Ramnath Goenka (22 April 1904 – 5 October 1991) was an Indian newspaper publisher. He launched ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Limited, Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, ...
'' in 1932 and created the
Indian Express Group with various English and regional language publications.
[''A doyen of Indian Journalism, Shri Goenka's greatest passion was the print media. He launched the Indian Express in 1932. -'' https://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lsdeb/ls10/ses2/02201191.htm] In 2000, ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new on ...
'' magazine, named him amongst their list of ''"100 People Who Shaped India"''. The
Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, named after Ramnath Goenka, are one of the awards in India in the field of journalism.
Early life
Ramnath Goenka was born on 22 April 1904 in Darbhanga
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
, to Basantlal Goenka.
Career
He took shelter with a family named Chaudhry which came from a village near to his native Mandawa, at 23 Peria Naicker Street.
During the
Emergency Period of India, Ramnath Goenka was one of the few businessmen and journalists that opposed Indira Gandhi government.
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In
1971 Indian general election
General elections were held in India between 1 and 10 March 1971 to elect members of the 5th Lok Sabha. They were the fifth general elections since independence in 1947. The 27 Indian states and union territories were represented by 518 consti ...
, Goenka was elected as the
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
A Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha ( abbreviated: MP) is the representative of a legislative constituency in the Lok Sabha; the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of parliament of Lok Sabha are chosen by direct elections on ...
from
Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency
Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This constituency came into existence in 1967. This constituency covers parts of Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore and Dewas districts.
Vidh ...
as a candidate of
Bharatiya Jana Sangh
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh ( BJS or JS, short name: Jan Sangh, full name: Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh; ) (ISO 15919: '' Akhila Bhāratīya Jana Saṅgha '' ) was an Indian right wing political party that existed from 1951 to 1977 and was the po ...
.
Death
Goenka died in Mumbai on 5 October 1991.
In 1997 the heirs of Ramnath Goenka made a division of the Indian Express Group into two separated operations. The northern segment was put under the control of
Viveck Goenka, whereas the southern one went to the family branch of Manoj Sonthalia.
References
Further reading
*
* – official biography
* – a privately published book written by his daughter-in-law
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External links
Dhirubhai's fight with RNG
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goenka, Ramnath
1904 births
1991 deaths
Businesspeople from Madhya Pradesh
Rajasthani people
Indian newspaper founders
Indian Express Limited people
Members of the Constituent Assembly of India
Rai Sahibs
India MPs 1971–1977
Lok Sabha members from Madhya Pradesh
People from Vidisha
People from Bihar
Bharatiya Jana Sangh politicians