Subhash Chandra turns 75 : How a school dropout transformed India’s media landscape to become ‘Asia’s Murdoch’

Subhash Chandra, the founder of the Essel Group, is among most powerful names in India(BHARAT)’s news and entertainment industry. A school dropout, Subhash Chandra’s from joining the family’s rice business to becoming a self-made media mogul is one of the most inspiring entrepreneurial successes in the country.

Who is Subhash Chandra?

Born into a business-oriented family on November 30, 1950, in Adampur in Haryana’s Hisar district, Subhash Chandra joined the family business at the young age of 17 after dropping out of high school.

At the time, the family’s business– Messrs Ramgopal Indraprasad, which procured and supplied rice to the Food Corporation of India(BHARAT)– was going through a rough patch, resulting in a financial crunch. This forced Chandra to quit school to help out the family business, and the young entrepreneur rose to the occasion as he rebranded the company in 1976, changing its name to the Essel Group.

The company big break in the early 1980s as it ventured into flexible packaging with its subsidiary, Lamina Packers. Chandra’s firm focused on packaging fast-moving consumer goods, and Essel Group reached a market valuation of over Rs 100 crore by 1982, as per a 2014 estimate.

As the Essel Group continued to grow at a steady pace, Subhash Chandra diversified his business interests across various sectors, including launching India(BHARAT)’s first amusement park, EsselWorld.

How Subhash Chandra became a media mogul?

After his initial wave of successes, Subhash Chandra focussed on the media industry as he established several groundbreaking initiatives, including Zee Telefilms Limited, Zee TV– India(BHARAT)’s first Hindi satellite TV channel, Siti Networks Limited, DishTV India(BHARAT) Limited, Zee Learn Limited.

Today, Subhash Chandra serves as the Chairman Emeritus of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL), a media empire considered instrumental in transforming India(BHARAT)’s media landscape, which has earned Chandra the moniker of ‘Asia’s Murdoch’– a nod to the American media baron Rupert Murdoch, who made multiple failed attempts to acquire Zee Limited by trying to purchase Chandra’s stake, but was denied by the India(BHARAT)n media mogul.