Vinod Mehta named recipient of GK Reddy Memorial Award for 2014

Vinod Mehta, veteran journalist and Editorial Chairman of The Outlook Group, has been named as the recipient of the GK Reddy Memorial Award for Outstanding Journalism for the year 2014. The Award will be conferred on Mehta at a ceremony in December 2014.

The Awards jury was led by Jury Chairman Dr Karan Singh, MP and former Union Minister. The jury members comprised of Anand Sharma, MP and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha; MK Rasgotra, former Foreign Secretary; Kanta GK Reddy; and Dr T Subbarami Reddy, Member of Parliament and Chairman, TSR Foundation.

The GK Reddy Memorial Award was instituted by T Subbarami Reddy in the memory of late GK Reddy, a distinguished and renowned journalist of the 1980s. The Award carries Rs 5 lakh cash, gold medal and a citation.

Previously, several prominent and distinguished journalists such as Prabhu Chawla, Editor-in-Chief, New Indian Express; HK Dua, former Chief Editor of Hindustan Times; Aroon Purie, Chairman, India Today Group; Shekhar Gupta, former Editor-in-Chief & Vice Chairman, India Today Group; and N Ravi, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu had been conferred with the GK Reddy Memorial Award.

Mehta, whose career in journalism spans over 38 years, became the country’s youngest editor when he took over as Editor-in-Chief of ‘Debonair’ in 1974. Since then, Mehta – known as the ultimate launch-man of Indian journalism – has founded and edited numerous publications, among them India’s first Sunday paper The Sunday Observer, the Indian Post, the Independent and The Pioneer (Delhi edition).

He has authored the biographies of Sanjay Gandhi and Meena Kumari. He had also authored a book on Bombay to his credit. His memoir, ‘Lucknow Boy’, was published in 2011. He is currently writing the second part of his memoir.

He had also been President of the Editors Guild of India.