Shobhana Bhartia

Shobhana Bhartia (born 1957) is the Vice-Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times group,one of India's leading newspaper and media houses. She has also recently taken charge as the Pro Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. She looks after editorial as well asfinancial aspects, and is credited with raising Rs. 400 crore through a public equity launch of the HT Media group in September 2005 [cite news
url = http://www.blonnet.com/2005/09/02/stories/2005090202381500.htm
title = HT Media debuts on BSE at Rs 685
publisher = The Hindu Business Line
date = 2005-09-02
accessdate = 2007-06-19] . The name is sometimes written Shobhana Bharatiya or Bhartiya, butthe preferred spelling is Bhartia.

Background

Shobhana is the daughter of the industrialist KK Birla, and granddaughter of GD Birla, one of the Birla family patriarchs. The KK Birla family owned75.36 per cent stake in HT Media, valued at Rs 834 crore in 2004cite news
publisher = The Economic Times
title = Business Empires: The Birlas: Hindustan Times
date = 2004-10-28
url = http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/corpbirlashow/902250.cms
accessdate = 2007-06-19]

She is a graduate of Calcutta University [http://www.sebi.gov.in/dp/htmed.pdf HT Media Group Prospectus] 2005-08-12] , and is married to Shyam Sunder Bhartia [cite news
title = Hari Bhartia's mantra for success: The Rediff Interview/Hari Bhartia, MD, Jubilant Organosys
author = Bhupesh Bhandari
publisher = rediff.com
url = http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/dec/27inter.htm
date = December 27, 2005
accessdate = 2006-06-19] , Chairman of the Rs. 14-billion Pharma firm
Jubilant Organosys Limited (a spinoff from the earlier chemicalsventure Vam Organics). Shyam Sunder Bhartia is son of Late Mohan Lal Bhartia. Their son Shamit Bhartia is also a Directorat the HT Media group [http://www.sebi.gov.in/dp/htmed.pdf HT Media Group Prospectus] 2005-08-12] , and also looks after lifestyle businesses such as the
Domino's Pizza franchise and also convenience store chain
Monday to Sunday in Bangalore [cite news
title = Temptation is its other name
author = Sandhya Iyengar
publisher = The Hindu
url = http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/06/02/stories/2003060200750200.htm
date = Jun 02, 2003] .

Media career

When Shobhana joined Hindustan Times in 1986, she was the first woman chief executive of a national newspaper and probably one of the youngest. She is considered to be one of the motive forces behind the transformation of the Hindustan Times "into a bright, young paper." [cite news
url = http://www.mid-day.com/smd/play/2003/april/50385.htm
title = Top 50 power points in the media
publisher = Mid-Day (newspaper)
author = Pradyuman Maheshwari
date = 2003-04-20 ]

In February 2006, Shobhana was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, on a recommendation by the ruling United Progressive Alliance headed by Sonia Gandhi [cite news
title = Nominated to Rajya Sabha
publisher = The Hindu
url = http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/18/stories/2006021815040900.htm
date = 2006-02-18
accessdate = 2007-06-19] . The nomination, reserved for eminent people from thefields of literature, science,art and social service, was challenged in the
Supreme Court of Indiacite news
title = Plea against nomination to Rajya Sabha rejected
author = Legal Correspondent
publisher = The Hindu
url = http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/29/stories/2006042904821300.htm
date = 2006-04-29
accessdate = 2007-06-19] on the grounds that she was a "media baron" and not a journalist, and that she was politically affiliated with the Indian National Congress. However, the court dismissed the appeal at the admission stage itself, saying that the scope of "social service" was broad enough to include her.

She has been quite active in the Rajya Sabha, asking frequent questions and also introducing the "The Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2006" [cite web
url = http://rajyasabha.nic.in/bills-ls-rs/2006/CI_2006.pdf
title = The Child Marriage (Abolition) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, 2006
publisher = Parliament of India, Rajya Sabha
date = 2006 December] .

After the Congress government came to power in 2004, she was one of the first
Padma Shree award nominees in 2005. The award was given for journalism,but critics have felt that she is more of a business person than ajournalist. Both this Padma Shree award, as well as the Rajya Sabhanomination, both during the UPA regime, have led to claims that these are rewards for a certain bias towards the Indian National Congress,especially with respect to editorial policy at the Hindustan Times andparticularly to Sonia Gandhi [ cite web
title = Media Profile:Media Analysis Section
url =http://www.politicsbharat.com/media_profile.php website claiming to presentthe Political Influence and the Motives of media Publishers.] .

She has received the Global Leader of Tomorrow award by the
World Economic Forum (1996). She is also the recipient of the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year, 2001, by PHDChamber of Commerce & Industry, and National Press India Award, 1992.She has also won the Business Woman award, The Economic Times Corporate Excellence awards 2007.

References

[Category:Nominated Rajya Sabha Members
* [http://www.pr-inside.com/kumar-mangalam-birla-chancellor-and-r809661.htm Kumar Mangalam Birla Chancellor and Shobana Bhartia Pro Chancellor BITS Pilani]
* [http://www.pr-inside.com/kumar-mangalam-birla-chancellor-and-r812666.htm Kumar Mangalam Birla Chancellor and Shobana Bhartia Pro Chancellor for BITS Pilani]
* [http://www.1888pressrelease.com/bits-pilani-moves-ahead-with-chancellor-kumar-mangalam-birla-pr-73542.html BITS Pilani moves ahead with Chancellor Kumar Mangalam Birla and Pro Chancellor Shobana Bhartia]
* [http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200809/1221622113.html For BITS Pilani, Kumar Mangalam Birla is Chancellor and Shobana Bhartia is Pro Chancellor]
* [http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200809/1221702676.html Kumar Mangalam Birla Chancellor and Shobana Bhartia Pro Chancellor for BITS Pilani]
* [http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/39898/ BITS Pilani New Chancellor Kumar Mangalam Birla and Pro Chancellor Shobana Bhartia]
* [http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/education/2008091813202.htm BITS Pilani Gets Going with Kumar Mangalam Birla as Chancellor and Shobana Bhartia as Pro Chancellor]