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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian journalist}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Karan Thapar<br />
| image = Karan Thapar speaking at The Doon School, India.JPG<br />
| caption = Thapar chairing a debate at [[The Doon School]] on its 75th Founder's Day in 2010.<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|11|05|df=yes}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]<br />
| alma_mater = [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] (BA)<br>[[St Antony's College, Oxford]] (PhD)<br />
| spouse = Nisha Thapar (deceased) <br />
| occupation = [[Journalist]], [[News presenter]]<br />
| employer = [[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]<br />
| credits = ''Devil's Advocate''<br>''India Tonight''<br>''The Last Word''<br>Face to Face (BBC)<br>Hardtalk India (BBC)<br>To the Point<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''Karan Thapar''' (born 5 November 1955) is an Indian journalist, [[news presenter]] and interviewer working with [[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]. Thapar was associated with [[CNN-IBN]] and hosted ''The Devil's Advocate'' and ''The Last Word''. He was also associated with [[India Today (TV channel)|India Today]], hosted the shows ''To the Point'' and ''Nothing But The Truth'' and is doing an exclusive series of Interviews with ''[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]'' on his show ''Access Journalism''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Karan Thapar|url=https://thewire.in/author/karan-thapar|access-date=2020-10-20|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>[http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-the-two-faces-of-mr-modi/article6553304.ece The two faces of Mr. Modi]</ref><br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
Karan Thapar is the youngest child of former [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Chief of the Army Staff]] [[Pran Nath Thapar|General Pran Nath Thapar]] and Bimla Thapar. The journalist [[Romesh Thapar]] and the historian [[Romila Thapar]] are his cousins.<ref>{{cite news|title=When the Devil's Advocate has the Last Word|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/when-the-devils-advocate-has-the-last-word/article4799504.ece|access-date=25 January 2016}}</ref><br />
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Thapar is also related distantly to the family of Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Nehru's niece, the writer [[Nayantara Sahgal]], was married to Gautam Sahgal, brother of Bimla Thapar, his mother.<ref name="ThePrint">{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Nandita |title=Why is Karan Thapar complaining? His dynasty holds a key to Lutyens' Delhi |url=https://theprint.in/lutyens-league/why-is-karan-thapar-complaining-his-dynasty-holds-a-key-to-lutyenss-delhi/87308/ |access-date=2 April 2019 |work=The Print |date=2 January 2019}}</ref><br />
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He is an alumnus of [[Doon school|The Doon School]] in [[Dehradun]] and the [[Stowe School]] in England. While at Doon, Thapar was the editor-in-chief of the school magazine ''[[The Doon School Weekly]]''.<ref>History of the Weekly, The Doon School publications (2009) p.41</ref> He graduated with a degree in Economics and Political Philosophy from [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]] in 1977. In the same year, he was also President of the [[Cambridge Union]]. He subsequently obtained a doctorate in International Relations from [[St Antony's College, Oxford]].<br />
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==Career==<br />
He began his career in journalism with ''[[The Times]]'' in [[Lagos]], [[Nigeria]] and later worked as their Lead Writer on the Indian subcontinent till 1981. In 1982 he joined ''London Weekend Television'' in the [[United Kingdom]] where he worked for the next 11 years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Madhu Trehan interviews Karan Thapar on his book "Devil's advocate" |publisher=News laundry |date=30 July 2018}}</ref> He moved to India in 1991 and worked with ''The Hindustan Times Television Group'', ''Home TV'' and ''United Television'' before setting up his own production house in August 2001, Infotainment Television, which makes programmes for amongst others [[BBC]], [[Doordarshan]] and [[Channel News Asia]].<ref name=InfoTel /> He is currently the President of Infotainment Television.<br />
