Personal Details:
Name : DILIP AWASTHI
Father’s Name : Dr. S. S.
Awasthi
Nationality : Indian.
Date of Birth : 23rd
March, 1958.
Postal Address : M 1/55
Sector-B Aliganj Lucknow
Phones : (O) +91 522 2205319,
2206081 (Ext 521) (R) +91 522 2333000
Mobile
+91 98399 04455, +91 9415022244
Email : dilip.awasthi@gmail.com, dilip.awasthi@hotmail.com, awasthi.dilip@rediffmail.com
Professional Affiliations
and Qualifications:
¨
30
years of experience in the field of print and electronic journalism.
¨ Over 10 years experience
of handling assignments as an Editor with English and Hindi newspapers, television and also
Internet
¨
Have
worked for publications/organizations like India
Today, Times of India and The Pioneer apart from contributing regularly for
BBC Hindi service, Time magazine, Sunday, Onlooker, Sun
magazines and newspapers like Free
Press Journal, Sunday Observer and Weekly Current.
¨
Selected
through a written test for a two-year apprenticeship in journalism in The Pioneer in 1978 but absorbed in the
staff in 1979 as a reward for doing well.
¨
Unfinished
post graduation final year in English Literature from Lucknow
¨
Graduate
with English Literature, Modern History and Economics from
¨
Graduate
in Music from the famous Bhatkhande
¨
Have
participated in many seminars and lectures held by various journalism
institutes in different parts of Uttar Pradesh.
¨
Authored
two books “The Special Correspondent”, a handbook for journalists and “Kyunki
Dil Hai Hindustani”, a collection of satires in Hindi.
¨ Have traveled
with assignments to the
Career Highlights:
·
Have had the opportunity to work with some of the top editors of the
country like Aroon Purie, Girilal Jain, Inder
Malhotra, Suman Dubey, T.N. Ninan, Inderjit Badhwar, SN Ghosh to
name a few..
·
Have traveled
with professional assignments to the
·
One of the few journalist in
·
One of the paltry few who are bilingual and have worked in English and
Hindi language publications
·
I am an expert on U.P. affairs on the panels of DOORDARSHAN and NDTV television networks.
·
Have had the experience of anchoring 20 episodes of a political capsule
called the ‘Shatranj ke khilari’
telecast nationwide on the ENADU TV.
·
Have had the opportunity of covering electoral constituencies and
campaigns of some of the top politicians of the country like Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, VP Singh, Chandrashekhar, Atal Behari
Vajpai, Narayan Datt Tiwari, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kanshi Ram, Mayawati, Kalyan
Singh and so many others.
·
Have done some outstanding research, used by
·
Have covered the Ayodhya tangle,
which eventually plunged the whole country in a communal hysteria, right from
the day the problem began in 1984 and till the demolition of the mosque in
1992. India Today dedicated more than 80
pages t the demolition story.
·
Have also developed special computer software, with the help of a local
software programmer, which provides psychological database on election results
of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous and politically active state of
·
Have covered in depth the dacoits of the Chambal valley when I was with THE PIONEER. In fact I have a commendatory letter
from the newspaper for my coverage on Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi.
Career History:
Present
News Editor of Times of India,
Lucknow
Responsibilities:
Planning news coverage and bring out the four Uttar Pradesh
editions of the newspaper. Also
covering issues of state and national interest for the newspaper. Managing
newspaper production through a staff of around 70 editorial persons including
30 odd correspondents. I am also responsible for man-management and also
assigning jobs and shifts to them.
January 2001-November
2004
Associate Editor
of Dainik Jagran, the largest circulated Hindi daily of the
country
Responsibilities:
Coordinating
news coverage and covering special assignments for the Dainik Jagran, for 24
Printing center editions of the newspaper. Have traveled to NEPAL
to cover the killing of the Royal family, to MAURITIUS
for covering “Apravasi Diwas” celebrations, to JAPAN
to cover Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpai’s special visit, to USA
for a fortnight’s study tour on ``Religious Pluralism in the
United States” and UK (London, Leister, Burmingham etc.) for studying
the psyche of Indian NRIs besides covering several other prestigious
assignments like Indo-Pak summit between Pervez Musharraf and Atal Behari
Vajpai in Agra.
