Kanchan Gupta
Encyclopedia
Kanchan Gupta is an India
n journalist
, political analyst, and activist.
i refugee
parents, Kanchan Gupta was raised in Jamshedpur and Patna
where he attended missionary schools. He later moved to Kolkata
where he studied English literature, political science and economics at St Xavier’s College, University of Calcutta.
In 1982, he joined The Telegraph
as a sub-editor on the news desk, where he learned editing from M.J. Akbar. In 1987, he was invited to join The Statesman
by the paper's then-editor, Sunanda K. Datta-Ray
. He became the youngest Assistant Editor in The Statesman’s history.
In 1991, he moved to Delhi with a new assignment as Assistant Editor of The Pioneer, then edited by Vinod Mehta
. He was promoted to Deputy Editor in 1994.
A year later, in December 1995, he gave up full-time journalism to concentrate on a public career and began to assist L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee
in their parliamentary work. As an official in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) when the NDA
came to power, he worked in close association with National Security Advisor
Brajesh Mishra on foreign affairs and security issues. He was the PMO’s representative on the National Security Advisory Board.
As part of the Government’s public diplomacy initiative in Arab countries, and to engage and influence opinion-makers and the intelligentsia in the Middle East, Kanchan Gupta was sent to Egypt as director of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in Cairo
. He held this post till the summer of 2004, when he returned to India and to journalism, and accepted a position as Associate Editor of The Pioneer, now edited by Chandan Mitra
.
Kanchan Gupta writes on national and regional politics, international affairs and security issues. He is among the few Right-wing journalists in India who are not squeamish about writing on Hindu issues and exploring the potential of Hindu nationalism as a unifying force. His popular weekly column, Coffee Break, appears in The Pioneer
every Sunday. He occasionally writes for The Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=168891 and does occasional commentary for Australian radio http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-generic-blog/indian-media-to-descend-on-australia/20100305-pmcs.html. He participates in Indian television programs on political and national security issues. http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1201939 http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1203542 http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1203629.
His articles have been used as primary source material by authors of books on Indian current affairs and politics. He writes occasional columns for India’s foremost news portal, rediff.com
. Most of his articles and columns can be found at www.dailypioneer.com and on his popular blog, Agent Provocateur, at kanchangupta.blogspot.com.
An ardent and vocal advocate of free speech and a staunch opponent of censorship, Kanchan Gupta has written extensively in support of, and campaigned for, exiled Bangladeshi poet Daud Haider, who now lives in Berlin, and exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.
A number of Kanchan Gupta's articles have been quoted in Wikipedia articles on various topics:
Haqeeqat (book)
, Rizwanur Rahman
Widely travelled, Kanchan Gupta is the recipient of several fellowships, grants and lecture invitations from public institutions in Canada, the United States, Germany, Israel, Taiwan and China (where he addressed the first China-India Development Forum in 2010). He is among the few Indian journalists to have visited Tibet. He was selected by the American Jewish Committee for a Project Interchange seminar in Israel. He has addressed seminars at a host of universities and think tanks. He has visited countries in the Maghreb and Mashrek; Africa; and the Caribbean. He has visited Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on professional assignments. As an aide to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he attended the UN's historic Millennium Summit.
Kanchan Gupta, guided by the principles and philosophy of the Brahmo Samaj in his personal life,is partial towards Hindustani classical music, Rabindra Sangeet, Jazz and Blues. He lives in India’s National Capital Region with his wife and two daughters.
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
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, political analyst, and activist.
Journalist and columnist
Born to East BengalEast Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
i refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
parents, Kanchan Gupta was raised in Jamshedpur and Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
where he attended missionary schools. He later moved to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
where he studied English literature, political science and economics at St Xavier’s College, University of Calcutta.
In 1982, he joined The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
as a sub-editor on the news desk, where he learned editing from M.J. Akbar. In 1987, he was invited to join The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
by the paper's then-editor, Sunanda K. Datta-Ray
Sunanda K. Datta-Ray
Sunanda K. Datta-Ray has been a leading Indian newspaperman and journalist for half a century. He has been Editor of The Statesman and has also written for the International Herald Tribune and Time Magazine. He was Editor-in-Residence at the East-West Center in Honolulu. He was Editorial...
