Ajay Ghosh Honored With Excellence In Media & Journalism Award

Ajay Ghosh, the Chief Editor and co-publisher of The Universal News Network (www.theunn.com) was awarded with the prestigious Kerala Center Annual Award for Excellence in Journalism during the 31st Annual Awards Banquet held on October 28, 2023 at The Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center in Elmont, New York. New York State Senator Kevin Thomas presented the Award to Ajay Ghosh, during the awards ceremony that was attended by nearly 200 people from across the United States and Canda, including several elected officials, community and business leaders.

Ajay was among the eight distinguished honorees from across the United States and Canada, who were bestowed with the prestigious awards with Excellence Awards for their outstanding accomplishments in their respective fields of specialization and contributions to the larger society. Others who were honored included: Dr. Shyam Kottilil (Baltimore, MD) – Life Time Achievement Award; Sajeeb Koya (Pickering, Ontario, Canada) – Entrepreneurship; Dr. Anna George (Long Island, NY) – Nursing; Shelby Kutty (Baltimore, MD) – Medicine; Lata Menon (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) – Legal Services; Jayant Kamicheril (Reading, PA) – Pravasi Malayalam Literature; and, Gopala Pillai (Dallas, Texas) – Community Service.

In his response, Ajay shared with the audience his close association with the Kerala Center since his arrival in New York 2019. While referring to the importance of the media, Ajay said, “Media serves as the link that connects people, and is the mirror that reflects the world that we call our home.” He pointed to the challenges faced by the journalists around the world. “In much of the world, press freedom is either limited or virtually nonexistent. Reporters are often thrown in jail, beaten, subdued, intimidated, or even killed for doing their jobs. All of these things are of great concern to professional journalism.” He dedicated his award to the brave journalists who are at the front lines, endangering their own lives, while reporting and speaking, standing up for truth.

Ajay graduated with a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI in 1998. Prior to coming to the United States, Ajay was the Chief Editor of The Voice Delhi and contributed articles to several national publications in India.

Starting his journalistic career as a reporter in 1999 for India Post, Ajay had worked as the New York Bureau Chief of Indian Reporter and World News, and he served as the New York Bureau Chief of India Tribune, a weekly newspaper published from Chicago. Ajay was the Executive Editor of NRI Today, and the Bureau Chief of The Indian Express, North American Editions. He was the Chief Editor of The Asian Era, a monthly publication from New York since its launch in 2005 to 2018.

Since 2014, Ajay has been serving as the Media Coordinator of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic medical organization in the United States, representing 100,000 physicians of Indian origin. In 2023, he was appointed as the Media Consultant for Public Relations for ITServe Alliance, the largest association of IT Solutions and services organizations in the United States, with over 2,200 small and medium sized member companies of Information Technology.

The Universal News Network is an online publication, launched in 2012, focusing on possibility-oriented storytelling that fuels hope and sparks innovative ideas and actions; seeking to lead discussions, creating, disseminating, and using news and information that serves us all, and providing a platform for diverse voices, forms, and continually engaging everyone.

Prior to coming to the United States, Ajay had graduated with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Delhi University in 1989. Ajay served as an Adjunct Faculty, teaching Social Work Seminar and guiding MSW students at the Fordham Graduate School of Social Work in New York City from 2006 to 2016. He was an Adjunct Professor at Bridgeport University, where he taught Psychology.

Ajay works as a Psychiatric Social Worker at Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital from 2017 onwards, and currently serves as a full-time Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Bridgeport Hospital. He worked as a Social Worker at Hartford Health at Home from 2019 to 2022. Ajay served as the Administrator of the Mental Health Clinic at St. Dominic’s Home, Bronx, NY from 1999 to 2015.

In 2019, Ajay was part of a nearly 200-member expedition to Antarctica, the 7th Continent on Earth. Ajay served as the founder President of the Indo-American Press Club (IAPC) in 2014. He currently serves as the Secretary of the Borad of Directors of IPAC.

Ajay was honored with the Excellence in Reporting Award by AAPI for several years. In 2018, Ajay received the Excellence in Journalism Award from NAMAM, a North American Community Organization. In October 2023, Ajay received the prestigious Excellence in Journalism & Media Award by The Kerala Center in New York. Ajay is married to Mini, and the couple are blessed with three adorable daughters, Archana, Navya, and Ahana.