Ravish Kumar

Ravish Kumar (born Ravish Kumar Pandey; 5 December 1974) is an Indian journalist, author, media personality and YouTuber. He was the Senior Executive Editor of NDTV India. He hosted a number of programmes including the channel's flagship weekday show Prime Time, Hum Log, Ravish Ki Report, and Des Ki Baat.

Kumar has twice been conferred with Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award for the Best Journalist of the Year and became the fifth Indian journalist to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2019.

Early life and education
Kumar was born on 5 December 1974 in Jitwarpur village in East Champaran district of Bihar, to Baliram Pandey and Yashoda Pandey. He obtained his high school education from Loyola High School, Patna. Later he moved to Delhi for higher studies. He graduated from Deshbandhu College, affiliated with the University of Delhi. Eventually he enrolled in post-graduate diploma in Hindi Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.

NDTV career
From 1994 to 2022, he was employed by NDTV India, eventually as a Senior Director. He hosted several programmes, including the channel's flagship weekday show Prime Time, Hum Log, Ravish Ki Report and Des Ki Baat.

He has received death threats in the past for his journalism.

On 30 November 2022, he resigned from NDTV, a day after the channel's founders and promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy resigned as directors on the board of RRPR Holding Private Limited (RRPRH).

YouTube career
Ravish Kumar started a YouTube channel after resigning from his job. On 5 May 2024, his channel reached the milestone of 10 million subscribers.

Awards and accolades
Kumar has been conferred various awards for his work in journalism including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2019). He has been two times recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2017, 2013) for the broadcast category in the Hindi language. The list continues with Gauri Lankesh Award for Journalism, first Kuldip Nayar Journalism Award (2017), Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Award for Hindi Journalism and Creative Literature (for 2010, awarded in 2014). He was included in the list of 100 most influential Indians (2016) by The Indian Express and also named Journalist of the Year by the Mumbai Press Club.

Kumar was awarded the Honorary Title for Freedom of Expression for his critical and independent journalism in India by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels, Belgium on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 2023.

Personal life
Kumar is married to Nayana Dasgupta who teaches history at the Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. He has two daughters- Tanima and Tanisha.

In popular culture
Kumar was the subject of the 2023 documentary While We Watched directed by Vinay Shukla.

Books

 * The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation, 2018.
 *  Bolna Hi Hai: Loktantra, Sanskriti Aur Rashtra Ke Bare Mein (in Hindi)
 * Ishq Mein Shahar Hona (in Hindi)
 * Dekhate Rahiye (in Hindi)
 * Ravishpanti (in Hindi)
 * A City Happens In Love