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Arati R Jerath, political editor and Delhi bureau chief

Arati R Jerath has been tracking national politics for more than 25 years now. A ringside view of the momentous events of the past two-and-a-half decades has given her valuable insights into the political processes that shape India’s destiny and helped her make sense of the confusion that marks the growth and maturing of India’s fledgling democracy.

The journey has been an exciting one. It has given Jerath the opportunity to interact with a galaxy of personalities as diverse as the late Rajiv Gandhi and Mayawati. But it has also brought her face-to-face with some of the brutal tragedies scarring our progress, like the communal violence of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, caste prejudices in rural India, and the shocking assassination of a prime minister.

Jerath was drawn to journalism from her student days in the International School, the Philippines, where she was editor of the school newspaper. After a brief stint in India Today, she joined The Indian Express and spent 23 years there sharpening her reporting skills on crime stories before graduating to politics.

As the daughter of a diplomat, Jerath has maintained a keen interest in foreign affairs and follows international politics almost as closely as domestic politics. She anchored and co-produced a weekly programme on foreign policy called ‘Global Challenges’ for Doordarshan in 2004 before returning to print journalism in 2005 when she joined DNA as political editor and bureau chief in New Delhi.