Till May 2000, worked
as the Assistant Resident Editor for Zee News coordinating and planning news coverage
of Uttar Pradesh,
Responsibilities:
Coordinating daily news activity and planning
news coverage of the northern belt including Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh,
West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Holding telephonic news meetings four bureaus
with 20 correspondents and camera crews in the aforesaid states. Planning news
campaigns with input/footage from all the bureaus in my jurisdiction to make
stories have a sharp national impact.
Maintaining liaison with the management
regarding viewership surveys and infrastructure development of the news
network.
Planning out special offbeat coverage.
Maintaining a direct contact with various arms
of the Government, especially Chief Minister’s office, Home Affairs and
Information Departments.
July 1997 - May 1998
Deputy Resident Editor, The Pioneer
Till May 1998, worked as the Deputy Resident
Editor with The Pioneer,
Responsibilities:
Coordinating all news activity and planning out
four different editions of the newspaper.
Holding news meetings with a team of 15
correspondents each day for generating fresh news ideas apart from routine
coverage.
Maintaining liaison with the management
regarding circulation drives and production oriented issues.
Planning out special supplements and layout of
the newspaper.
Maintaining a direct contact with various arms
of the Government, especially Chief Minister’s office, Home Affairs and
Information Departments.
July 1986 - June 1997
Special Correspondent and U.P. Chief of Bureau
India
Today magazine
Responsibilities:
Was
representing the magazine as its only editorial representative in Uttar Pradesh
for 11 years.
Planned
national and state campaigns for the magazine apart from its special issues
from time to time.
Was
assigned coordination of all news activity for seven regional editions
including Hindi India Today.
Made
anchor to develop in-house software for analysis of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha.
_________________________________________________________________________
September 1983 - June 1986 Senior Staff Reporter The Times of
October 1978 – July 1983 Staff Reporter The Pioneer,
Other Contributions and Stringerships
Currently guest panelist as a political commentator with NDTV, Headlines Today, Aaj Tak and Door Darshan
2008: Anchoring Lucknow Door Darshan’s live weekly show “Awaam Ki Aawaz” since November 2005
2006: Authored ``The Special Correspondent’’, a handbook for journalists, published by Viva Books who have a Worldwide distribution network.
2005: Authored ``Kyunki Dil Hai Hindustani’’, a collection of Hindi Satires, which was published in 2005 by the National Publishing House, one of the leading publishers of Hindi books in the country.
2004: Covered Lok Sabha elections on a special assignment for the Eenadu group of newspapers.
2003-2004: Regular political columist for National Review
2002: Anchored 18 episodes of a political serial produced by the ETV titled “Shatranj ke khilari” around the Vidhan Sabha elections in UP
1998: Started the
first independent website launched by a journalist on his own in 1998. The site
is available along with my blog at www.dilipawasthi.com
1980 – 1998 Have anchored several of Doordarshan’s and All India Radio programmes including the live election coverage of 1996 Vidhan Sabha elections and 1998 Lok Sabha elections
November 91 – June 1994 Contributed regularly as a stringer for BBC’s Hindi service
July 1986 - December
1986 Worked as a stringer for Time
magazine’s
May 1986 – December
1986 Worked as a stringer for The
Sunday Observer,
September 1985 –
December 1986 Worked as stringer for Current
Weekly,
March 1984 – June
1986 Worked as a stringer for Inquest
news weekly from
March 1982 – June
1986 Worked as
1980 – 1982
Contributed regularly from
1990 –1998 Have
regularly contributed stories and columns written in Hindi for local newspapers
like Swatantra Bharat, Dainik Jagran and
Have done regular Humour/Satire columns in Hindi for Dainik Jagran.
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