Gopal Raju
Encyclopedia
Gopal Raju was an India
n-born American
publisher, editor
, journalist
, businessman and philanthropist
. He was considered to be a pioneer of Indian American
ethnic media
in the United States
.
, in 1970. The India Abroad newspaper refers to itself as the "oldest Indian newspaper published in North America
." The newspaper quickly became an influential voice for the growing Indian American community in the United States. Raju's India Abroad was considered to be an important milestone for the growth of ethnic media in the U.S and one of the most credible Indian American publications. The Economist
, a respected British
weekly international affairs
magazine
, once referred to Raju's India Abroad as a daily publication of “unusually high quality”.
In 1997, Raju held talks to merger India Abroad with India-West
, an ethnic Indian American
newspaper published in California
. Raju and India-West publisher, Ramesh Murarka, went as far a jointly purchasing a building in San Leandro, California
, to house the offices of the proposed, combined newspaper. Under the proposal, the existing India Abroad offices would have become the East Coast offices of the new newspaper, while the offices of India-West in California would have become the West Coast headquarters of the publication. However, in the end Raju and Murarka decided to abandon the proposed merger of the publications. Raju later sold India Abroad in April 2001 to Rediff.com
, which currently owns and operates the newspaper.
Raju also founded the India Abroad News Service, which was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service
(IANS).
The IANS, which is headquartered in New Dehli, focuses its reporting on issues affecting India
, South Asia
and the Indian diapora
around the world.
Raju remained involved with the Indian American media following his sale of India Abroad to Rediff.com in 2001. He began publishing several weekly newspaper
s in the United States, including the News India Times, the Gujarat Times and Desi Talk. Raju remained the publisher of these three weekly publications until his death in 2008.
and media
.
He founded the Indian American Foundation (IAF) during the 1970s. The IAF has raised millions of US dollars to fund medical, educational, development
and disaster relief projects in India. Funds raised by the IAF have been used to rebuild homes and businesses following the Latur earthquake
, which struck the Indian state of Maharashtra
in 1993, as well as the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
. Raju went on to later establish the Indian American Center for Political Action (IACPA) in 1993. The IACPA places Indian American
students in internships within the offices of members of the United States House of Representatives
and the United States Senate
in Washington D.C. The IACPA, under Raju, has placed approximately 200 Indian American intern
s on Capitol Hill to date. Raju also ran the India Abroad Fellowship Program at Columbia University
for several years.
Keeping in view the increasing population of North Indian and the need of Punjabi Newspaper, he started publishing Punjabi Newspaper Sher-e-Panjab. After successfully running 7–8 years he sold it to one of his employee with a commitment to continue this Punjabi Newspaper, which is still alive.
in 2000. He was also given the Ellis Island
Award in 2004. The Ellis Island Award recognizes the contributions of immigrants to the United States. The Taraknath Das Foundation, which is headquartered in the United States, bestowed its annual award on Raju in 2006. He was inducted into the South Asian Journalists Association's Hall of Fame in 2008.
Former President of India
, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
on Raju in 2007 for his contributions in the media to India and the Indian diaspora
.
on April 10, 2008. He had been hospitalized for about a week for the treatment of jaundice
and is believed to have died from complications of the disease.
Tributes poured in from friends and colleagues. Former Prime Minister of India
Inder Kumar Gujral
stated, "He was a institution and also the most significant bridge between India and America
." Sreenath Sreenivasan
, the current dean of students at the Columbia University
School of Journalism, also paid tribute to Raju saying, "Raju paved the way for every Indian journalist working in the US today. He was also tremendously supportive of SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association) and my own work."
Raju was once quoted as saying, "My job is to publish a quality newspaper and not to project myself."
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-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher, editor
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, businessman and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was considered to be a pioneer of Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
ethnic media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Career
Raju launched the first successful Indian newspaper in the U.S., India AbroadIndia Abroad
India Abroad is a weekly newspaper published from New York City, which focuses on Indian news meant for an Indian American, Indian diaspora and expatriate audience. The publication is known for its annual award ceremony for the "India Abroad Person of the Year."India Abroad was founded by Indian...
, in 1970. The India Abroad newspaper refers to itself as the "oldest Indian newspaper published in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
." The newspaper quickly became an influential voice for the growing Indian American community in the United States. Raju's India Abroad was considered to be an important milestone for the growth of ethnic media in the U.S and one of the most credible Indian American publications. The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
, a respected British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
weekly international affairs
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, once referred to Raju's India Abroad as a daily publication of “unusually high quality”.
In 1997, Raju held talks to merger India Abroad with India-West
India-West
India-West, also known as "India-West Publications, Inc.", is a newspaper that serves the Indian-American population of the United States, with special emphasis on California. It focuses on issues that relate to, or affect the Indian-American community. Its head office is located in San Leandro,...
, an ethnic Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
newspaper published in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Raju and India-West publisher, Ramesh Murarka, went as far a jointly purchasing a building in San Leandro, California
San Leandro, California
San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is considered a suburb of Oakland and San Francisco. The population was 84,950 as of 2010 census. The climate of the city is mild throughout the year.-Geography and water resources:...
