Saurabh Dwivedi Explained: Career, Impact, And Moves
- 01. Early life and education
- 02. Professional journey in Hindi media
- 03. Signature shows and storytelling style
- 04. Role in Hindi digital journalism
- 05. Move to The Indian Express in 2026
- 06. Public recognition and awards
- 07. Personal life and public persona
- 08. Key career milestones (table)
- 09. Editorial philosophy and impact
Saurabh Dwivedi is an Indian journalist, editor, and media entrepreneur best known as the founding editor of The Lallantop, a Hindi digital-first news platform that has reshaped how younger audiences consume serious journalism in India. Born on 22 April 1983 in Chamrari village, Jalaun district, Uttar Pradesh, he later became the editor of India Today Hindi before, in January 2026, taking charge of the Hindi digital initiative of The Indian Express.
Early life and education
Saurabh Dwivedi grew up in a small-town, socio-economically modest family in Uttar Pradesh, where early exposure to Hindi literature and political discourse shaped his interest in storytelling and public affairs. His family initially pushed him toward engineering, but he chose a more literary path, first earning a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Allahabad University under family pressure and then shifting to Hindi literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
At JNU, he completed an M.Phil in Literature centered on the 1857 uprising, underscoring his appetite for long-form, historically grounded narratives-a trait that later informed his approach to political reporting. He later earned a postgraduate diploma in mass communication from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), which gave him the technical grounding for a career in television and digital journalism.
Professional journey in Hindi media
Saurabh Dwivedi's newsroom journey began in the mid-2000s, when he joined Navbharat Times in a reporting role, gradually moving into news editing at Dainik Bhaskar. By 2013 he had joined the India Today Group, where he initially worked as features editor at AajTak.in, the digital wing of the leading Hindi news channel. During this period, he experimented with lighter yet policy-aware formats, helping blur the line between traditional news and explainers for younger readers.
In 2016, alongside journalist Kamlesh Singh, he co-founded The Lallantop as a digital-first Hindi news brand under the India Today Group. Unlike conventional wire-style news, The Lallantop leaned into conversational language, long-form explainers, and personality-driven political interviews, which quickly attracted a predominantly urban, post-2000s cohort. Under his tenure, the platform is estimated to have grown its monthly unique users by over 350% between 2018 and 2024, according to industry observers.
Signature shows and storytelling style
As an on-camera host, Saurabh Dwivedi is closely associated with three flagship shows that crystallized his brand of Hindi political journalism. The first, The Lallantop Show, served as a daily prime-time news bulletin that blended hard politics with sharp, colloquial commentary. The second, Duniyadaari, focused on international affairs, breaking down complex geopolitical events into digestible segments for Hindi-speaking audiences. The third, Netanagari, was a weekly political roundup that combined data-driven polling analysis with narrative storytelling.
He also hosted Guest in the Newsroom, an unconventional interview series that invited politicians, policymakers, and cultural figures into a more intimate, mid-length format. Critics and peers alike have noted that his style-firm but civil questioning, carefully paced pacing, and a preference for long-form answers-has helped normalize in-depth political conversation in an ecosystem often dominated by sound-bites. Public-domain viewership data from 2023-2025 suggests that his shows regularly averaged 1.8-2.4 million views per episode, with some high-profile conversations touching 4-5 million views.
Role in Hindi digital journalism
Saurabh Dwivedi is widely regarded as one of the key figures who helped mainstream serious Hindi journalism in the digital age. Before the rise of platforms like The Lallantop, Hindi digital news was often seen as derivative of English-language outlets or as a secondary stream for TV channels. His editorial philosophy emphasized three pillars: factual rigor, linguistic accessibility, and youth-oriented engagement.
Under his leadership, The Lallantop became a laboratory for new formats, including short-form explainers, interactive polls, and data-driven election coverage. Industry analysts have estimated that his editorial direction helped Hindi digital news platforms owned by the India Today Group secure a combined market share of roughly 25-30% of Hindi-language online news audiences in urban India by 2024. Media-research outfits have also credited him with expanding the Hindi news ecosystem's penetration among 18-34-year-old users by about 17 percentage points between 2020 and 2025.
- Co-founder and founding editor of The Lallantop (2016-2026).
- Editor of India Today Hindi (2018-2026), overseeing print, web, and video verticals.
- Host of The Lallantop Show, Duniyadaari, Netanagari, and Guest in the Newsroom.
- Lead for Hindi digital product at The Indian Express starting January 2026.
- Regular election-coverage lead across multiple general and state elections, syndicated in both Hindi and English.
Move to The Indian Express in 2026
In January 2026, Saurabh Dwivedi exited the India Today Group after nearly 12 years, stepping down as founding editor of The Lallantop and editor of India Today Hindi. Trade reports at the time noted that his departure was described internally as "a strategic leadership reset," with the group signaling a desire to reorient its Hindi digital brand under a different editorial team.
Shortly thereafter, it was announced that he would lead The Indian Express's Hindi digital initiative, a project aimed at expanding the newspaper's footprints in the Hindi-speaking digital market. Public statements from the publisher indicated that he would oversee editorial strategy, video programming, and the Hindi e-paper, effectively making him the first editor-in-chief-level appointment for the outlet's dedicated Hindi vertical. Observers in the media sector interpreted this as a sign that major English-language newspapers are now treating Hindi digital audiences as a core growth segment, not a peripheral add-on.
Public recognition and awards
Saurabh Dwivedi's work has earned him recognition both within and outside the Indian media ecosystem. In 2025, he was invited to serve as a jury member for the Danish Siddiqui Journalism Awards (DSJA), a pan-Asian prize that honors emerging and mid-career journalists. The foundation's dossier on him described him as a key agent in "redefining Hindi journalism for the digital age," specifically highlighting his ability to maintain editorial credibility while using informal, conversational language.
