26 June 2025

Legacy meets agility: Vikatan’s Srini Balasubramanian joins FIPP Congress

India’s Vikatan Group has spent a century evolving, from pioneering Tamil publishing to experimenting with new revenue streams and training future journalists. Here, MD Srini Balasubramanian – who will speak on a panel about deepening audience relationships across evolving formats – shares what it takes to stay relevant at a time of rapid evolution.

When your publication is approaching its hundredth year, it would be easy to slow down. Not so for Indian publisher, Vikatan. “We haven’t stopped making trouble yet,” says MD Srini Balasubramanian, referring to a recent cartoon cover that landed them in court – not for the first time.

The cover, published shortly before Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the U.S., depicted him in chains, a critique of India’s silence after Donald Trump deported undocumented immigrants, including Indian nationals, in military planes with their hands shackled.

“It doesn’t give me any joy to take down my country’s leader. That was not the point,” Srini says. “Our perspective was that a nation of 1.4 billion people, 20 percent of humanity, couldn’t stand up to the U.S. because of an impending trade war. Our Prime Minister was literally in chains – he couldn’t speak on behalf of his people.”

A takedown was demanded, and the site was taken offline for over a month. Judges have since ruled the site could be restored – but banned republication of the cartoon. The result of this court order, says Srini, resulted in the ‘Streisand effect’; originally available only to a few hundred thousand subscribers, the cartoon went viral, sparking global conversation and exposing the brand to an estimated 100 million people.

“People who didn’t know our language, who didn’t know about Vikatan, all came to know about us,” Srini says.

This bold stance reflects Vikatan’s unflinching commitment to challenge power, serve readers, and reinvent itself repeatedly.

“Every time there is the potential for disruption, we ask ourselves: one, are we still relevant? Two, is there a way that we can prove our relevance? And number three, can we learn and live by it?” says Srini. This self-questioning has driven Vikatan’s transformation from a print magazine into a multi-platform, purpose-driven media ecosystem.

Cultivating audiences

At this year’s FIPP World Media Congress, Srini will speak on a panel discussing how media brands are building audience relationships across different formats – something the Vikatan brand has fully embraced.

Over the last financial year, Vikatan has hosted regular award ceremonies, weekend gatherings (online and offline), and dozens of audience-led events. “I’ve been joking of late that we are an event management company masquerading as a magazine,” Srini says. ‘Real Life Heroes’, for example, celebrates everyday Indians making extraordinary contributions to society, such as doctors running free medical camps or lawyers fighting for tribal land rights.

What started as a magazine feature has become a full-scale awards programme, televised, streamed, and backed by advertisers. “We used to simply showcase them in the magazine,” he says. “Now we celebrate them because we believe stories like these influence others to act. That’s impact.” Crucially, it’s also commercially successful. “These awards are profitable,” says Srini, “and that profit helps make our print more viable.”

Although Vikatan continues to experiment with formats, Srini says print with always be the bedrock of the brand. “I think of print as fertile earth, and stories are the seeds we plant,” he says. “The plants they grow into – such as events, awards, social media, audio – need to be watered and nurtured if they are to grow into something more.”

Mission meets monetisation

Vikatan is not only a magazine brand, but a suite of them. Alongside its flagship sociopolitical title, it publishes magazines on women’s issues, agriculture, auto components, and personal finance. This last title has led to a new venture – another example of how Vikatan combines both strong brand values and commercial success.

“For the last 20 years, we’ve been talking about the importance of investing, not just saving,” Srini explains. “Now we’ve launched a new sister company that helps readers actually invest through mutual funds.”

The operation is fully regulated operation, with a focus on financial wellbeing. “We ask about your risk profile, income, family background, goals – maybe you want to send your child to study abroad or buy a house in 15 years,” he says. “Then we offer tailor-made investment products that can help.”

Training tomorrow’s journalists

Vikatan’s impact, of course, goes beyond awards or financial literacy. Vikatan officially turns 100 in February 2026 – a milestone it shares with FIPP – but the company is firmly focused on its future.

This includes nurturing the next generation of journalists. Knowing legacy alone won’t guarantee relevance, Vikatan has built internal programmes to find, train, and retain young talent.

“For the last 42 years, we have taken around 75 students every year into our student journalist programme, and they comprise at least 120 or 130 of the 200 journalists that we have today,” says Srini. He believes that training and hiring the next generation brings a fresh perspective to the business. “They question us. They challenge us. And I believe they help us in our journey, in trying to get closer to the customer.”

But as the current course case proves, even as Vikatan invests in the next generation, it continues to make its presence felt in the present.By the time he speaks at Congress, Srini is hopeful the court’s final verdict on the cartoon will land in Vikatan’s favour. And if not? “It feels good that at 100, you can still do stuff that gets you noticed!”

The FIPP World Media Congress takes place in Madrid, Spain, from 21-23 October 2025.

This event will bring together media professionals from across the globe for three days of insightful discussions, keynote presentations, workshops, and unparalleled networking opportunities. Whether you’re a seasoned industry leader or a rising innovator, the FIPP Congress promises to be an unforgettable gathering that will shape the future of media.

See the agenda here, the list of speakers here and secure your place here.

FIPP CENTENARY PARTNERS