A few words about me
Columnist with trenchant views
Devi Cherian is a widely read columnist and political journalist with trenchant views and a social activist with a conscience that ignores partisan lines. Today she’s also a conscious philanthropist with enviable generosity and cooperative energy. Devi has combined a powerful amalgam of expertises during her long and accomplished career. She began as an entrepreneur starting her own business while still in her 20s, segued into her column writing and TV show anchoring in her 40s, and has moved on into activist philanthropy since her 50s.
As a Columnist she’s published in premier national publications including Outlook, The Pioneer, The Tribune, The Asian Age, Hard News, and north India’s largest circulated group of papers Punjab Kesri and Navodaya Times (Hindi), Hind Samachar (Urdu), Jagbani (Punjabi), and international magazines in Punjabi like Panjab Times Internationalpublished out of the UK and Panjab Times in the United States. She is the recipient of several awards for journalism and social work. Her career as a political journalist and social activist was shaped by her background, growing up in Himachal Pradesh in a political family with a strong commitment to grassroots social work. Her grandfather, father and brother were, in their own times, ministers in the State and her mother was the Chair of the Social Welfare Board Devi keeps an active track of national politics and her journalism is focused on both social and political issues. This has made her a valued voice on these subjects in influential circles in Delhi and beyond. With her deep understanding of India’s complex political and media landscape she is frequently sought for her views and insights. Devi participated in the second“International Festival of Thinkers” hosted by the UAE government in Abu Dhabi, which included 20 prominent Nobel Prize winners, scientists and thinkers.
Devi spends significant portion of her time today, in working with NGOs, particularly those that are focused on working with disabled children. She is a patron of Deepalaya, the prominent New Delhi organization that works for the education of orphaned children. Devi is a trustee on the board of Action India, an NGO that works on providing relief to those afflicted with AIDS.
In recognition of her achievements in both social service and journalism, Devi was awarded the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya Ekta Samman and the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award. Devi is also a recipient of the prestigious Amar Shaheed Lala Jagat Narain Memorial Journalist award conferred by ShPrem Kumar Dhumal, then CM of HP.
Over time, Devi has held various positions, which includes being appointed as a Consultant by United Nations (Ops) at New Delhi. She spends time working to improve educational institutions, and has been on the board of various colleges at Delhi University. She has also been appointed the Member of Board of Directors for Himachal Pradesh Tourism and Civil Aviation Corporation.
Devi is constantly requested and is able to leverage a vast network of well-wishers to help the common citizen, irrespective of caste and region. She has a special place in her heart for those from her home state, Himachal, who find it difficult to access various resources in the Capital. Her efforts on their behalf made her the recipient of the Sarva Sreshtha Suputri award from the Himachal Pradesh government for this commendable work. The award was presented by the Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. Devi is married to India’s image guru Dilip Cherian who is founding partner of Perfect Relations, South Asia’s largest communications consultancy. They have two children, a daughter Afsana, who worked with UNDP and currently works as the Consultant for MNCs on CSR, and their son Chiragh, is the Director of Digital Public Relations at Perfect Relations.