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'''Gopal Raju''' (3 January 1928 – 10 April 2008) was an Indian-born American publisher, [[editor in chief|editor]], journalist, businessman and philanthropist. He was considered to be a pioneer of [[Indian American]] [[ethnic]] media in the United States.

==Career==
Raju launched the first successful Indian newspaper in the US, [[India Abroad]], in 1970.<ref name=ia>{{cite news |title=Pioneering publisher Gopal Raju passes away |url= http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/apr/10mrraju.htm |work= [[India Abroad]] |date=10 April 2008 |access-date=4 May 2008}}</ref><ref name=th>{{cite news |title=Veteran journalist Gopal Raju passes away |url= http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200804102001.htm |work= [[The Hindu]] |date=10 April 2008 |access-date=3 May 2008}}</ref><ref name=iw>{{cite news |first=Michel W. |last=Potts |title=Pioneer Publisher Gopal Raju Dies |url= http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id=1208385444&archive=&start_from=&ucat=11 |work= India-West |access-date=4 May 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080629051357/http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id=1208385444&archive=&start_from=&ucat=11  |archive-date=29 June 2008}}</ref> The India Abroad newspaper refers to itself as the "oldest Indian newspaper published in North America."<ref name=iht/> The newspaper quickly became an influential voice for the growing Indian American community in the United States.<ref name=ia/> Raju's India Abroad was considered to be an important milestone for the growth of ethnic media in the U.S and one of the most credible Indian American publications.<ref name=ia/><ref name=ti/> ''[[The Economist]]'', a respected British weekly [[international relations|international affairs]] magazine, once referred to Raju's ''India Abroad'' as a daily publication of "unusually high quality".<ref name=iw/><ref name=ti/>

In 1997, Raju held talks to merger India Abroad with India-West, an ethnic [[Indian American]] newspaper published in California.<ref name=iw/> Raju and India-West publisher, [[Ramesh Murarka]], went as far a jointly purchasing a building in [[San Leandro, California]], to house the offices of the proposed, combined newspaper.<ref name=iw/> Under the proposal, the existing India Abroad offices would have become the East Coast offices of the new newspaper, while the offices of India-West in California would have become the West Coast headquarters of the publication.<ref name=iw/> However, in the end Raju and Murarka decided to abandon the proposed merger of the publications.<ref name=iw/> Raju later sold India Abroad in April 2001 to [[Rediff.com]], which currently owns and operates the newspaper.<ref name=ia/>

Raju also founded the India Abroad News Service, which was later renamed the [[Indo-Asian News Service]] (IANS).<ref name=ia/>
The IANS, which is headquartered in [[New Delhi]], focuses its reporting on issues affecting [[India]], South Asia and the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian Diaspora]] around the world.<ref name=iht>{{cite news |title=Obituaries in the news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/12/america/Deaths.php |agency= [[Associated Press]] |work=International Herald Tribune |location= Paris |date=12 April 2008 |access-date=3 May 2008}}</ref><ref name=ms>{{cite news |title=Gopal Raju, pioneer in Indian ethnic press, dies in NY |url= http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/12/apworld/20080412090428&sec=apworld |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121005002755/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F4%2F12%2Fapworld%2F20080412090428&sec=apworld |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 October 2012 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=The Star |location= Kuala Lumpur |date=12 April 2008 |access-date=3 May 2008 }}</ref>

Raju remained involved with the Indian American media following his sale of India Abroad to Rediff.com in 2001.<ref name=ia/> He began publishing several [[weekly newspaper]]s in the United States, including the [[News India Times]], the [[Gujarat Times]] and [[Desi Talk]].

In 2006, Raju held discussions and agreed to a merger and alignment of News India Times, Desi Talk operations with South Asian Insider, a weekly newspaper run by Sharanjit Singh Thind. Thind is a self made media owner, who started his career in US with India Abroad as Marketing Manager and later formed NuWay Group, a media company. There was also an agreement between Mr. Raju and Thind to buy the whole News India Times Group later if Thind wishes. The agreement was short lived and never fully materialized because of overall declining Print market and respective papers.<ref name=ia/><ref name=th/><ref name=iht/> Raju remained the publisher of these three weekly publications until his death in 2008.<ref name=ti/>

===Philanthropy===
Additionally, Raju established and promoted several nonprofit, philanthropic organisations outside of the realm of publishing and media.

