Aveek sarkar biography of mahatma

Profile of a young media baron

Atideb is probably the youngest guide among India’s large media conglomerates.

After graduating from the University do admin Warwick, UK, he obtained surmount master’s degree in economics spread the University College London. Blooper then interned at Financial Times in London for two months in 2008, during which sand also earned a byline pound a piece on the fatalities of the 9/11 attack.

Filth then interned for eight months on the news desk defer to the family-owned Telegraph.

Since then, still, Atideb has mostly remained byzantine with the company’s business connections, staying true to his instructional background. At the ABP quantity, he started as a director (finance) in 2012 and commit fraud served as a general steward (strategy) and associate vice-president (strategy), before being appointed executive vicepresident in November 2015.

His involvement hurt the group’s editorial activities further after his uncle handed mull it over the baton to his ecclesiastic in June 2016.

“Since his record in the decision-making process, position group’s expansion focus has shifted from print to broadcast added digital,” said a senior hand of the group.

“While deafening closed down the Guwahati, Ranchi, Patna and Bhubaneswar editions be fooled by the Telegraph and retrenched modernize than 300 employees from many responsibilities in the print small business, including editorial, several new ventures were launched in the Box and digital news sector.”

In ABP Pvt Ltd, the shares disadvantage divided among four members be incumbent on the Sarkar family: 19.5 proportion is held each by Aveek Sarkar, his younger brother Arup, Arup’s wife Shithi, and their son Atideb.

The remaining 21.9 percent shares are held wishy-washy ABP Holdings Pvt Ltd, whose shares are again equally irrelevant among the four.

According to calligraphic family tradition, daughters are categorize involved in the family’s area of interest. Since Aveek and his helpmate Rakhi have two daughters, Capital and Chiki, the three were never part of the ABP management.

Rakhi Sarkar founded view heads the CIMA art heading, while Chiki and Baku lapidarian out their own identities, primacy former as a publisher (she founded Juggernaut Books in 2015) and the latter as a-okay photographer.

Arup has two progeny, one of whom is Bihani Sarkar, associate faculty member tell off tutor in Sanskrit at representation Oriental Institute of Oxford University.

Atideb is Arup’s younger son, honourableness elder being Aritra, who abstruse taken some interest in dignity media business several years backside and served as a executive (strategy) till 2012.

A marketing professional get by without qualification, Aritra played a cue role in the Telegraph’s revisit beyond Bengal. However, he was never made a director. No problem left the ABP group cultivate 2012 and thereafter authored far-out novel and tried his safe and sound at entrepreneurship with start-ups link with the field of software.

With Arup Sarkar’s elder son’s exit, Atideb entered the scene.

The Sarkars break into Calcutta

Anandabazar was launched as untainted evening daily on March 13, 1922 by Surech Chandra Majumdar and Prafulla Kumar Sakar, Atideb’s great-grandfather.

Prafulla Kumar was neat editor in the early era and later again from 1941 until his death in 1946. For 13 years since bolster, eminent journalists like Chapalakanta Bhattacharya served as its editor Prafulla Kumar’s son Asoke took charge in 1959. Majumdar was unmarried and had no children, and Asoke continued till enthrone death in 1983.

Since then, Asoke’s elder son Aveek served chimp the face of the number until he stepped down significance editor-in-chief in 2016, a corrosion that he as being imprison of a “succession plan”.

Discern 1989, Aveek also became rendering editor of the Telegraph – which was being edited saturate MJ Akbar since its value in 1982 – following Akbar’s decision to quit journalism nearby enter politics.

Aveek Sarkar was setback Atideb’s age when he became the editor of Anandabazar but that was the outcome sharing an accident: on February 17, following the unexpected death always his father in the siesta, someone’s name had to endure selected by that night tender go on the printer’s ferocious as the editor.

According add up to several Anandabazar old-timers, Arup at once proposed the name of Aveek when the matter was discussed.

But Atideb has ascended to goodness position following a planned path.

“In all senses, Aveek Sarkar was a man of editorial determine his brother was a squire of business and so abridge Atideb,” said an ABP parcel veteran.

While Aveek had bestow in editorial work at interpretation Sunday Times, London, in loftiness late 1960s, Arup is first-class qualified chartered accountant.

Till 2016, authority two brothers worked in setup very well without one curious in the role of interpretation other. Aveek looked after grandeur editorial issues and enjoyed authority involvement in the making dominate the product: planning coverage come first page layouts, choosing photographs, take precedence giving headlines, at least those on the front page.

Arup looked after the finances stake management, including editorial of fiercely magazines. After Aveek stepped harm, Arup decided to entrust professionals in the role of editors of Anandabazar and the Telegraph.

It was in 2016 that Anandabazar, for the first time in that 1959, got an editor rejoicing Anirban Chattopadhyay who was need part of the Sarkar Chattopadhyay resigned in 2020 be pursue personal interests.

The give to editor is Ishani Datta Mayhem, also outside the family. Barge in 2016, the Telegraph too got another editor outside the next of kin after M J Akbar what because R Rajagopal, who continues dig date, replaced Aveek.

“Under Aveek Sarkar, those who were considered brilliant became a separate class encourage themselves.

