Sudhir Chaudhary has come a long way from a quiet kid to one of India’s top TV journalists. Over 30+ years, he’s tasted incredible success, faced legal messes and nonstop trolling, and still bounced back tougher every time.
He was raised by Schoolteacher Parents
Born on June 18, 1974,1 in a Jat family in Hodal, Haryana, Sudhir’s childhood was a typical middle-class one. Both his parents were schoolteachers and gave him all their love as their only child. His mother had a gentle heart, while his father believed in discipline and raised him with a firm hand, following the idea that too much softness might spoil a child.
In India, parents often push kids into science, seeing it as the fast track to success. But when Sudhir said he wanted humanities, his parents backed him up.
He grabbed a Bachelor of Arts from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi University, then pursued a diploma in English Journalism from IIMC, New Delhi.2 Funny thing is, he ended up getting into Hindi journalism instead.
He started his career with Zee News
Sudhir Chaudhary got his start in 1993 at Zee News when it was just a new channel. As years went by, he made a name for himself covering big events like the Kargil War and the Parliament attack in 2001. He even reported on the important meeting between Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pakistan’s President Musharraf.
He left Zee in 2003 to work at Sahara Samay, then India TV for a while before becoming the Editor-in-Chief at Live India.
When he came back to Zee News in 2012, that’s when he really became famous. His show “Daily News & Analysis” (DNA) got really popular because he could explain complicated news in ways that made sense to regular people.
He stayed at Zee until he quit in July 2022. Right after leaving, he joined Aaj Tak as a Consulting Editor, where he now hosts “Black & White,” a prime-time show that lots of people watch.
He was locked up for 14 days in Tihar Jail
While Sudhir has had a successful career, he has also been involved in some controversies. The big one came in 2012 when Naveen Jindal, a Congress MP, said Sudhir and his colleague in Zee News, Sameer Ahluwalia, tried to pull ₹100 crore from his company. They were accused of asking for ad cash to keep quiet about Jindal’s link to the Coalgate scam.
On November 27, 2012, they were arrested, and a Delhi court sent them to Tihar Jail for 14 days Judicial custody.3 It was all over the news, and people started talking about what’s right or wrong in journalism.
Some also say he picks favorites in his reporting, leaning toward certain political sides. This stuff has made him someone people either like or hate, but it hasn’t stopped him from staying big in the news world.
He won the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award in 2015
Some moments remain etched in memory. This is one such. To receive one of the most prestigious journalism awards, the Ramnath Goenka award, from a man who was one of the most respected across the media spectrum, was truly an honour. Remembering #ArunJaitley pic.twitter.com/cHh0CnR0lP
— Sudhir Chaudhary (@sudhirchaudhary) August 25, 2019
Despite the controversies, Sudhir has received recognition for his work. In 2015, he won the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism in the “Hindi Broadcast” category.
He has also received the Visionary Award of 2021 for being the “Most Popular Face” in the Hindi news industry
Life Changing Battle with COVID-19
When the Coronavirus hit the world and stopped everything, news channels had to keep going. As a prime time news anchor, Sudhir kept heading to his news studio despite the health risks. He caught COVID in the second wave and was hospitalized for two weeks.
He’s said it was the life-changing moment in his life that made him think hard about what he was missing.4 It showed him that human connections matter more than material things and how important it is to do stuff that brings real joy in life. This incident also brought him closer to his family- wife Niti Chaudhary and his children.
In a nutshell, Sudhir Chaudhary has had an eventful career in journalism. Even though his journey has had its challenges, including legal issues and accusations of bias, he remains a well-known name in Indian journalism.
Note- His Biography will be updated here as new details emerge.
References
- Sudhir Chaudhary’s DOB on his X account ↩︎
- IIMC Delhi Official Website ↩︎
- Zee News editors sent to Tihar jail, Hindustan Times ↩︎
- Sudhir’s interview on ” Selfie with Shagufta” on YouTube ↩︎