He founded the [[Indian American Foundation]] (IAF) during the 1970s.<ref name=iht/><ref name=ms/> The IAF has raised millions of US dollars to fund medical, educational, [[regional development|development]] and [[disaster relief]] projects in India.<ref name=ms/> Funds raised by the IAF have been used to rebuild homes and businesses following the [[1993 Latur earthquake|Latur earthquake]], which struck the Indian state of [[Maharashtra]] in 1993, as well as the [[2001 Gujarat earthquake]].<ref name=iw/> Raju went on to later establish the Indian American Center for Political Action (IACPA) in 1993.<ref name=iw/> The IACPA places [[Indian American]] students in [[internships]] within the offices of members of the [[United States House of Representatives]] and the [[United States Senate]] in Washington D.C.<ref name=iht/><ref name=ms/> The IACPA, under Raju, has placed approximately 200 Indian American [[intern]]s on [[Capitol Hill]] to date.<ref name=iw/> Raju also ran the India Abroad Fellowship Program at [[Columbia University]] for several years.<ref name=ti/>

Keeping in view the increasing population of North Indian and the need of Punjabi Newspaper, he started publishing Punjabi Newspaper Sher-e-Panjab. After successfully running 7–8 years he sold it to one of his employee with a commitment to continue this Punjabi Newspaper, which is still alive.

===Honors===
Gopal Raju received several awards and recognitions during his career. In the US, Raju was honoured with the Leadership Award from the [[Asia Society]] in 2000.<ref name=iw/> He was also given the [[Ellis Island]] Award in 2004.<ref name=iw/> The Ellis Island Award recognises the contributions of immigrants to the United States.<ref name=iw/> The [[Taraknath Das Foundation]], which is headquartered in the United States, bestowed its annual award on Raju in 2006.<ref name=iw/> He was inducted into the South Asian Journalists Association's Hall of Fame in 2008.
[[File:The President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam giving away the Pravasi Bharatiya Awards for Media to Mr. Gopal Raju from USA, at the 5th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2007 in New Delhi on January 9, 2007.jpg|thumb|Gopal Raju receives [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]] from [[President of India]] in 2007]]
Former [[President of India]], [[A.P.J. Abdul Kalam]], conferred the [[Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]] on Raju in 2007 for his contributions in the media to India and the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian diaspora]].<ref name=ti>{{cite news |title=Gopal Raju, pioneer of ethnic Indian media in US, is no more |url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/gopal-raju-pioneer-of-ethnic-indian-media-in-us-is-no-more_10036485.html |work= [[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]] |publisher=Thaindian News |date=10 April 2008|access-date=4 May 2008}}</ref>

==Death==
Gopal Raju died at the age of 80 at a hospital in New York City on 10 April 2008.<ref name=th/><ref name=iht/><ref name=ms/> He had been hospitalised for about a week for the treatment of [[jaundice]] and is believed to have died from complications of the disease.<ref name=th/><ref name=iw/>

Tributes poured in from friends and colleagues. Former [[Prime Minister of India]] [[Inder Kumar Gujral]] stated, "He was a institution and also the most significant bridge between India and [[United States|America]]."<ref name=ms/> [[Sreenath Sreenivasan]], the current [[dean of students]] at the [[Columbia University]] School of Journalism, also paid tribute to Raju saying, "Raju paved the way for every Indian journalist working in the US today. He was also tremendously supportive of SAJA (South Asian Journalists Association) and my own work."<ref name=ms/>

Raju was once quoted as saying, "My job is to publish a quality newspaper and not to project myself."<ref name=iw/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*http://www.thesouthasian.info
* [http://www.newsindia-times.com/ News India Times]
* [http://www.gujarattimes.com/ Gujarat Times]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190320081309/http://www.hinduyouth.net/ Hindu Youth Network – Canada]
* [http://www.desitalk.com/ Desi Talk]
* [http://www.ians.in/ Indo-Asian News Service]
* [http://www.indiaabroad.com/ India Abroad]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509085901/http://www.aifoundation.org/ Indian American Foundation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080629051357/http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id=1208385444&archive=&start_from=&ucat=11 Indiawest Online: Pioneer Publisher Gopal Raju Dies]
* [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/gopal-raju-pioneer-of-ethnic-indian-media-in-us-is-no-more_10036485.html Thaindian News: Gopal Raju, pioneer of ethnic Indian media in US, is no more]
* [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/gopal-rajus-legacy-remembered-in-virtual-memorial_10038061.html Thaindian News: Gopal Raju’s legacy remembered in virtual memorial]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080423052702/http://indiapost.com/article/usnews/2524/ India Post: Ethnic Indian media pioneer Gopal Raju dead]
* [http://www.sajaforum.org/2008/04/obit-gopal-raju.html Gopal Raju's Passing: dozens of tributes and comments] SAJAforum.org collection.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Raju, Gopal}}
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:American businesspeople of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Indian publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Bangalore]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Indian mass media owners]]
[[Category:American newspaper publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Journalists from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Philanthropists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:American print editors]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:American writers of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Journalists from New York City]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman]]

Gopal Raju - Revision history

UpdateBot at 14:15, 1 June 2022