Sashi Kumar is a prominent media personality,from Kerala, India. He was the founder of India’s first regional satellite TV channel Asianet

Asianet

Asianet Communications Limited is an Indian media conglomerate jointly owned by STAR TV and Jupiter Entertainment. Formed in 1991 and headquartered in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in the south Indian state of Kerala, the company owns several television channels including Asianet, the first...

. He founded and chairs the Media Development Foundation, the not for profit public trust which set up and runs the prestigious Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. He was the first West Asia correspondent of The Hindu

The Hindu

The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...

 in the mid eighties. He directed the film Kaya Taran

Kaya Taran

Kaya Taran is a highly-acclaimed film directed by Sashi Kumar based on Malayalam short story When Big Tree Falls by N.S...

 in Hindi based on the short story “When Big Trees Fall

When Big Tree Falls

When Big Tree Falls is a short story by acclaimed Malayalam author N. S. Madhavan, adapted into an award winning feature film Kaya Taran by director Sashi Kumar....

” by writer N.S Madhavan.

Life

Sashi Kumar was born at Karoopadanna near Kodungalloor in Thrissur District

Thrissur district

Thrissur is a revenue district of Kerala situated in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,032 km2, Thrissur district is home to over 10% of Kerala’s population. Thrissur district was formed on July 1, 1949, with the headquarters at Thrissur City. Thrissur is known as...

 of Kerala. He completed his graduation from Loyola college

Loyola College, Chennai

Loyola College is a Jesuit institution in Chennai, India. The college admits undergraduates and post-graduates and offers degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and commerce. It is an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras.-History:...

, and took post graduation in history from Madras Christian College

Madras Christian College

The Madras Christian College, commonly known as MCC, is a liberal arts and sciences college in Madras , India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. Currently, the college is affiliated to the University of Madras, but functions as an autonomous institution from its campus...

. Sashi Kumar started his career in Dooradharshan as a newsreader and producer. Later he worked in PTI-TV as chief producer and general manager of PTI. He authored and presented independent programs on the economy, politics and culture on Indian television like Money Matters, Tana Bana and Jan Manch. Sashi Kumar is a well known film maker as well. He scripted and directed Kaya Taran (Chrysalis) in Hindi based on the story ‘When Big Trees Fall' by writer N.S. Madhavan. The film won him the G. Aravindan award as the best debut filmmaker of 2004. He acted in Malayalam movies, "Iniyum Marichittillatha Nammal" and Loudspeaker

Loudspeaker (film)

Loudspeaker is a 2009 Malayalam film produced, written, and directed by Jayaraj, starring Mammootty, Sasi Kumar, Gracy Singh, Jagathy Sreekumar, Cochin Hanifa, Saleem Kumar, and KPAC Lalitha.-Plot:...

.

Position

• Member, Empowered Committee on Information, Communication & Technology (ICE), Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi.
• Member,India Director on the Board of Real News – Independent World Television.
• Member of the Anjuman (court) of the Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi, South Asia Foundation (SAF).

Award

• Viayaraghavan Memorial Award for contribution to journalism,2007
• G. Aravindan award for Best Debut Filmmaker of 2004 for 'Kaya Taran'