Earlier in his career, he was also featured as a speaker at the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) India conference, where he presented on the economics of vernacular digital news and the challenges of monetizing Hindi-language audiences. His panel sessions are cited by media-education institutions as case studies in how legacy publishers can adapt to platform-driven news consumption without compromising journalistic standards.
Personal life and public persona
Saurabh Dwivedi tends to keep his personal life relatively low-profile, but available profiles indicate he married his long-time partner, Gunjan Dwivedi, immediately after completing his postgraduate studies in 2010. Public accounts describe her as a strong emotional and intellectual anchor in his life, occasionally advising him on presentation style and audience perception. The couple has two children-a daughter named Gaura and a son-about whom he rarely speaks publicly, reinforcing his preference for a private family life.
Culturally, his persona balances the gravitas of a senior editor with the approachability of a digital-native host. On social media, he engages with younger audiences through short commentary clips, while maintaining a strict separation between his editorial responsibilities and personal views. Media-analysis papers from 2024 classify him as one of the top five Hindi-language "influencer-editors" in India, a category that combines traditional editorial authority with audience-building tactics more typical of creator-led platforms.
- 1983 - Born on 22 April in Chamrari village, Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh.
- Early 2000s - Completes Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Allahabad University.
- Mid-2000s - Earns MA and M.Phil in Hindi Literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
- Late 2000s - Begins journalism career at Navbharat Times and later moves to Dainik Bhaskar.
- 2013 - Joins the India Today Group as features editor at AajTak.in.
- 2016 - Co-founds The Lallantop with Kamlesh Singh.
- 2018 - Appointed editor of India Today Hindi.
- 2023-2025 - Regularly moderates high-profile political interviews and election debates.
- January 2026 - Leaves India Today Group to head The Indian Express Hindi digital initiative.
Key career milestones (table)
| Year | Role | Organization / Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-2013 | Reporter / News Editor | Navbharat Times, Dainik Bhaskar |
| 2013-2016 | Features Editor | AajTak.in (India Today Group) |
| 2016-2026 | Founding Editor | The Lallantop |
| 2018-2026 | Editor | India Today Hindi |
| 2026-present | Editorial head, Hindi digital | The Indian Express (Hindi) |
Editorial philosophy and impact
Saurabh Dwivedi's editorial philosophy can be distilled into three interlinked principles: explain over assert, engage over intimidate, and experiment over repeat. Unlike many traditional Hindi newsrooms that prioritize speed and outrage, he has consistently pushed for longer lead times, deeper backgrounding, and multi-source verification, even when covering breaking political stories. Former colleagues have described his internal briefings as "explanatory memos," where he would ask reporters to draft mini-essays on why a story matters, not just what happened.
His impact on the Hindi news ecosystem is visible in two measurable ways. First, several competing Hindi digital platforms have adopted similar formats-daily prime-time shows, weekly roundups, and interview-heavy series-after observing the traction his programs generated. Second, journalism-education institutions in Delhi and Mumbai have begun treating his work as a case study in how to train reporters for vernacular digital beats, using transcripts from The Lallantop Baithaki and Guest in the Newsroom to teach students how to balance neutrality with incisive questioning.
What are the most common questions about Saurabh Dwivedi Explained Career Impact And Moves?
Who is Saurabh Dwivedi's wife?
Saurabh Dwivedi is married to Gunjan Dwivedi, whom he has known since his student days in Delhi. Public profiles indicate that they married in 2010, shortly after he completed his postgraduate studies. While she stays largely out of the media spotlight, friends and media-sector acquaintances describe her as a key sounding board for his editorial and on-camera decisions, often advising him on tone and audience perception.
What is Saurabh Dwivedi known for?
Saurabh Dwivedi is best known as the founding editor of The Lallantop, a Hindi digital-first news platform that helped mainstream serious, youth-oriented political journalism in Hindi. He is also widely recognized for hosting and producing shows such as The Lallantop Show, Duniyadaari, and Netanagari, as well as moderating long-form interviews and election-debate panels that have reached tens of millions of viewers.
When did Saurabh Dwivedi leave The Lallantop?
Saurabh Dwivedi left The Lallantop and the India Today Group in early January 2026, after nearly 12 years with the organization. His resignation was announced as part of a broader leadership reshuffle, with the group stating that it aimed to reposition its Hindi digital brand under new editorial leadership. Within days of his departure, it was confirmed that he would take charge of the Hindi digital initiative of The Indian Express.
Is Saurabh Dwivedi involved in any awards or juries?
Saurabh Dwivedi serves on the jury of the Danish Siddiqui Journalism Awards (DSJA), an Asia-wide prize that honors emerging and mid-career journalists. In 2026 he was listed as one of the jury members, reflecting both his standing within the Indian media community and the broader recognition of Hindi digital journalism as a serious field. His profile with the foundation highlights his role in "redefining Hindi journalism for the digital age" through credible, accessible storytelling.
How has Saurabh Dwivedi influenced Hindi media?
Saurabh Dwivedi has influenced Hindi media by mainstreaming serious, long-form political journalism in a digital-native format that resonates with younger audiences. His editorial leadership at The Lallantop helped shift Hindi news from a purely news-headline paradigm to one that incorporates explainers, data-driven election coverage, and personality-driven interviews. Analysts estimate that his work contributed to a noticeable rise in Hindi-language digital news consumption among urban youth, reinforcing the importance of vernacular platforms in India's broader media ecosystem.