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Thapar is noted for his aggressive interviews with leading politicians and celebrities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/role-reversal/article23186785.ece|title=Role reversal - At the launch of his latest book, Karan Thapar faced a volley of questions from Shashi Tharoor|last=Leekha|first=Parul|date=13 March 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-07-29|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> A few of his shows which have been much watched are ''Eyewitness'', ''Tonight at 10'', ''In Focus with Karan'', ''Line of Fire'', ''War of Words'' ''Devil's Advocate'' and ''The Last Word''.<ref name="InfoTel" /> In 2007, Thapar famously interviewed current Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] (then the Chief Minister of [[Gujarat]]) and Modi stopped the interview just three minutes in, refusing to continue.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thewire.in/books/narendra-modi-karan-thapar-interview|title=Why Modi Walked Out in 2007 and the BJP Now Shuns Me|last=Thapar|first=Karan|date=22 July 2018|work=The Wire|access-date=2020-05-22|language=en-IN}}</ref><br />
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In April 2014, Thapar quit CNN-IBN to join India Today, where he hosted the show titled ''To the Point'' and ''Nothing But The Truth''.<br />
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He also writes for [[The Indian Express]], a leading Indian daily, as a columnist.<br />
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==Awards and accolades==<br />
* In 1995 Thapar won the Onida Pinnacle Award for Best Current Affairs Presenter for the programme, The Chat Show.<ref name=InfoTel>{{cite web|title=Karan Thapar - Infotainment Television|url=http://www.itv.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=10|publisher=Infotainment Television|access-date=25 April 2014}}</ref><br />
* In December 2003, Thapar became the first person to win both awards in the current affairs category of the [[Asian Television Awards]].{{fact|date=July 2021}}<br />
* ''The Best Current Affairs Program'' for an interview with Pakistan's Foreign Minister, [[Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri|Khurshid Kasuri]] tilted ''Court Martial''<br />
* Second award for 'The Best Current Affairs Presenter' for his popular long-running BBC series ''Face to Face''.<br />
* 'Best Current Affairs Presenter' award for his interview with [[Ram Jethmalani]] on ''Devil's Advocate''{{fact|date=July 2021}}<br />
* In 2008 his show ''Devil's Advocate'' was conferred 'Best News/Current Affairs Show' by News Television Awards & Karan Thapar was presented the award for 'News Interviewer of the Year' at Indian News Broadcasting Awards.<br />
* In April 2009, Thapar was conferred with the [[Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards|Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award]] and was chosen the 'Journalist of the Year(Broadcast)'.<br />
* In August 2009 he was adjudged the "News Show Host of the Year" by Indian News Broadcasting Awards.<br />
* In March 2010 Devil's Advocate was accorded an award for being the "Best News Talk Show" by News Television Awards.<br />
* In December 2010 he was adjudged the 'Best Current Affairs Presenter' by [[Asian Television Awards]].<br />
* In March 2011 ''Devil's Advocate'' was adjudged the "Best Current Affairs Programme" and Karan Thapar was declared the "TV News Anchor of the Year-English" by National Television Awards.In October 2013, Karan Thapar won journalism award.<br />
* In December 2013, Karan Thapar received the International Press Institute-India Award for excellence in the field of journalism.<ref name=TH1>{{cite news|title=Karan Thapar wins journalism award|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karan-thapar-wins-journalism-award/article5210668.ece|access-date=25 April 2014|newspaper=The Hindu|date=7 October 2013}}</ref><br />
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==Books==<br />
* ''Face To Face India - Conversations With Karan Thapar'', Penguin, {{ISBN|0-14-303344-1}}<br />
* ''Sunday Sentiments'', Wisdom Tree, {{ISBN|81-8328-023-4}}<br />
* ''More Salt Than Pepper - Dropping Anchor With Karan Thapar'', Harper Collins, {{ISBN|978-81-7223-776-9}}<br />
* ''Devil's Advocate: The Untold Story'', Harper Collins, {{ISBN|978-93-5277-985-7}}<br />
*''As I Like It'', Wisdom Tree, {{ISBN|8-183-28466-3|}}<br />
*''Hardtalk India''<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
* [http://www.itv.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=10 Karan Thapar's Profile on Infotainment Television]<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thapar, Karan}}<br />
[[Category:1955 births]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:The Doon School alumni]]<br />
[[Category:People educated at Stowe School]]<br />
[[Category:Presidents of the Cambridge Union]]<br />
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]<br />
[[Category:Punjabi people]]<br />
[[Category:Indian opinion journalists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male television journalists]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian journalists]]<br />
[[Category:Journalists from Jammu and Kashmir]]<br />
[[Category:Hindustan Times journalists]]</div>imported>AnomieBOT