New York: The Federation of Indian Associations – NY/NJ/CT, honored Padma Bhushan recipient and chief of India Today group Aroon Purie on Dec. 3 in Manhattan. The event at TV Asia studios was attended by FIA officals and Consul General Randhir Jaiswal.
Hailing from the family that ran Thomson Press, Purie’s stellar career in the media industry took off when he took the reins of India Today newsmagazine in 1975. Today, the Group is India’s most diversified media group with 32 magazines, 7 radio stations, 4 TV channels, one newspaper, a classical music label, and a book publishing arm.
Purie’s numerous recognitions include the Padma Bhushan in 2001, India’s third-highest civilian award, for his contribution to Indian journalism; the B.D. Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (1988); Journalist of the Year 1990 award by the Indian Federation of Small and Medium Newspapers; the G.K. Reddy Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism.
Purie has been associated with the Council of Management, Audit Bureau of Circulations (Chairman, 2000–2001). He is on the Executive Committee of The Editors’ Guild of India, and was Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry National Committee on Media (2001–2002), and serving Board member of the Global Editors Network since its creation in April 2011.
Consul General Jaiswal highlighted the contributions of media in keeping overseas Indians in touch with the workings of the country and offered his support on initiatives that strengthen US-India bilateral relations. He also emphasized his undeterred support to the community and extensive efforts that the Consulate has undertaken since the pandemic to serve the community, which includes the consulate being open seven days a week.
FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya thanked Mr Purie for the opportunity to celebrate his distinguished career, which has brought a trendsetting change in the Indian media industry. He also gave an account of FIA’s service initiatives over the last two years of the pandemic.
Padma Shri recipient and chairman of TV Asia H.R. Shah thanked Purie for his friendship.
Purie expressed his gratitude for the honor, the first from a reputed community organization in the US. He also evinced keen interest in engaging with the diaspora’s activities.
The FIA team present at the private event included the outgoing FIA President Anil Bansal, Alok Kumar, Parveen Bansal, Saurin Parikh, and FIA women wing’s Rohi Singh, Anu Singh, Mitali Chikhalkar and Sapna Patel.
Prominent community members in attendance included Prem Bhandari, Albert Jasani, Kamlesh Mehta, Shyamal Modi, and Piraan Erachshaw.
