Rajiv Shah
Journalist, Blogger, and Political Analyst
Rajiv Shah was born in Ahmedabad in 1953 to freedom fighter artists Vanlila and Jagubhai Shah. He grew up at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, where his parents taught in the Faculty of Art Education. Rajiv completed his schooling at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi, in 1970 and earned a postgraduate degree in English from Delhi University in 1975.
Early Career and Political Involvement
During his student years, he was active in politics, joining the Students Federation of India and later the All-India Students Federation. His professional journey began as a proof-reader at the National Herald, followed by a role as a book editor at People’s Publishing House.
Journalism Career
Rajiv Shah formally entered journalism in 1979 with Link Newsweekly. From 1986 to 1993, he worked as a foreign correspondent for Link and Patriot in Moscow, covering significant events such as Mikhail Gorbachev’s rise and fall. Upon returning to India, he joined The Times of India in Ahmedabad in 1993 and retired as Political Editor in January 2013. During this period, he represented the paper in Gandhinagar, Gujarat’s capital.
Blogging and Current Work
Since retiring from formal journalism, he has been actively blogging. He launched his online news blog, Counterview, in 2013, where he continues to write on political and social issues.
Why Counterview?
He formally launched Counterview in February 2013, shortly after retiring from The Times of India. The platform allows him to focus on stories and blogs that highlight alternative viewpoints and critical journalism, free from organisational constraints.
Travel and Global Exposure
As a foreign correspondent, Rajiv travelled extensively across the former Soviet Union. He has also visited Nepal, Cuba, England, East and West Germany (before reunification), Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and the United States.
Notable Achievements
- Covered key political events during his tenure as a journalist.
- Maintains an independent voice through his blog Counterview, which is not affiliated with any organisation.
- Advocates for critical journalism inspired by George Orwell’s philosophy: “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want to be printed: everything else is public relations.”
Family Life
Rajiv Shah is married to Shruti Shah, who worked as a translator (Russian to Gujarati) at Raduga Publishing House in Moscow from 1986 to 1992. They have two children: Hina Shah, a computer engineer, and Ankur Shah, a postdoctoral research scientist in biomedical engineering. Both settled in the United States.
Rajiv Shah remains an influential voice in Indian journalism through his writings and analysis on contemporary issues.
Click https://rajivnews.wordpress.com to read his writings from different phases of his journalistic career.
To know more about Rajiv, visit https://www.counterview.net/p/about-me_31.html
