Subhash Chandra: interesting facts of chairman of the essel group

• Subash Chandra has an indelible place in the Indian history as the one who launched the country’ first satellite TV channel ‘Zee TV’ in the year 1992.
  
  
• Reaching a top position among the top business tycoons of India was not an easy journey for this motivated entrepreneur.
  
  
• Here are a few interesting facts about Subash Chandra that will inspire many.
  

In 1992, Subash Chandra launched the first ever satellite TV in India called Zee TV. On November 25, 2019, the billionaire had to abide by SEBI regulations and relinquish his chairmanship of the company he founded - Zee Entertainment Enterprises after pledging his shares. Nevertheless, he continues to be associated with the company as a non-executive director.

Here are a few interesting facts about Subash Chandra.

Growing years

Chandra was born in Adampur in Haryana and belonged to an Agarwal Bania family. As his family’s debt swelled to Rs 3.5 lakh, they could not support his education. He dropped out of school and took up the family business of trading and working with the Food Corporation of India.

In 1992 he started Zee TV, the second private commercial TV channel and in 2003 he started Dish TV, the first ever satellite television provider in the country.

His innovation in food grains supplies

In 1983, Chandra had an innovative idea to store the food grains held in stock by the Food Corporation of India. Earlier the grains were stored in godowns. Chandra came up with the idea of keeping the grain in open yards and covering them with specially designated plastic sheets. He prepared the ground by convincing the FCI and procured machines from Switzerland to manufacture the special sheets.

Since there were no trained engineers to coordinate with the production process, more than 98% of the production went to waste. Eventually he sent engineers to Switzerland and trained them to start the manufacturing process afresh and proved to be successful.

Essel World is born

Towards the end of 1980s, Chandra visited DisneyLand in the US. Inspired by his learning, he purchased hundreds of acres of land in North Mumbai and created Essel World, which was the first ever amusement park in India in 1989. Though Essel World did not give the expected success, it paved the way for the creation of Zee TV which came to challenge the domination by Doordarshan, the government-owned TV channel.

An inspirer

Subash Chandra launched a new show in order to motivate the youth and help them face and overcome the difficulties of life. The show was entitled “Dr Subash Chandra Show”. In 2004, Chandra was awarded the Global Indian Entertainment Personality of the Year Award.

He won many notable awards like Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Ernst & Young and Business Standard’s Businessman of the year in 1999; Indian News Broadcasting awards in 2010; and more.

See Also:

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