14/08/2025
Milan Bahadur Chettri: Elevating Nepali Journalism to the Global Stage
While there are numerous individuals working in the field of journalism within the Indian Nepali-speaking community, very few have succeeded in elevating both the nation and the Darjeeling Hills to the international stage. Today, we present a brief profile of one such exceptional figure—Indian Nepali-language journalist Milan Bahadur Chettri.
Born in 1971 in Bolpur Shantiniketan, Kolkata, to mother Anita Mukherjee and father Bhim Bahadur Chettri, Milan Bahadur Chettri took his first step into journalism at the young age of 18, beginning his career in 1988 with the Bengali daily 'Jugantar'. After several years with the publication, it ceased operations, prompting him to join another Assamese daily, 'Jugaanshu', continuing his professional journey. Nonetheless, his journalism career had already been firmly rooted since 1988.
Over the years, Chettri has carved a niche for himself as a diplomatic and political analyst, particularly focused on India’s northeastern states as well as Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
One of the notable highlights of his career came during the 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil War, when he traveled to the frontlines to report directly from the conflict zone—an extraordinary feat for any journalist.
As time passed, his journalistic achievements continued to ascend. In 2013, identifying the need for a reliable media platform for the Indian Nepali-speaking community, Chettri founded DSTV Darjeeling News. Today, the network continues to operate robustly, with two expanded branches—DSTV India News and Global Times of India.
In 2023, he was granted the prestigious opportunity to comprehensively cover the G20 Summit held in India. The following year, in 2024, he was invited by Bangladesh as an international observer to monitor the country’s parliamentary elections—a task he fulfilled with success.
That same year, he also covered the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, bringing recognition not only to India but to Darjeeling on a global platform. During the BRICS Summit held in Kazan, Russia, in 2024, Chettri conducted an exclusive interview with the Vice President of Russia on behalf of DSTV India News.
In another milestone, he represented both India and Darjeeling at the COP29 Leader Summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2024.
In 2025, he continued his international representation by participating in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, again upholding the presence of a Nepali-speaking journalist on the global stage. He was also present at the BIMSTEC Summit held in Thailand that same year.
In June 2025, Chettri covered the high-level G7 Summit held in Alberta, Canada, representing India and Darjeeling through DSTV India News. He was also officially invited to attend a ten-day United Nations Climate and Sustainable Development Programme in Bonn, Germany.
Furthermore, he is the only Nepali-speaking journalist nominated to attend the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled for November 2025 in South Africa.
There can hardly be a greater contribution by an Indian Nepali-language journalist towards the name of their country and community.
While journalistic standards and prestige are perceived to be declining in our region, Milan Bahadur Chettri has reached commendable international heights through the strength of his reporting—a matter of immense pride and inspiration for society.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted interviews with a vast array of influential personalities—presidents, prime ministers, chief ministers, and ministers both within India and abroad.
Among those he has interviewed are: former Indian Presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar; and several state leaders including the late Jyoti Basu, the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and current West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
From Sikkim, he has interviewed late Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, former CM Pawan Kumar Chamling, and current CM Prem Singh Tamang (Golay). In Jharkhand, former CM Shibu Soren and current CM Hemant Soren; in Bihar, former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav; and in Tripura, former CMs Manik Sarkar and Biplab Deb.
He has also interviewed several key Union Ministers including Sushil Kumar Shinde, current Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Bhupender Yadav, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Meenakshi Lekhi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Ambika Soni, and P. Chidambaram.
Internationally, his interviewees include former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nepal’s former King Gyanendra Shah, former Prime Ministers Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba, former Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid, and former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud.
Other notable personalities he has interviewed include spiritual leader Shankaracharya, environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, former Indian Foreign Secretary and now Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla, CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, a director from Google, the Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, and the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
The list of political and global dignitaries he has met and interviewed is extensive and cannot be fully chronicled here.
Through his journalistic career, he has traveled to 42 countries and established himself as a tenacious and insightful observer of global politics.
One particularly unique achievement was his involvement in the world’s largest cultural carnival, held annually in Rio and São Paulo, Brazil. In 2025, he successfully facilitated the presentation of the Nepali song “Yo Ho Darjeeling” performed by Brazilian artists dressed in traditional Nepali attire. This was especially significant as the carnival typically restricts performances to Brazilian music and culture. Thanks to Chettri’s collaboration with Jyoti Kiran of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in São Paulo, not only did Nepali music make it to the stage, but Bollywood music also found a place at the festival for the first time—both achievements made possible through his initiative.
At just 21 years of age, he became India’s youngest journalist to interview then Prime Minister V.P. Singh, a feature that was published in Jugantar.
To date, he has interviewed Chief Ministers from 15 different Indian states.
More recently, at an international media summit held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he was honored as an Outstanding Journalist, further enhancing the stature of India and Darjeeling in the global media landscape.
Milan Bahadur Chettri, an Indian Nepali-language journalist, has reached heights through hard work, dedication, and journalistic integrity—heights that would be daunting even for the most seasoned professionals.
By achieving so much through journalism and uplifting the image of his community and his country, Milan Bahadur Chettri stands as a rare and invaluable gem in our society. Undoubtedly, the path he has forged will continue to inspire future generations of journalists to follow in his footsteps.