About Me
Hari Shankar Vyas (born 15 September 1956) is a veteran Indian journalist, Chief Editor and Publisher of Naya India, a national Hindi daily newspaper. Since 2009, he has been a consultant for ETV’s Hindi channels and produced a five-day weekly program for the network. He is best known for his daily column Apen to Kahege and his long-running weekly column Gupshup, which appears in Hindi and English newspapers, including The Sunday Pioneer. Earlier, he served 13 years as News Editor of Jansatta. His writings present a ringside view of Indian politics, making him one of the most respected voices in Hindi journalism.
Vyas completed his schooling in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, and later studied at JNU, where he began writing in 1976. His first article was published in Dainik Hindustan. Soon, he contributed to leading magazines and newspapers such as Navneet, Sarita, Mukta, BhuBharati, Hindustan and Navbharat Times.
He received his first break in Nai Duniya, where editor Rajendra Mathur entrusted him with a weekly column on international affairs, Pradesh. He also wrote Viswa Parikrama for Ravivar. In 1978, S.H. Vatsyayan ‘Agyeya’ selected him as a trainee journalist for Navbharat Times. After gaining experience in Mumbai with film and cultural journalism, he returned to Delhi to focus on political reporting.
In 1979, he founded his own feature agency, Samvad Parikrama, which quickly gained more than 60 newspaper subscribers across India, including Nai Duniya, Navbharat, and Vishwamitra. By 1982, Rajendra Mathur, then Editor of Navbharat Times, assigned him a column named Vichar.
In May 1983, Vyas joined the Indian Express Group’s Hindi project Jansatta as its first appointee at the age of 26. He was part of the core launch team and contributed to shaping its style and identity. His colloquial and mass-appeal writing gave Jansatta a unique place in Hindi journalism.
He single-handedly managed the bureau for National Politics and Government, while also serving as Assistant Editor for editorials and articles. Eventually, he became Editor, News of Jansatta. During this time, he launched the now-legendary column Gupshup (1983), which became a trusted source of political insights.
After leaving Jansatta in 1995, Vyas established Samvad Parikrama Pvt. Ltd., producing innovative media projects:
- Doordarshan Programme: Karobarnama, the first Hindi business affairs show.
- Publishing: Computer Sanchar Soochna, India’s first Hindi computer magazine, launched by PM H.D. Deve Gowda.
- Magazine: Rajniti, covering Indian polity.
He pioneered Hindi computing and multilingual IT education. In 1999, he launched computer training programs in Hindi across North India. His multilingual portal netjaal.com, covering 15 languages, was inaugurated by HRD Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi in 1998. Though later transferred to Reliance Infocom after the dot-com bust, it was a groundbreaking step in localization of the Internet in Indian languages.
Ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Vyas launched Central Hall on ETV Hindi channels, a serious content-driven show presenting debates and discussions with eminent personalities. The program became widely popular, offering deep insights into Indian political and social life. During the 2014 elections, Narendra Modi gave his first media interview on Central Hall with Vyas.
In 2010, Hari Shankar Vyas launched Naya India, a quality Hindi daily to fill the gap in serious journalism for Hindi-speaking readers. The newspaper established itself as a trusted and intellectual platform for political discourse.