, to house the offices of the proposed, combined newspaper. Under the proposal, the existing India Abroad offices would have become the East Coast offices of the new newspaper, while the offices of India-West in California would have become the West Coast headquarters of the publication. However, in the end Raju and Murarka decided to abandon the proposed merger of the publications. Raju later sold India Abroad in April 2001 to Rediff.com
Rediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
, which currently owns and operates the newspaper.
Raju also founded the India Abroad News Service, which was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is India's largest private news agency. The IANS is run by a group of professional journalists.The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service...
(IANS).
The IANS, which is headquartered in New Dehli, focuses its reporting on issues affecting India
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...
, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and the Indian diapora
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
around the world.
Raju remained involved with the Indian American media following his sale of India Abroad to Rediff.com in 2001. He began publishing several weekly newspaper
Weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news publication that is published on newsprint once or twice a week.Such newspapers tend to have smaller circulations than daily newspapers, and are usually based in less-populous communities or small, defined areas within large cities; often, they may cover a...
s in the United States, including the News India Times, the Gujarat Times and Desi Talk. Raju remained the publisher of these three weekly publications until his death in 2008.
Philanthropy
Additionally, Raju established and promoted several nonprofit, philanthropic organizations outside of the realm of publishingPublishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
and media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
.
He founded the Indian American Foundation (IAF) during the 1970s. The IAF has raised millions of US dollars to fund medical, educational, development
Regional development
Regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which are less economically developed. Regional development may be domestic or international in nature...
and disaster relief projects in India. Funds raised by the IAF have been used to rebuild homes and businesses following the Latur earthquake
LaTur
La Tur was a Mexican airline that operated from 1988 until 1992 when it was taken over by TAESA.-Company history:Set up in 1988 to help develop the tourist market, La Tur began operations using McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft. One year later, the Airbus A300-600 was introduced for flights to Europe...
, which struck the Indian state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
in 1993, as well as the 2001 Gujarat earthquake
2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM local time and lasted for over two minutes. The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India...
. Raju went on to later establish the Indian American Center for Political Action (IACPA) in 1993. The IACPA places Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
students in internships within the offices of members of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in Washington D.C. The IACPA, under Raju, has placed approximately 200 Indian American intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
s on Capitol Hill to date. Raju also ran the India Abroad Fellowship Program at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
for several years.
Keeping in view the increasing population of North Indian and the need of Punjabi Newspaper, he started publishing Punjabi Newspaper Sher-e-Panjab. After successfully running 7–8 years he sold it to one of his employee with a commitment to continue this Punjabi Newspaper, which is still alive.
Honors
Gopal Raju received several awards and recognitions during his career. In the U.S., Raju was honored with the Leadership Award from the Asia SocietyAsia Society
The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States and around the world Hong Kong, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, and Melbourne...
in 2000. He was also given the Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
Award in 2004. The Ellis Island Award recognizes the contributions of immigrants to the United States. The Taraknath Das Foundation, which is headquartered in the United States, bestowed its annual award on Raju in 2006. He was inducted into the South Asian Journalists Association's Hall of Fame in 2008.
Former President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman is an award constituted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India in conjunction with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas , to honor exceptional and meritorious contribution in their chosen field/profession...
on Raju in 2007 for his contributions in the media to India and the Indian diaspora
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
.
Death
Gopal Raju died at the age of 80 at a hospital in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on April 10, 2008. He had been hospitalized for about a week for the treatment of jaundice
Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...
and is believed to have died from complications of the disease.
Tributes poured in from friends and colleagues. Former Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
Inder Kumar Gujral
Inder Kumar Gujral
Inder Kumar Gujral served as the 12th Prime Minister of India. Gujral was the first PM to govern exclusively from the Rajya Sabha; , only he and Manmohan Singh have done so.-Early life:...
stated, "He was a institution and also the most significant bridge between India and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
." Sreenath Sreenivasan
Sreenath Sreenivasan
Sreenath Sreenivasan – also known as Sree Sreenivasan – is an academic administrator, professor and technology journalist based in New York City....
, the current dean of students at the Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
School of Journalism, also paid tribute to Raju saying, "Raju paved the way for every Indian journalist working in the US today. He was also tremendously supportive of SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association) and my own work."
Raju was once quoted as saying, "My job is to publish a quality newspaper and not to project myself."
External links
- News India Times
- Gujarat Times
- Hindu Youth Network - Canada
- Desi Talk
- Indo-Asian News Service
- India Abroad
- Indian American Foundation
- Indiawest Online: Pioneer Publisher Gopal Raju Dies
- Thaindian News: Gopal Raju, pioneer of ethnic Indian media in US, is no more
- Thaindian News: Gopal Raju’s legacy remembered in virtual memorial
- India Post: Ethnic Indian media pioneer Gopal Raju dead
- Gopal Raju's Passing: dozens of tributes and comments SAJAforum.org collection.