India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma attended the Hindi Ratna Samman Samaroh 2026 on Saturday as a chief guest. The award is presented every year on August 1, which is the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Purushottam Das Tandon, at the Hindi Bhawan in New Delhi.
This year, noted poet, writer and lyricist Prasoon Joshi was honoured with this award. The award was presented by Rajat Sharma to Joshi, who later said he was honoured to receive the Hindi Ratna Samman.
‘An honour for me to present this award to Prasoon Joshi’
Meanwhile, Rajat Sharma said it was a matter of great pride for him to present the Hindi Ratna Samman to Joshi. “Tere jaisa koi mila hi nahin, kaise milta kahin pe tha hi nahin (There has never been anyone like you; how could I have found one when none existed),” he said.
‘Coming to Hindi Bhawan is an emotional moment for me’
Rajat Sharma further said it was an emotional moment for him to visit the Hindi Bhawan, adding that he has been associated with it since he was six or seven years old. He said his grandfather was a librarian at Hindi Bhawan, who would often bring books for him.
“I studied in a Hindi-medium school. However, when I joined SRCC, everything there was in English. Around that time, the JP movement had begun. The language of the movement was Hindi, and I was deeply involved in it, so I did not face any difficulty,” he said.
‘I learnt English, but my first TV show was in Hindi’
During the event, Rajat Sharma said he learnt English later, but began his career in journalism in Hindi. “For two years, I wrote extensively in Hindi, but my work did not receive much recognition. I then started writing in English and eventually became an editor. However, when I hosted my first television programme, I chose to do it in Hindi,” he said.
‘Had the show not been in Hindi, it would not have become such a big hit’
Rajat Sharma also recalled his first television show and said he wanted to record it with Khushwant Singh, while former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was scheduled to be the third guest. However, he received a call around 10 am that day from Lalu Prasad Yadav, who told him that he wanted to come immediately for the recording.
“I reminded him that his recording was scheduled for 4 pm, but somehow we managed to record his episode first. If that programme had not been in Hindi, it would never have become such a massive hit,” he recalled.
‘Hindi is a strong and influential language’
Rajat Sharma said that Prasoon Joshi had enhanced the prestige of Hindi while working in predominantly English-speaking circles. Therefore, he deserved the Hindi Ratna Samman.
“Hindi is no longer the language of the powerless; it is an official language. Hindi is strong and influential. To give just one example, the viewership of Hindi news channels is now 140 per cent higher than that of English news channels,” he said.
