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Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 14, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth26 August 1957

Age61 Years (as listed in source)

BirthplacePalwal, Haryana

ProfessionJournalist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseNeelam Jolly

Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) Biography

Veteran Indian journalist Shekhar Gupta has had a long career across major news organisations, hosted a widely watched interview show, and founded a modern

Early life and background
Shekhar Gupta was born on 26 August 1957 in Palwal, Haryana. He grew up in a family where his father worked for the Punjab government, a situation that involved frequent transfers and led to schooling in several places. He attended Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Palwal and Vidya Mandir School in Punjab before studying journalism at the School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, where he completed a Bachelor of Journalism.

Career
Gupta began his reporting career in 1977 as a cub reporter for The Indian Express in Chandigarh. In 1983 he moved to India Today, where he covered major and often dangerous assignments, including Operation Blue Star and the Nellie massacre in Assam. His international reporting includes coverage of the 1991 Gulf War from Baghdad, a stint that raised his profile among Indian correspondents.

He returned to The Indian Express in 1995 and rose through the newsroom to become Editor-in-Chief and later Chief Executive Officer, roles he held for many years. During his tenure he wrote a weekly column titled National Interest and compiled columns into a book, Anticipating India, which collected notable pieces from that column.

In 2015 Gupta resigned from The Indian Express after long service with the paper. He briefly took the Editor-in-Chief role at India Today in 2015 but left that position within two months. In 2017 he launched a digital news venture called The Print and serves as its Editor-in-Chief. The venture was publicly announced in early January 2016 alongside another well-known journalist, though records show differences in the subsequent listing of company co-founders.

Broadcast work
Alongside his print and digital work, Gupta has been a prominent television interviewer. For more than 15 years he hosted the NDTV 24x7 weekly interview program Walk The Talk, which featured over 600 guests. Selections from these political interviews were published in a 2017 book titled Walk The Talk. The program has since been reworked into a live-audience format called Off The Cuff; the format is produced under The Print’s ownership.

Honours and recognition
Gupta’s journalism has been recognised with several honours over his career. Early fellowships and awards include an American Society of Newspaper Editors fellowship tied to Tufts University and The New York Times in 1984 and the Inlaks Young Journalist of the Year Award in 1985. He received the GK Reddy Award for Journalism in 1997 and the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial Award for National Integration in 2006. In 2009 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to journalism.

Public profile
Gupta’s public life has at times attracted controversy and legal disputes. The record lists a business closure in 2010 involving a firm called Greenpine Agro and subsequent legal friction that led to the company’s early exit from business. In 2012 he initiated legal action against a fellow journalist and publication over allegations related to an article and its intent. In 2017 a dispute arose over a headline change to a guest’s article that drew criticism. In 2019 his name appeared in a supplementary enforcement document connected to a wider case, as referenced in the records.

Personal life
Shekhar Gupta is married to Neelam Jolly, who is described as a social worker and runs an NGO called Vishwas. The available information lists his religion as Hinduism, caste as Vaishya (Bania), and that he follows a vegetarian diet.

Latest updates
In 2017 Gupta remains active as the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Print and continues to be associated with interview programming now presented as Off The Cuff. His body of written work includes the compiled collection Anticipating India and a book of interviews drawn from his television series.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Shekhar Gupta (Journalist), send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

The Print (founder and Editor-in-Chief)

Launched a digital media news company in 2017 and serves as its Editor-in-Chief; involved in producing the interview format Off The Cuff.

2017
Walk The Talk (book)

Published a collection of 25 political interviews from his long-running NDTV interview program.

2017
Anticipating India

Compiled notable columns from his National Interest column into a book.

2014
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Career Highlights

  1. Started as a cub reporter at The Indian Express in 1977
  2. Covered Operation Blue Star, the Nellie massacre and the 1991 Gulf War
  3. Served as Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Indian Express
  4. Hosted Walk The Talk on NDTV for over 15 years with 600+ guests
  5. Founded digital news outlet The Print in 2017
  6. Awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) born?

Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) was born on 26 August 1957.

What is Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) known for?

Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) is known for journalist.

What is Shekhar Gupta (Journalist)’s marital status?

Shekhar Gupta (Journalist)'s marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) married to?

Shekhar Gupta (Journalist) is publicly listed as married to Neelam Jolly.