Subhash Chandra

Some Lesser Known Facts About Subhash Chandra

• Does Subhash Chandra smoke?: Not Known

• Does Subhash Chandra drink alcohol?: Not Known

• He was born in a small village in Hisar, Haryana in a bania family.

• In 1965, he dropped out of his 10th grade to join his family business of trading as a commission agent of supplying rice to Food Corporation of India.

• He then started his own manufacturing business with name Essel packaging, which dealt with mainly plastic tubes for toothpaste and other flexible packagings.

• Subhash then came up with a recreational park known as EsselWorld in 1989, which was established in north Bombay. 

• In 1992, he launched India’s first Hindi-language cable channel- ZeeTV, along with Li Ka Shing. 

• His TV channel reached over 959 million people and was spread over to 169 countries.

• He also launched the first lottery and the first Dish TV in India after the success of Zee channel.

• He, along with Dainik Bhaskar Group, launched an Indian broadsheet newspaper- DNA (Daily News and Analysis) in 2005, which was first published in Mumbai, and then to Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Indore. 

• The newspaper even challenged The Times of India and became the first English daily broadsheet to introduce an all-colour page format in India.

• He also re-started as well as funded Twenty20 cricket league, which got failed earlier.

• Subhash also inaugurated a show to inspire and motivate the youth in a way to help them with their life’s difficulties titled “Dr Subhash Chandra Show.” 

• In 2004, he was awarded the Global Indian Entertainment Personality of the Year Award. 

• He has won a plethora of awards for his groundbreaking work in media. He was honoured with Entrepreneur of the Year award by Ernst & Young and Business Standard’s Businessman of the year in 1999, Star Guild Award, Indian News Broadcasting awards in 2010, and International Emmy Awards in 2011.

• His memoir titled “Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time” was co-edited by Pranjal Sharma, and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 7 Race Course Road, New Delhi.

• A day later, his book was also uncovered officially at Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. 

• In 2013, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of East London, which was presented by Lord Gulam Noon (then Chancellor of UEL).

• He started nine businesses in the country, out of which six reached the peak and three got failed.

• On 24 May 2016, he resigned from the post of Director and Non-Executive Chairman of the company.

• He got elected as Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha from the Haryana state on 11 June 2016.

• In 2017, Subhash, along with his three brothers, celebrated the 90th anniversary of Essel Group by vowing $777 million to their DSC foundation. 

• On the whole, his businesses include a newspaper chain- DNA, cable system named Siti Cables, online gaming business called Playwin, theme parks named Essel World and the Water Kingdom, education channel titled Zee Learn, flexible packaging called Essel Propack, infrastructure development titled Essel Infraprojects, to name a few.

• On 31 August 2023, the Essel Group companies reached an agreement to resolve their debt issues with J. C. Flowers Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC). This agreement pertains to Essel Group’s debt, which amounted to approximately Rs 6,500 crore. JC Flowers ARC had acquired this debt from Yes Bank at a discounted rate when the bank transferred a portfolio of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) worth Rs 48,000 crore to the ARC for a discounted amount of Rs. 11,183 crore back in December 2022; Subhash would clear the debt to regain ownership of various assets, including Dish TV and Zee Learn, along with three properties, one of which is a bungalow located in central Delhi. ^[1]Mint