Padma Shri Dr.H.R.Shah

 Padma Shri Dr.H.R.Shah, Chairman & CEO of TV Asia Group, arrived at JFK Airport in New York on March 21, 1970 (51 years ago).Over the years, Dr Shah has relentlessly and tirelessly given generously of his time, energy, and resources as a pillar for the Indian Community. Always supporting various social work, cultural, educational, and related activities in the U.S. and India. He has been a major philanthropic supporter and has given strong backing to many worthy causes across the US as well as India.

As the first NRI to run a 24/7 TV Channel, TV ASIA, coast-to-coast throughout North America since 1993. Dr Shah has used mass media as his tool to influence and with 38 news bureaus in North America since in North America, his vision is to expand to 50 TV ASIA news bureaus across the World. This, he believes, will serve his mission to preserve, support and promote Indian heritage for present and future generations of the Indian Diaspora settled across the globe.

For his exemplary work in the media and arts, the Indian Government bestowed him with the Padma Shri in 2017. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Hearty Congratulations to Dr Shah for his achievements and best wishes for many more years of his service to the community and society at large as well as the Worldwide expansion of TV ASIA and World BBTV.

Entrepreneur H R Shah’s is one of the rare success stories of a Desi media owner in the United States. Shah is chairman and CEO of TV Asia, a channel aimed at the South Asian community that reaches 300,000 households through cable and satellite.

This year, the Government of India awarded Shah the Padma Shri, one of the country’s high civilian honors. He was recognized in the ‘Literature and Education’ category. President Pranab Mukherjee presented the award recently at a ceremony where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice President Hamid Ansari were present.

When asked if, as the leading media entrepreneur in the community, he is satisfied with his work and achievements, Shah replies in the affirmative. “The media may not bring in as much money as many other fields, but its influence is immense,” he says. “Without it, how will the community get the message?”

TV Asia has been in the forefront of fighting for the right causes, supporting the community through its ups and downs and, more than anything, portraying the daily life of the South Asian community.

TV Asia has a megastar associated with it: Amitabh Bachchan, who started the channel in the 1990s. Shah too had a role in the company. The channel was incurring losses, and at one point Bachchan asked Shah if he would take over. When Shah looked at the company’s accounts, he could not find a single positive thing.

Yet, he did not want to give up. He took over and reorganized the network into a dynamic new entity with a new brand image. With the revamping of TV Asia, Indian television was brought back with gusto nationwide.

The channel turned into a success and over the years it became the voice of the Indian community and its favorite channel. Today it has 30 bureaus that report on the community.

It was not the first time Shah had ‘turned around’ a loss-making business facing imminent closure into a profitable one.

In 1991, Krauszer’s Food Stores, a chain of convenience stores with 400 outlets, was on the verge of being shut down when Shah took over. His business skills saved the chain from closure and revived it, saving over a thousand jobs.

It gave him the distinction of being the first NRI to own a chain store business anywhere in the world. Today Shah owns the franchises of 300 stores.

Though a successful entrepreneur, he is well recognized in the South Asian community for his humility as well as efforts to promote the community. He is a constant presence at most gatherings of the community, lending his support to the right causes.

Shah, who says he belonged to “a very very poor family” in India, arrived in the United States in 1970 for higher studies. Two years later, he started his own business rather than accepting a job. An accountant by profession, he says he was not worried about his language skills but about his mathematical skills, which he applied to every business he got associated with, and that served him well.

In the last decade or so, the media scenario has changed. Today, with the easy availability of mainstream Indian channels in America, there is much more competition for TV Asia. Shah says he is not worried about this as he is focused on America and programming of local origin. He does agree that the media world is facing problems, especially for publishers and broadcasters who depend totally on the revenue from advertising. Another issue is the mushrooming of local newspapers and channels, which affects the revenue. Many rich people get into the media merely to gain influence.

But Shah is optimistic. He underscores the need for change when the technology changes. If one sticks to the old platform, he may soon be kicked out of the scene. For example, he points out, the arrival of the I-phone has changed the world.

Shah is happy that he has won recognition from the Indian government. “It is an award for the community, especially for those associated with TV Asia. I am deeply humbled, honored and overjoyed,” he says.

The TV Asia auditorium in Edison, New Jersey, is a major venue for cultural activities and many political leaders from India have attended events there. Some have asked him if he had received a Padma award. “When I said no, many expressed surprise, and promised to recommend my name. I was not after any award, but when the consulate informed me of it, I felt immensely joyful,” he says. “It is an honor to be recognized by Prime Minister Modi’s government and by the people of India.”

He extends his gratitude to his friends, well-wishers, and family, his wife, Rosemarie, and children, Daniel and Christina.

Shah has invested his time, energy, and resources in supporting various social, cultural and educational activities in the US and India. He supports the Queens Child Guidance Center of New York, a group that has helped children receive better healthcare. He is a supporter of Gift of Life, an international humanitarian group to help children, and AAPI, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin.

He is a former president of the Federation of Indian Associations, an umbrella organizations that has been active in the community for 46 years. In 2005, Shah received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which celebrates distinguished people for their accomplishments and service. He was the first person to organize a traditional open-air Navratri festival on the streets of Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1971.

He is credited with employing hundreds of people from various ethnic communities in the convenience store business, eventually making them owners. In recognition of his critical influence in the sector, he was nominated as chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Asian American Retailers Association, representing more than 80,000 retailers throughout United States. His visionary effort as a catalyst brought the hotel and motel associations in one fold as the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA).

His community involvement also extends to India. He is a founding director of the Krishna Heart Institute, a charitable establishment, in Ahmedabad. He was among the Indian-Americans who accompanied former President Bill Clinton to India in 2000 and again in 2001 when Clinton visited Gujarat for earthquake relief operations. In the 1990s he supported the installation of a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Washington DC, which was inaugurated by President Clinton and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000.

Shah says he has always wanted to support his motherland. “I like to help the government help the people,” he says. “Rather than asking what the government can do for me, I always think of what I can do for the government and the people.” He says the BJP and Prime Minister Modi are doing great work for the people and it is his duty to support them.

Shah has also been associated with one of the oldest charity organizations, Share and Care Foundation, Inc., since its inception decades ago. He supports the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation, BAPS Care International, Cancer Care Foundation, USA, United Way, USA, Cry America, Pratham, the Gandhi Center in Wayne, New Jersey, and Akshaya Patra, an NGO that brings mid-day meals to children in India.

As a former chairman and founder-trustee of Vraj Bhumi in Pennsylvania, he created a unique, well-maintained land of more than 300 acres, which has been used by various organizations to host cultural and social events