Dr. Subhash Chandra to receive Canada India Foundation (CIF) Chanchlani Global Indian Award

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: Feb 03, 2016, 01:10 PM IST

Dr. Subhash Chandra - Chairman, ZEE & Essel Group

Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman – Essel Group & ZEE to receive the prestigious Canada India Foundation (CIF) Chanchlani Global Indian Award

Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman of the Essel Group & ZEE, has been named as the sixth recipient of the prestigious Canada India Foundation (CIF) Chanchlani Global Indian Award, instituted by Canada India Foundation.

He will receive the Award in Toronto on April 22, 2016. With this Award, Dr. Chandra will be joining a select group of globally renowned persons of Indian origin who have received this honour such as Sam Pitroda (2008) - architect of India’s telecom revolution, Tulsi Tanti (2009) - Founder and Chairman of Suzlon, Ratan Tata (2010) - former Chairman of the Tata Group, Deepak Chopra (2012) - renowned US-based author and speaker, and N.R. Narayana Murthy (2014) - Founder and former Chairman of Infosys.

Ajit Someshwar chair of CIF

The Board of Governors of Canada India Foundation is honoured that Dr. Subhash Chandra has agreed to accept the CIF Chanchlani Global Indian Award. Millions of people of Indian origin have been able to stay culturally and information-wise connected to their motherland, thanks to his initiatives with Zee Media and Zee Entertainment, which have also spread the India brand to non-Indian communities as well.”

The CIF Chanchlani Global Indian Award was instituted to recognize the transformation of India into a global economy and ascendancy in world stage, celebrate the contribution of individuals to this transformation and to raise the global profile of people of Indian originCIF is a public policy organization formed in Canada in 2007 to strengthen Canada India relations and to celebrate the global Indian community.

The Canada India Foundation has recognised Dr. Chandra for his Global leadership, strategic vision in globalizing India, and professional excellence. Dr. Subhash Chandra revolutionized the television industry by launching India's first satellite television channel - Zee TV in 1992 and later the first private news channel, Zee News.

For his contributions to the industry, Dr. Chandra has also been awarded the International Emmy Directorate Award at their 39th International Emmy Awards night in New York and has also been honoured with the Doctorate of Business Administration by the University of East London.

Dr Subhash Chandra

Dr. Chandra has also made his mark as an influential philanthropist in India.

He has set up TALEEM (Transnational Alternate Learning for Emancipation and Empowerment through Multimedia) to provide access to quality education through distance and open learning. He is also the Chairman of Ekal Global — a movement to eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India. The Foundation provides free education to over 1.4 million tribal children across more than 52,000 villages through one-teacher schools. He is the moving force behind the Global Vipassana Foundation — a trust set up to help people raise their spiritual quotient. Dr. Chandra is also the Founder Chairman of Global Foundation for Civilization Harmony (India) (GFCH), an Eastern initiative for conflict avoidance and a partner of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC). The founder patrons of GFCH include His Holiness Dalai Lama and late former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, among others.

Canada India Foundation (CIF) is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization established in 2007 to foster support for stronger bi-lateral relations between Canada and India; to celebrate the achievements of the global Indian diaspora and to increase the participation by Indo-Canadians in political process in Canada. In addition to the Global Indian Award, CIF is well-known for its high-profile Canada India forums, addressing specific sectors of bi-lateral trade opportunities for Canada and India. Late former President Abdul Kalam and former Chair of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia have been among the speakers.

Chief Guests at CIF’s first Award Gala in 2008 were late former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and then Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper. The Award includes a cash amount of $50,000 (Cdn), given to a charitable organization of the Award recipient’s choice. A number of India-based charities have benefitted from these contributions.