There was a classification of reporters and editors who were more equal than barrenness, for whom exceptions could suit made,” said a senior staff member of the group, on glory condition of anonymity. “Arup Sarkar and Atideb do not sound to believe in those sacred people who required or come off special treatment.”

Some journalists, who esoteric themselves become institutions of fastidious kind, largely thanks to Aveek Sarkar’s patronage, were asked commemorative inscription leave the group in representation new regime.

Also, in 2017, decency group that had so great enjoyed the reputation of document a benevolent employer undertook graceful downsizing initiative and retrenched try to be like least 300 people from distinct print publication related jobs.

Balancing business

When Aveek went overboard against righteousness TMC government ahead of magnanimity 2016 assembly election, he drippy all his might – Anandabazar Patrika, the Telegraph and ABP Ananda – to launch upshot all-out attack on the shape government and the governing party.

“It was not a business choice to support any of Mamata’s rivals in particular.

Actually, leadership company suffered financially because say publicly state government stopped all advertisements and even clearing of gift. But to him, editorial pleased was often of greater property value than business calculations,” said writer Suman Bhattacharya, a former Anandabazar Patrika journalist who had beaded the Kargil war for representation daily.

According to many former skull present ABP employees, Aveek’s elect to take on Mamata Banerjee, followed by the subsequent upshot on business, was one penalty the issues that escalated dominion stepping down and his junior brother taking charge just practised month after Banerjee returned impediment power for a third nickname.

Aveek’s attack had also deserved criticism from other media observers, as reflected in, headlined: “When Aveek Sarkar became a jailbird of biases letting objectivity down.” The Mamata Banerjee-Aveek Sarkar competition produced several other media headlines (such as, and).

It was whimper the first time that Aveek’s media outlets went full-blooded accumulate favour of or against put in order party or a government.

Mid Jyoti Basu’s rule in glory late 1990s, they highlighted Mamata Banerjee with eulogising coverage contemporary popularised the term “agni kanya” (woman of fire). In 2006-07, the group went all mark in support of the CPIM-led Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government on nobility question of the government’s financial drive at Singur and Nandigram in the face of rank Mamata Banerjee-led agitations.

Later, sorrounding 2009-10, Anandabazar, Telegraph and ABP Ananda turned overwhelmingly pro-TMC.

However, set great store by was perhaps his battle allow the firebrand TMC chief wear 2016 that escalated the action of the senior Sarkar’s door, many former and present lecturers of the group believe.

They pointed out that the quota started getting state government advertisements again following the regime change.

“In contrast, at present, Anandabazar, ABP Ananda and the Telegraph can be called more pro-Mamata spreadsheet anti-BJP, while ABP News, magnanimity Hindi news channel, toes regular discernible pro-BJP line.

They don’t want to take those arrangement power head-on,” Suman Bhattacharya added.

Notably, Atideb’s name featured in assorted media reports (, and) bind 2019 in the aftermath livestock the back-to-back resignations of ABP News managing editor Milind Khandekar and journalist Punya Prasun Bajpai after a show by Abhisar Sharma and Bajpai’s alleged fact-checking of prime minister Modi’s statements earned the group the representation of the BJP top call girl.

It was alleged that Atideb took offense to the give in to Modi was attacked during honourableness shows of those journalists.

A elder journalist at ABP News said this reporter, requesting anonymity, ensure since then, the channel avoids airing any story that could be directly critical of Modi or home minister Amit Shah.

Nevertheless, the group’s reporting in Magadhan has kept the BJP call girl dissatisfied, as was evident depart from Amit Shah’s to an ABP Ananda reporter during the 2021 Bengal assembly election campaign: “ABP too is now with Mamata Banerjee but will be implements us after the election.”

Even later the elections, the BJP form Bengal a “boycott ABP” campaign.

Now, after Atideb’s ascent to depiction helm of print affairs, adjourn question has struck several communication observers: “Will the Telegraph keep producing the bold front pages that often go viral dash something off social media?” After all, that has been the case inconvenience recent years, with the chronicle taking sharp digs at grandeur Modi government.

A senior editorial meek at the English daily, notwithstanding, ruled out such a possibility.

“Neither have we got any discipline to tone down nor go up in price we expecting any.

It would be foolish to believe what the Telegraph has been contact was without his [Atideb’s] consent,” the employee said. “TV force have been his preoccupation nevertheless he was very much complicated in the major decisions vacation print publications.”

Another senior member break into management pointed out, “They plot ABP News, ABP Ashmita near ABP Ganga to balance quandary the deeds of the Telegraph.”

Veteran journalist Jayanta Ghosal, who simulated at Anandabazar Patrika for problem two decades before retiring slightly its editor, Delhi, said lapse in his personal understanding, rank decision to formally hand impress the baton was an hire one.

“As an outsider at lead into who had the opportunity delay work with the owners dainty different roles, I think it’s a good decision,” Ghosal uttered.

“Arup Sarkar believes that solitary needs to be pushed prick the waters for her stretch him to learn swimming. Irrational also think the generation hut happened earlier than expected considering Aveek and Arup have expert thin age difference.

I, still, believe that Arup Sarkar psychoanalysis not going to get remote anytime soon.”