India Today

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

India Today was established in 1975 by Vidya Vilas Purie (owner of Thompson Press), with his daughter Madhu Trehan as its editor and his son Aroon Purie as its publisher. The magazine began with a circulation of about 5,000 copies and grew to 15,000 by the end of the Emergency in January 1977. Its circulation increased to around 50,000 by March 1977 and crossed 100,000 by December 1978. The magazine was originally launched as a news-focused publication and later broadened its scope to include reporting and analysis across politics, business and public affairs. In addition to its English edition, the magazine was also published in several Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. The magazine is credited with introducing scientific election polling (psephology) to Indian media through its collaboration with Prannoy Roy and David Butler in the 1980s. In June 1997, the publication transitioned from a fortnightly to a weekly format. In 1982, India Today launched an international edition, circulated in 104 countries. During the late 1980s, India Today was the first Indian news organisation sending staff reporters to cover global events firsthand, including the Tiananmen Square protests, Afghan War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In October 2017, Aroon Purie handed over operational control of the India Today Group to his daughter Kallie Purie, who became vice-chairperson. In December 2021, the magazine reported an increase in circulation following changes in distribution during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. In March 2024, Gulf News partnered with India Today magazine to distribute the magazine in the Middle East. In January 2026, the magazine marked its 50th anniversary with a 600-page commemorative double issue titled The Remaking of India: 1975–2025, the largest in the publication's history. In February 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump shared the cover of India Today’s Newsmakers of the Year 2025 edition featuring himself and Indian PM Narendra Modi on Truth Social. The magazine is published by Living Media India Limited, which is jointly controlled by the Purie family and IGH Holdings, an investment company associated with the Aditya Birla Group. India Today conducts an annual civic behaviour survey titled Gross Domestic Behavior (GDB), launched in 2025, which measures social and civic indicators across Indian states. The company also conducts the Mood of the Nation biannual opinion survey with national pollsters.

Reader's Guide

India Today holds a significant place in Indian media history as the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. It pioneered scientific election polling (psephology) in Indian media through collaboration with Prannoy Roy and David Butler in the 1980s. The magazine transitioned from a fortnightly to a weekly format in June 1997 to keep pace with the accelerating news cycle after economic liberalization. It launched an international edition in 1982, circulated in 104 countries, and was the first Indian news organization to send staff reporters to cover global events firsthand, including the Tiananmen Square protests, the Afghan War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In January 2026, the magazine marked its 50th anniversary with a 600-page commemorative double issue, the largest in its history. The India Today Conclave is an annual conference organised by India Today, held since the early 2000s. It brings together speakers from politics, business, defence, media and academia to discuss issues related to India and international affairs. In 2025, the conclave focused on artificial intelligence, innovation and India's role in international affairs. Over the years, the conclave has featured political leaders and public figures such as Bill Clinton, Narendra Modi, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Imran Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mukesh Ambani.

Did You Know?

• India Today was established in 1975 by Vidya Vilas Purie, with his daughter Madhu Trehan as its first editor and his son Aroon Purie as its publisher.
• The magazine began with a circulation of about 5,000 copies and crossed 100,000 by December 1978.
• In 1982, India Today launched an international edition circulated in 104 countries.
• In January 2026, the magazine marked its 50th anniversary with a 600-page commemorative double issue, the largest in its history.
• In February 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump shared the cover of India Today’s Newsmakers of the Year 2025 edition on Truth Social.

Founding and the Road to Dominance

India Today was born in 1975 when Vidya Vilas Purie, the owner of Thompson Press, brought the publication to life with his daughter Madhu Trehan at the helm as editor and his son Aroon Purie serving as publisher. What started as a modest news-focused title with roughly 5,000 copies in circulation grew steadily through the turbulent Emergency period, reaching 15,000 by January 1977 and crossing the 100,000 mark by December 1978. Trehan eventually returned to the United States, and editorial leadership rotated among other editors as the magazine broadened its scope beyond hard news into politics, business, and public affairs. In June 1997, the publication shifted from a fortnightly to a weekly cadence to keep pace with the faster news cycle that followed economic liberalization. By January 2026, India Today had produced 2,006 issues and celebrated its 50th anniversary with a 600-page commemorative double issue titled The Remaking of India: 1975–2025, the largest in its history.

Pioneering Indian Journalism on the World Stage

India Today is widely credited with bringing scientific election polling, or psephology, into Indian media through its collaboration with Prannoy Roy and David Butler during the 1980s. The magazine also made history in 1982 by launching an international edition that went on to circulate in 104 countries. During the late 1980s, it became the first Indian news organization to dispatch its own staff reporters to cover major global events firsthand, including the Tiananmen Square protests, the Afghan War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The brand expanded further into television in April 2003 with the launch of an English-language news channel as a sister network to Aaj Tak, and in 2014 it entered the digital opinion space with the DailyO website. In March 2024, a partnership with Gulf News extended the magazine's physical distribution into the United Arab Emirates, broadening its Middle East readership.

A Readership That Defines a Nation

The Indian Readership Survey data consistently places India Today at the top of the country's magazine landscape. The 2019 survey recorded a readership of 9.24 million for the English edition and 7.02 million for the Hindi edition, while the 2017 survey had already ranked them first and second among all Indian magazines with figures exceeding 7.9 million and 7.1 million respectively. The publication is available not only in English and Hindi but also in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, reflecting its commitment to reaching readers across linguistic communities. In December 2021, the magazine reported a circulation uptick following distribution adjustments made during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. The brand's influence extends well beyond print: it conducts the Mood of the Nation biannual opinion survey with national pollsters, and in 2025 it launched the Gross Domestic Behavior survey, which ranks Indian states on civic sense, public safety, gender equality, and diversity.

Leadership, Conclave, and Cultural Footprint

The India Today Group is jointly controlled by the Purie family and IGH Holdings, an investment vehicle linked to the Aditya Birla Group. In October 2017, Aroon Purie transitioned operational control to his daughter Kallie Purie, who assumed the role of vice-chairperson. The group's annual India Today Conclave, held since the early 2000s, has become a major platform where political leaders, business figures, defence experts, media personalities, and academics convene to discuss governance, the economy, foreign policy, technology, and culture. Notable past speakers have included Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Narendra Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Imran Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mukesh Ambani. In 2025, the conclave turned its focus to artificial intelligence, innovation, and India's evolving role in international affairs. In February 2026, U.S.