Vinaya Deshpande Pandit-The Hindu

Vinaya Deshpande Pandit, an award-winning journalist, Chevening fellow and IVLP alumna, currently works as the Maharashtra Chief of Bureau of The Hindu. In her 20-year career as a researcher, lecturer and journalist, she has worked on diverse issues related to politics, development journalism, gender, health, climate change, environment, defence, crime, and terror. She has won many prestigious awards for journalism. She currently hosts a weekly special show, Pulse Maharashtra with Vinaya Deshpande, on The Hindu’s YouTube channel, which has hosted the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, and key Dalit rights activists for key episodes. Over the years, she has reported on national and regional elections, covered terror attacks on Mumbai, and has investigated corruption in defence deals. In 2020, her name was announced for Darpan Puraskar, an award given for exemplary journalism. In 2018, Vinaya was the only Indian chosen for a multi-regional International Visitors’ Leadership Program conducted by the U.S. government.