Shubhranshu Choudhary

President

About

I’ve spent 30 years at the fault‑lines of media, conflict and technology. I began reporting on a bicycle beat in Bilaspur, rode through BBC war zones, and today build mobile‑first citizen radio so Indigenous Adivasis can tell their own stories in Gondi. Key Wins • Pioneered CGNet Swara, the world’s first voice‑based community radio—now over 1.2 million crowd‑sourced reports in 10+ dialects. • Google Digital Activism Award & Foreign Policy Top 100 Global Thinker for turning cheap feature phones into local newsrooms. • Led Bastar Dialogue peace‑building forums and was the first journalist to interview Hizbul Mujahideen leadership on camera. • Authored Penguin bestseller Let’s Call Him Vasu, now required reading in conflict‑reporting courses. What I’m Exploring Now • PhD on “AIR → AI: Possibilities of Democratic Media” (IGNOU & IIT‑Delhi) • Gondi automatic speech translation and AI‑moderated call‑in lines Let’s connect if you’re pushing the boundaries of public‑interest tech, grassroots journalism, or Indigenous‑language AI.

Country

India

City

Raipur

Industry

Broadcast Media

Skill

Digital Journalism, Community Media, Conflict reporting, Peacebuilding, Journalism

Experience

President

CGNet Swara

2004 - Present · 22 yrs

Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

Launched and scaled the world’s first mobile-based citizen journalism platform for low-connectivity regions; over 1 million calls and 12,000 user-generated stories. Designed and led digital inclusion programmes across tribal regions of Central India; enabled community-led reporting on public service delivery and local governance. Built multi-language tools, including the first Gond language standard dictionary and website (adivasiswara.org). Working on creating a Machine Translation tool in Gondi Developed and expanded Bultoo Radio, a Bluetooth-based community media platform enabling offline content sharing in no-network zones. Led global fundraising, securing over $1 million from Gates Foundation, UN Democracy Fund, IPSMF, HIVOS, and Google News Initiative, which supported CGNet Swara and Bultoo Radio. Coordinated cross-regional project teams and stakeholders; managed programme design, outreach, impact tracking and reporting.

Member Board of Trustees

BBC Media Action

2017-1 - 2020-1 · 3 yrs 1 mo

London Area, United Kingdom

Served on the board of BBC Media Action

South Asia Producer

BBC

1994 - 2004 · 10 yrs

New Delhi, Delhi, India

Led coverage of major regional events including elections, insurgencies, and natural disasters across India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. Produced award-winning documentaries on rural development, insurgency, and poverty; collaborated with BBC TV, World Service, and online teams. Conducted ground-breaking fieldwork and managed production logistics across complex geographies and conflict zones.