India TV is one of the most-watched news channels in India. The channel was founded back in 2004, and within a short span of just 20 years, it has become India's leading news channel. At a time when English-language news channels were on the rise, India TV not only proved the mettle of the Hindi language but also gave hope to many other regional channels, who felt their time was gone. The news channel was founded by Rajat Sharma and his wife, Ritu Dhawan, with the goal of building a news channel that is courageous and different.
As per India TV's official website, Rajat Sharma and Ritu Dhawan's news channel, India TV is worth more than Rs. 500 crores. The news channel is owned by Independent News Service (INS). India TV's broadcast centre is located in Sector-85, Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Another interesting fact that speaks volumes about the stature of India TV is that its broadcasting centre is spread across an area of more than 1,28,000 square feet, which makes it one of the largest news centres in India.
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Rajat Sharma is among the top news anchors in the country's top news. The critically acclaimed news presenter is renowned for his calm and composed presentation of news in front of the camera. The way he has been running his show, Aap Ki Adalat, for more than 30 years explains everything about his popularity and stature in the Indian media space. However, if we look back at Rajat Sharma's humble beginning, it's incredible the way he has made his way to the top in Indian media space.
For the unversed, Rajat Sharma was born into a lower-middle-class Brahmin family on February 18, 1957, in Delhi. He completed his schooling at Sanatan Dharm Middle School and Ramjas School. Rajat Sharma used to study at night under a lamppost because he and his family did not have the luxury of electricity. For graduation, he took admission in Delhi Univesity's Shriram College of Commerce, where his senior helped him pay his fees. The senior was none other than the former finance minister of India, Arun Jaitley.
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In the following years, Rajat Sharma joined the JP movement in 1974, and when the Emergency was imposed by former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, in 1975, he spent 11 days in Delhi's Tihar jail for protesting. It was in 1982 when Rajat Sharma started his journalism career with Onlooker as a 'Trainee Reporter'. After working for some years, Rajat Sharma pitched the idea of Aap Ki Adalat to Zee Network's Chairman, Subhash Chandra. The first episode of Aap Ki Adalat was telecasted on March 14, 1993, on Zee TV, and the rest is history.
It's fair to say that Aap Ki Adalat is the show that deserves massive credit for making India TV one of the leading news channels in India. However, not everyone is aware of the fact that it was Rajat Sharma's wife, Ritu Dhawan, who is the person behind the show, Aap Ki Adalat.
According to a report in The Indian Television Academy, Ritu Dhawan is the one, who came up with the idea of Aap Ki Adalat. She produced and directed the show that went on to make her husband, Rajat Sharma a prominent figure in the Indian media space.
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Rajat Sharma and Ritu Dhawan co-founded India TV's parent company, Independent News Services Private Limited, back in 1997. In the following years, it was on May 20, 2004, when India TV was launched. While Rajat Sharma is the face of the channel, it is Ritu Dhawan, who stays behind the curtains and is considered as the backbone of the reputed news channel. With her years of experience working at British Sky Broadcasting and as Chief Producer at Zee TV, she played a pivotal role in India's satellite TV landscape.
Once, in a special episode of Aap Ki Adalat, Rajat Sharma opened up about his wife, Ritu Dhawan. The ace news presenter clearly stated that it is his and Ritu's shared passion for news and journalism that paved the way for their love story. Further, in the same, Rajat Sharma also added that he has a lot of respect for his wife because she never came into the limelight. He further stated that Ritu has no desire to be in the spotlight. He said:
"Hum log saath kaam karte the. Aur kaam karte-karte kab jisko aap love kehte hain vo hogaya. Pata ni chala. Hum dono ka jo love hain pyar hain vo hamare kaam se hain. Aur hamara kaam he humko ek saath rakhta hain. Vo parde ke peche reh kar karti hain, jiski mein bahut respesct karta hu. Bina naam ke bina glory ke, kabhi bhi vo public ke samney nahin aati."
We are in love with how Rajat Sharma and Ritu Dhawan have built their news channel, India TV, from scratch. What do you think about it? Let us know.
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