. He became the youngest Assistant Editor in The Statesman’s history.
In 1991, he moved to Delhi with a new assignment as Assistant Editor of The Pioneer, then edited by Vinod Mehta
Vinod Mehta
Vinod Mehta is the editor-in-chief of Outlook India.Mehta was born in Rawalpindi, in Pakistan. His family fled to India when he was three. He attended La Martinere school in Lucknow and the university there. He has published three books, including a biography of Sanjay Gandhi. He took over as...
. He was promoted to Deputy Editor in 1994.
A year later, in December 1995, he gave up full-time journalism to concentrate on a public career and began to assist L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
in their parliamentary work. As an official in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) when the NDA
NDA
NDA is an abbreviation that may refer to:* National Dance Association, the oldest American organization for dance education* National Defence Academy , a military academy in India...
came to power, he worked in close association with National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (India)
The National Security Advisor of India is a member of the National Security Council , and the primary advisor to the Prime Minister, the Indian Cabinet and the NSC on internal and international security issues.-Overview:...
Brajesh Mishra on foreign affairs and security issues. He was the PMO’s representative on the National Security Advisory Board.
As part of the Government’s public diplomacy initiative in Arab countries, and to engage and influence opinion-makers and the intelligentsia in the Middle East, Kanchan Gupta was sent to Egypt as director of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He held this post till the summer of 2004, when he returned to India and to journalism, and accepted a position as Associate Editor of The Pioneer, now edited by Chandan Mitra
Chandan Mitra
Chandan Mitra is an Indian journalist, presently editor and managing director of The Pioneer newspaper in Delhi, India. He was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha during August 2003 to August 2009...
.
Kanchan Gupta writes on national and regional politics, international affairs and security issues. He is among the few Right-wing journalists in India who are not squeamish about writing on Hindu issues and exploring the potential of Hindu nationalism as a unifying force. His popular weekly column, Coffee Break, appears in The Pioneer
The Pioneer
The Pioneer or The Pioneers may refer to:* The Pioneer , a sculpture by Solon H. Borglum listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places*The Pioneers , a sculpture by Lorado Taft...
every Sunday. He occasionally writes for The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=168891 and does occasional commentary for Australian radio http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/3aw-generic-blog/indian-media-to-descend-on-australia/20100305-pmcs.html. He participates in Indian television programs on political and national security issues. http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1201939 http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1203542 http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1203629.
His articles have been used as primary source material by authors of books on Indian current affairs and politics. He writes occasional columns for India’s foremost news portal, 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....
. Most of his articles and columns can be found at www.dailypioneer.com and on his popular blog, Agent Provocateur, at kanchangupta.blogspot.com.
An ardent and vocal advocate of free speech and a staunch opponent of censorship, Kanchan Gupta has written extensively in support of, and campaigned for, exiled Bangladeshi poet Daud Haider, who now lives in Berlin, and exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.
A number of Kanchan Gupta's articles have been quoted in Wikipedia articles on various topics:
Haqeeqat (book)
Haqeeqat (book)
Haqeeqat is the Hindi translation of a controversial book by a Kerala, India-based Christian evangelist M.G. Mathew. It was translated by Daniel Nathaniel, associated with Emmanuel Mission International...
, Rizwanur Rahman
Rizwanur Rahman
Rizwanur Rahman was a 30-year-old computer graphics trainer who was possibly murdered after marrying Priyanka Todi, daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi...
Widely travelled, Kanchan Gupta is the recipient of several fellowships, grants and lecture invitations from public institutions in Canada, the United States, Germany, Israel, Taiwan and China (where he addressed the first China-India Development Forum in 2010). He is among the few Indian journalists to have visited Tibet. He was selected by the American Jewish Committee for a Project Interchange seminar in Israel. He has addressed seminars at a host of universities and think tanks. He has visited countries in the Maghreb and Mashrek; Africa; and the Caribbean. He has visited Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on professional assignments. As an aide to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he attended the UN's historic Millennium Summit.
Kanchan Gupta, guided by the principles and philosophy of the Brahmo Samaj in his personal life,is partial towards Hindustani classical music, Rabindra Sangeet, Jazz and Blues. He lives in India’s National Capital Region with his wife and two daughters.