Pritish Nandy (born 15 January 1951) is a Indian poet, painter, journalist, politician, media and television personality, animal activist and film producer. He is Bengali by ethnicity. He was member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament representing Maharashtra based party Shiv Sena.[1] He has published a number of poetry books in English and translated poems by other writers from Bengali and Urdu into English.
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Nandy was born in Bhagalpur in the state of Bihar in eastern India to a Bengali Christian family. He is the son of Satish Chandra Nandy and Prafulla Nalini Nandy, and brother of Ashis Nandy and Manish Nandy. He was educated at La Martiniere College and, briefly, at Presidency College in Kolkata.[1] Nandy's mother was a teacher at La Martiniere Calcutta and subsequently became the school's first Indian vice principal.[2]
Nandy's first book of poems Of gods and olives was published in 1967. Three further volumes followed in the 1960s and a further 14 volumes were published in the 1970s.[3] In July 1981 Nandy was nominated as a Poet Laureate by the World Academy of Arts and Culture at the Fifth World Congress of Poets in San Francisco.[4]
In 1982 Nandy became a full-time journalist. He was publishing director of The Times of India from 1982 to 1991, and editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India from 1983 to 1991. He has also served as the editor of The Independent and Filmfare. He served concurrently as the publisher of The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Independent, Filmfare, Femina, Science Today, Dharmayug and Madhuri. He is currently a columnist with The Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar.[1]
Nandy opened India's first cyber café in 1996.[1]
Nandy was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, in July 1998. He was a Member of Parliament for six years and was on a number of committees including the National Committee to Celebrate 50 years of Independence, the Parliamentary Committee for Defence, the Parliamentary Committee for Communications, the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs.[1] He is on the Expert Committee for upgradation of the International Film Festival of India set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Nandy founded Pritish Nandy Communications in 1993 and remains its Non-Executive Chairman. The Company's first programme was a chat show entitled the The Pritish Nandy Show which aired on Doordarshan, a public broadcasting channel. The World This Week also aired on Doordarshan. This was followed by Fiscal Fitness, India's first weekly business show, on Zee TV, and The Pritish Nandy Business Show. Nandy has presented over 500 news and current affairs shows on Doordarshan, Zee TV and Sony TV.[1] Nandy's film and television productions include:
1. India 98 : The Choice
A live election debate show on Doordarshan. Moderated by Pritish Nandy and Nalini Singh. Directed by Pankuj Parashar. Won the RAPA Award.
2. The Pritish Nandy Show
A signature chat show on Doordarshan and Zee TV Network. Hosted by Pritish Nandy. Directed by Umesh Agarwal. The show was later repeated on Doordarshan Metro, Jain, Sun and Udaya TV. Nominated for the Screen Videocon Awards.
3. Maneka's Ark
An environment chat show on Star Plus and Doordarshan. Hosted by Maneka Gandhi. Directed by Amar Sharma and Rima Chhib.[5]
4. Mr Gaayab
A comedy serial based on the invisible man on Zee TV Network. Starring Joy Sengupta. Directed by Kushan Nandy.
5. Face Off
An election chat show on Doordarshan. Hosted by Pritish Nandy and Javed Akhtar. Directed by Pankuj Parashar.
6. Ek Raja Ek Rani
A comedy serial on Doordarshan and Zee TV Network. Starring Shekhar Suman in a double role and Bhairavi Raichura. Directed by Kushan Nandy. Won the Aashirwad Award for Best Actor in 1999.[6]
7. Raj Kahani
A costume drama on Doordarshan. Starring R Madhavan in a double role. Directed by Kushan Nandy.
8. Khwahish
A behind the scenes look at the big bad world of fashion on Sony Television. Starring Annie Thomas. Directed by Manu Gargi.
9. Yudh
A daily soap opera on Doordarshan, Sun, Udaya and Jain TV. Starring Mahavir Bhullar and Lalit Tiwari. Directed by Kushan Nandy.
10. Sanjog
A daily show based on the story of an ideal Indian family. This serial crossed 250 episodes on Doordarshan National. Starring Amar Talwar, Anjana Mumtaz, Aamir Ali Malik etc. Directed by Ajeet Kumar.[7]
11. India-The Awakening
A daily show profiling achievers on Doordarshan. Hosted by Pritish Nandy. Directed by different directors.
12. Hungama Unlimited
A sitcom that lists the best of Hindi films and pop music. Also a countdown show to hit the number one position on Doordarshan Metro in terms of viewership ratings. Directed by different directors.
13. Heads & Tails
An animal rights show on Doordarshan. Hosted by Maneka Gandhi. Directed by Umesh Agarwal. Won the RAPA Award and was nominated for the Screen Videocon and Pinnacle Awards.
14. Entertainment Now
A daily entertainment news show on Doordarshan. Hosted by Sagarika Sonie. Directed by Subir Dhar and Amitabh Tripathi.
15. Chup Bas Lakshya
PNC's foray into regional Marathi television on Doordarshan Sahyadri. Starring Laxmikant Berde. Directed by Bhaskar Jadhav.
16. New Horizons
An alternative lifestyle show on Doordarshan and Zee TV Network. Hosted by Maneka Gandhi. Won a Screen Videocon Award.
17. Fiscal Fitness
A corporate and business show on Zee TV Network. Hosted by Pritish Nandy. Directed by Umesh Agarwal.