stock exchange located in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded March 1885 in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the Cincinnati Stock Exchange. In 1976, it closed its physical trading floor and became an all-electronic stock market...
. Besides Aaj Tak and Headlines Today they also run two other channels - Tez, a snappy-format news channel, using a concept borrowed from CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
but in Hindi and Dilli Aaj Tak, a local news channel for Delhi.
External Links
- India Today Group stands for editorial excellence : Aroon Purie Interview Video Interview Transcript