Atlanta’s veteran journalist Mahadev Desai  bestowed with  IACA Award

Pic.by Bikas Mitra


We met with Mahadev after he received his
India American Cultural Society(IACA) Award
and congratulated him.

” I feel extremely happy and also humbled at this recognition. I regard it as an honor for the media, my mentors, and my colleagues at Khabar, Atlantadunia and NRIPULSE, I am thankful to the IACA, and all the readers. I will always cherish this Award. I started my post-retirement-writing hobby with IACA’s in-house magazine, ‘Voice of India’. I even edited it for a short period. I did full-time reporting as Community News Editor with India Tribune newsweekly,and also submitted my writings to the Khabar magazine. Around 1995 it was not easy to cover events. India Tribune’s editorial office is in Chicago,so after attending community events, I had to write a draft and then get it on my Microsoft word, and then print the article and fax it to the editors. The faxed pages were then re-typed at the other end. I had to take pictures, get hard copies from the studio and then mail it to the editors. And all this,with pressures of the publication’s constantly looming deadline ! But now, thanks to e-mails. digital photography and other technology etc.things are a lot better Well,please feel free to use more profile details from your previous coverage. Thanks for this interview.”


Freelance journalist Mahadev Desai is a familiar and well respected face around town, as he has been in the media for over 15 years now. Whether you pick up Khabar magazine, Atlantadunia magazine or NRIPULSE newspaper, or look up Atlantadunia or NRIPULSE websites, you are bound to see with his well composed contributions with his by-line. Tanzania born Mahadev Desai is a voracious reader and a prolific writer. His repertoire includes coverage of Community events, literary reviews, short stories, ‘humor’pieces, profiles of prominent community members, and movie and play reviews.


Born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, he grew up in Nairobi. He graduated from Jamhuri High School. At School, he was a member of School’s Cricket team and also played volleyball, hockey, soccer and other traditional Indian games.
After graduating from High School, he qualified for a Kenya Government bursary and went to Bombay where he earned his B.Com.degree from Sydenham College. At the College, he continued playing Cricket. He represented his College in the Inter-College cricket competitions. He also won several prizes in table tennis competitions and other sports challenges.
After getting his degree, he returned to Nairobi . He studied and qualified for ‘Institute of Chartered Secretaries’ examination and also ‘Institute of Taxation’ examination, and did several accounting and taxation jobs. But he was more interested in a teaching career. It was serendipitous that Kenya Polytechnic had just been founded and the Education Department was looking for teachers in commercial subjects. Mahadev again got a bursary for a post-graduate teacher training course in England. He went to London and successfully completed his teacher training course at Garnett College, London, returned to Nairobi and taught commercial subjects at the Kenya Polytechnic for well over a decade. He also co-authored a book on Book-keeping, which has become very popular.

Because of the prevailing economic and political climate around that time, he decided to leave Kenya for London, where he spent sixteen years performing various jobs. Mahadev’s son-in-law, Harshad and daughter Sandhya who were already made a home in Atlanta invited Mahadev and Ansuya to join them in Atlanta.

Following retirement, Mahadev began contributing his articles to India American Cultural Association’s and Gujarati Samaj’s in-house publications, ‘Voice of India’ and ‘Darpan’magazines respectively. In the mid-nineties, Prashant Shah, the publisher of ‘India Tribune’ newspaper in Chicago had started an Atlanta edition and he offered ‘Community News Editor’ post to Mahadev. Mahadev and Atlanta’s well known performing arts promoter and marketing manager Mustafa Ajmeri ran the Atlanta office of India Tribune.

” Journalism opened a new, exciting and wondrous world for me. It afforded me an opportunity to meet Bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan,Hema Malini,noted singers like Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kumar Sanu,dignitaries from different walks of life in the US and from abroad, politicians, public figures, spiritual leaders, stage actors, famed authors and poets. I covered some mega events like Festival of India, AHOHA conventions,Charotar Patidar Convention,the historic installation ceremony of the Gandhi Statue in Atlanta, to name a few. As a member of the Gandhi Foundation, I felt privileged to participate and cover Mahatma Gandhi’s and Dr.Martin Luther King’s Birthday celebrations. I spread my wings and began contributing myarticles to Atlanta’s highly acclaimed and widely read ‘ Khabar’ magazine. I was also a member of the Gandhi Task Force and currently am a Board member of the Gandhi Foundation USA, in Atlanta.

Journalism and knowledge of Gujarati, Hindi and English helped me get a volunteer’s assignment as Cultural Information Officer, at the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta Whichever event I covered, I never lowered my standards and tried to be accurate,and thorough.
I began contributing my writings to Atlanta Dunia, (website and print format) and NRIPULSE (website and print newspaper) and Kavita Chhibber’s website.

I dearly love our community and am deeply grateful for all the support, advice and encouragement extended to me from my family, media colleagues, mentors and friends.

In recognition of his media services, Mahadev Desai has in the past been bestowed with several other Awards as below:

A Plaque from:
NFIA, National Park Service, US Dept. of Interior, Georgia Human Relations Commission
Gratefully acknowledge the Contributions of Mahadev Desai, towards the Dedication of the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the MLK Jr.Historical Site, Atlanta. Presented on January 24, 1998

Certificate of Appreciation:
Presented to Mahadev Desai, for the ongoing Contributions to the Atlanta Indian Community and Khabar Magazine.
Presented 16th June 1999

Award for Community Service by Senior Citizens Program, Inc. on December 3, 2006

Award from the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Riverdale, Georgia for journalism.


The Indian community in Atlanta is growing exponentially. More and more imaginative, innovative and bigger events are taking place now and for a committed and passionate journalist like Mahadev Desai, there is no limit to what he can contribute as a media representative.The journey is long and he has many stories to tell.