Arun Shourie

Synopsis

Arun Shourie is an Indian journalist, author, and politician who has served several decorative positions like economist with the World Bank in two terms, a consultant to the Planning Commission, editor of the Indian Express, and Times of India and a cabinet minister during 1998–2004. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1982

Early life and education

Arun Shourie was born in Jalandhar, on 2 November 1941 as the son of the Punjabi couple Hari Dev Shourie and Dayawanti Devasher. He studied at Modern School, Barakhambaand and graduated in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University.

Arun Shourie obtained his doctorate in Economics from Syracuse University in the United States and worked for the World Bank from 1967 to 1978. Simultaneously, between 1972–74, he was a consultant to the Indian Planning Commission and it was around this time that he began writing articles as a journalist, criticizing economic policy.

Journalism

In 1975, during The Emergency introduced by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi,  Arun Shourie started working for the Indian Express against what he saw as an attack on civil liberties. The newspaper was a central point for the government's attempts at censorship. In 1976, he became an a s sociate of the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

In January 1979, Goenka selected Arun Shourie as executive editor giving him the power of attorney to do with it as he saw right. He created a fame as an intelligent, fearless writer and editor who conducted a movement for freedom of the press, uncovered corruption and defended civil rights such that, in the words of Martha Nussbaum, "his dedication to the truth has won admiration throughout the political spectrum".

Politics

Arun Shourie worked in the office of the Minister of Disinvestment, Communication and Information Technology in the government of India. As Disinvestment Minister, he managed the transaction of Maruti, VSNL, Hindustan Zinc among others.

After BJP was defeated in the general elections of 2009, Arun Shourie asked for reflection and liability within the party. He complained competition within the party and those who brief journalists to benefit their own programs.

Writer

Arun Shourie has written several books. They are polemical, ad hominem, often extremely shrill in tone. But despite their style, the books are obviously the work of a brilliant man, with a wide if idiosyncratic learning, a pa s sion for the freedoms of speech and press, and a desire to get beneath current events to address underlying issues.

The historian D.N. Jha has blamed Shourie of misinterpreting his writings and making wrong accusation of plagiarism against him. According to Jha, Shourie's thought expressed in the book Eminent Historians, which concerned the NCERT argument, contains "slander" and "has nothing to do with history.

As he is a politician, writer, and journalist so his net worth depends upon his published book, a s sets etc. His income is high which is determined by books selling in the market as his business. it is estimated that he has the net worth of $33 million.