Tarun Tejpal (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Tarun J Tejpal is an India
n journalist, publisher and a novelist. He is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Tehelka
magazine, which he founded in March 2000. He is married to Geetan Batra, a trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust
. They have two daughters, Tiya & Cara. Tarun and his wife live in New Delhi
with their 6 dogs and 3 cats.
In 2001 BusinessWeek
named him as amongst the 50 leaders at the forefront of change in Asia
., later in 2009, the magazine named him amongst, "India's 50 Most Powerful People 2009". His debut novel
The Alchemy of Desire
(2006), won Le Prix Mille Pages, it was followed by Story of my Assassins (2010).
Tejpal has worked with many news publications such as, editor at India Today
, Indian Express Group
and the managing editor Outlook
.
, hence he grew up many parts of India. He graduated in economics from Punjab University
in Chandigarh
in Punjab.
magazine and later helped found the rival publication, Outlook
, where he worked for several years. Meanwhile he also founded a publishing company, India Ink, which published Arundhati Roy
's Booker Prize winning novel The God of Small Things
in 1998.
He left Outlook magazine in March 2000, to start tehelka.com, an online independent news and views magazine which soon came to be known for its sting investigations including the cricket and defense scams. The website was relaunched as a national weekly newspaper, Tehelka
in January 2004, subsequently as weekly magazine. Since then the magazine has started publishing a Hindi version as well. A vibrant section extensively covers music, art and literature; nationally and internationally.
Tehelka has done a string of hard hitting stories covering investigations of the Jessica Lal
murder case, the Godhra Riots, the Naxal movement in India etc.
The story of went about demolishing the last illusion of the Indian democratic state. It is a tale replete with appalling avarice, backstabbing, bribery and inducement.
Shockingly, no one the investigation touched emerged untainted.
Tejpal wrote the following article after breaking the story
See: Tehelka
, is an exhaustive account of how Tarun Tejpal and the entire team of Tehelka were destroyed by the Indian bureaucracy.
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 journalist, publisher and a novelist. He is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Tehelka
Tehelka
Tehelka is an Indian weekly political magazine under the editorship of Tarun Tejpal known for its undercover exposé style of journalism. Its cover price is Rs 20 per issue. The publication began in 2000 as a news website, Tehelka.com...
magazine, which he founded in March 2000. He is married to Geetan Batra, a trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust
Salaam Baalak Trust
Salaam Baalak Trust is an Indian Non-profit and Non-governmental organization, established in 1988 with the proceeds from the film "Salaam Bombay!" made on street children by noted film director, Mira Nair , which provides support for street and working children in inner cities of New Delhi,...
. They have two daughters, Tiya & Cara. Tarun and his wife live in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
with their 6 dogs and 3 cats.
In 2001 BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
named him as amongst the 50 leaders at the forefront of change in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
., later in 2009, the magazine named him amongst, "India's 50 Most Powerful People 2009". His debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
The Alchemy of Desire
The Alchemy of Desire
The Alchemy of Desire is a 2006 novel by Tarun Tejpal. It was shortlisted for the Prix Femina and won France's Le Prix Mille Pages for Best Foreign Literary Fiction.-External links:**...
(2006), won Le Prix Mille Pages, it was followed by Story of my Assassins (2010).
Tejpal has worked with many news publications such as, editor at 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...
, Indian Express Group
Indian Express Group
Indian Express Limited is an Indian news media publishing company. It publishes several widely circulated dailies, including The Indian Express and The Financial Express in English, the Loksatta in Marathi and the Jansatta in Hindi...
and the managing editor Outlook
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
.
Early life and education
Tarun Tejpal was born in an Army household as his father was with the Indian ArmyIndian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
, hence he grew up many parts of India. He graduated in economics from Punjab University
Panjab University, Chandigarh
Panjab University is one of the oldest universities in India. The university campus is residential, spread over an area of in sectors 14 and 25 of the city of Chandigarh...
in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
in Punjab.
Career
He started his career in 1980s, with the India TodayIndia 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...
magazine and later helped found the rival publication, Outlook
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
, where he worked for several years. Meanwhile he also founded a publishing company, India Ink, which published Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is an Indian novelist. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays...
's Booker Prize winning novel The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things is the debut novel of Indian author Arundhati Roy. It is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how. And how much." The book is a description of how the small things in...
in 1998.
He left Outlook magazine in March 2000, to start tehelka.com, an online independent news and views magazine which soon came to be known for its sting investigations including the cricket and defense scams. The website was relaunched as a national weekly newspaper, Tehelka
Tehelka
Tehelka is an Indian weekly political magazine under the editorship of Tarun Tejpal known for its undercover exposé style of journalism. Its cover price is Rs 20 per issue. The publication began in 2000 as a news website, Tehelka.com...
in January 2004, subsequently as weekly magazine. Since then the magazine has started publishing a Hindi version as well. A vibrant section extensively covers music, art and literature; nationally and internationally.
Tehelka has done a string of hard hitting stories covering investigations of the Jessica Lal
Jessica Lal
Jessica Lal was a model in New Delhi, who was working as a celebrity barmaid at a crowded socialite party when she was shot dead on 29 April 1999. Dozens of witnesses pointed to Siddharth Vashisht, a.k.a...
murder case, the Godhra Riots, the Naxal movement in India etc.
Operation West End
Tehelka blew the cover off the unholy nexus of politicians, senior defence personnel and ubiquitous fixers who infest every defence deal in India. Floating a fictitious company; West End International, based in London, hawking non-existent thermal imaging binoculars, the Tehelka Investigative Team encountered and cracked the closely guarded bastion of manufacturers, agents and their military and political patrons running up to the highest offices in the land.The story of went about demolishing the last illusion of the Indian democratic state. It is a tale replete with appalling avarice, backstabbing, bribery and inducement.
Shockingly, no one the investigation touched emerged untainted.
Tejpal wrote the following article after breaking the story
See: Tehelka
Tehelka
Tehelka is an Indian weekly political magazine under the editorship of Tarun Tejpal known for its undercover exposé style of journalism. Its cover price is Rs 20 per issue. The publication began in 2000 as a news website, Tehelka.com...
Tehelka as Metaphor
The Tehelka expose has been widely talked about in the Indian media. Madhu Trehan, one of the most well-known names in Indian journalism, has penned a book on the expose and its aftermath. The book, Tehelka as MetaphorTehelka as Metaphor
Tehelka as Metaphor is a 2009 nonfiction book by renowned Indian journalist, Madhu Trehan. The book is an account of the Tehelka exposé and its aftermath...
, is an exhaustive account of how Tarun Tejpal and the entire team of Tehelka were destroyed by the Indian bureaucracy.