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Nikhil Wagle Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

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Wife: Meena Karnik
Age: 65 Years
Hometown: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Nikhil Wagle

Bio/Wiki
Profession(s)Journalist, Author, Columnist
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 165 cm
in meters- 1.65 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 5”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourSalt and Pepper
Career
Awards2014: Sanskriti Award (as a member of the IBN-Lokmat editorial team)
2018: Kuldip Nayyar Journalism Award
Personal Life
Date of Birth23 April 1959 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2024)65 Years
BirthplaceMumbai, Maharashtra
Zodiac signTaurus
NationalityIndian
HometownMumbai, Maharashtra
ReligionAtheist [1]Nikhil Wagle's Twitter Post
Food HabitNon-vegetarian [2]Nikhil Wagle's Instagram Post
ControversiesControversial Remarks

In 1994, he attracted controversy when he spoke against some Maharashtra leaders who were praising a deceased MLA accused of having criminal ties. He then refused to say sorry for his comments and was put in jail for a week.

A critic of Shiv Sena

In the late 1990s, he began to criticize the political party Shiv Sena and its leader Bal Thackeray through his various publications. As a consequence, Shiv Sena party supporters attacked his office many times, starting in 1991.

Attack Incident

In August 2004, some supporters of the Shiv Sena attacked him and blackened his face with engine oil after he criticized the party leader Narayan Rane. [3]Frontline

Tweets Against Prime Minister Modi

In June 2015, the BJP's Communication Cell and the Akhil Bhartiya Brahman Mahasangh filed a police complaint against him for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'pervert' in his tweets, which they found offensive. [4]India Today
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Marriage DateYear, 1985
Family
Wife/SpouseMeena Karnik (journalist, media cell convener of Aam Aadmi Party)
Meena Karnik
ChildrenSon- Parth Nikhil (journalist)
Parth Nikhil

Nikhil Wagle

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nikhil Wagle

  • He began working as a freelance reporter in media in 1977.
  • Thereafter, Nikhil Wagle began working as a reporter at Dinank, a Marathi newsweekly, in Mumbai.
  • When the editor of Dinank left in 1979, the magazine’s officials appointed Wagle, who was 19 at the time, as its managing editor. Later, Wagle was promoted to the position of editor-in-chief at Dinank.
  • Once, in a media conversation, his wife, Meena Karnik, shared that they first met in 1981 when Nikhil was the editor of the Marathi newspaper called Dinank, and Meena joined there as a reporter after completing her formal education.

    An old picture of Nikhil Wagle with his wife, Meena Karnik

    An old picture of Nikhil Wagle with his wife, Meena Karnik

  • Nikhil Wagle later went to Pune and started working for the Kirloskar Group, which was issuing some magazines during that time. However, he left this job after one month and returned to Mumbai.
  • He began his publishing house in 1982, and soon, he started a new magazine titled Akshar.
  • In 1983, Nikhil Wagle began a sports magazine titled Shatkar and appointed Sandeep Patil, a former Indian cricketer, as its editor.

    A young Nikhil Wagle

    A young Nikhil Wagle

  • In 1985, he started a magazine about films and entertainment and named it Chanderi. First, he appointed Rohini Hattangadi as its editor, and later, Gautam Rajadhyaksha took over the charge.
  • Meanwhile, Nikhil Wagle also started some magazines in the Gujarati language.

    Nikhil Wagle on the poster of a magazine

    Nikhil Wagle on the poster of a magazine

  • He began hosting TV shows in 1989.
  • After hosting some programs for Doordarshan, he became a commentator on social and political issues and worked on different private television channels. Once, he was also the host of a popular talk show called Amne Samne.

    Nikhil Wagle with his publications in the late 1980s

    Nikhil Wagle with his publications in the late 1980s

  • In 1990, Nikhil Wagle started a newspaper called Mahanagar in Marathi and Hindi languages. He began working as the editor of the Marathi version of the newspaper, called Aapla Mahanagar.

    The first of the newspaper Aapla Mahanagar

    The first of the newspaper Aapla Mahanagar

  • As a publisher, Nikhil Wagle has published over 80 books.
  • In the middle of the 2000s, he joined the Network 18 group and started working as the editor-in-chief at IBN Lokmat, a Marathi news channel. He hosted a show called Aajcha Sawal. He left his job in July 2014.

    Nikhil Wagle while working as an anchor at IBN Lokmat

    Nikhil Wagle while working as an anchor at IBN Lokmat

  • In February 2015, Govind Pansare, a leader of the Communist Party of India, was shot by two people on a motorcycle. Soon, Sameer Gaikwad, who was linked to the Sanatan Sanstha, was arrested for his involvement in Pansare’s murder. Gaikwad was accused of mentioning Wagle as the next target.
  • Soon after he left IBN-Lokmat, Nikhil Wagle started working as editor-in-chief at Maharashtra 1 news channel. Reportedly, a lot of his colleagues also left their jobs to join him at Maharashtra1.
  • Later, he merged his Marathi talk show, Aajacha Sawal, with Maharashtra 1. Then, in November 2016, he quit Maharashtra1.

    Nikhil Wagle on the poster of the news channel Maharashtra1

    Nikhil Wagle on the poster of the news channel Maharashtra1

  • On 1 May 2017, Wagle began hosting a talk show called ‘Sadetod’ on TV9 Marathi news channel. However, the channel stopped airing the show on 20 July 2017, as confirmed by Nikhil on Twitter.

    Nikhil Wagle on the poster of the news show 'Sadetod'

    Nikhil Wagle on the poster of the news show ‘Sadetod’

  • He became well-known in journalism after he verbally clashed with some Hindutva organizations in Maharashtra.
  • In 2019, he published a book titled ‘Spashta Bolayach Tar’ in Marathi. He released another book titled ‘MODI Mahabharat – Vedh Modi Parvatlya Rajakiya Ghadamodincha’ in September 2022.

    The cover of the book MODI Mahabharat - Vedh Modi Parvatlya Rajakiya Ghadamodincha

    The cover of the book ‘MODI Mahabharat – Vedh Modi Parvatlya Rajakiya Ghadamodincha’

  • In 2023, Nikhil Wagle started a YouTube channel titled ‘Nikhil Wagle Original,’ where he often shares videos related to politics.

    A snip of Nikhil Wagle's YouTube channel

    A snip of Nikhil Wagle’s YouTube channel

  • He likes travelling to distant places and reading books in his free time.

    Nikhil Wagle while enjoying a trip

    Nikhil Wagle while enjoying a trip

  • On 9 February 2024, Nikhil Wagle’s car was attacked by some Bharatiya Janata Party workers, who were chanting the slogan “Jai Shri Ram.” Wagle was reportedly attacked for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lal Krishna Advani. [5]TV9 Marathi