Sathya Saran is the editor of Femina, India’s leading women’s magazine. She has been a professional journalist since she joined an English daily in Nagpur in 1974 as its Assistant Magazine Editor. She joined Femina in 1979 August as a sub-editor. Sathya holds a Masters in English Literature, and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, both from Nagpur University. She stood second in the University in both examinations.

Since taking over as Editor of Femina in 1993, Sathya has been instrumental in keeping the magazine upbeat, contemporary and in tune with the aspirations and needs of the urban Indian woman. Her understanding of the complex fabric of the Indian woman’s life has motivated her to add sections on environment, business, enterprise, money management and relationship management to the other strong sections that were traditionally part of the Femina editorial package.

Sathya has also been involved closely with the Femina Miss India Pageant and Contest as well as the now discontinued Femina Look of the Year Contest in collaboration with Elite Model Management and has had a role to play in the selection and motivation of the Contestants at national and international level.

Her knowledge of the all encompassing nature of the brand in a woman’s life has motivated her to play a vibrant role in collaborating in the marketing of the magazine and its events, and taking its editorial presence on to ground level events like the Femina Clothes Show and the Femina Bridal Show, to name a few. The participation of an Indian designer at the Milan Fashion Week this September, as well as the organisation of the Namaste India Fest during the Fashion Week in Milan, is one of her pioneering projects.

Sathya is part of an eleven member group of women editors called Women’s Edition, funded by the Measure Communication of the USA, and works closely with the group to met, discuss and write on issues connected with women’s reproductive health. The membership to the group is through competitive means.

Moving on to the post of Director, Brand Alliances, with Worldwide Media Ltd, a joint venture between the BBC Worldwide and the Times of India, she took to the ground the empowering efforts she started through the pages of the Magazine. She has written for a wide basket of publications in India, and abroad, including Newspapers Today, which is published from the USA.

Sathya has been on the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Fashion Technology and Apparel Manufacture, and was been nominated for a second term therein. She has also written and produced programmes for radio and television, and has been the pioneer in a counselling show on Star TV called Kashmakash, which deals with marital problems. The show was nominated for an award, and was declared first runner-up.

As a student of drama and dance, Sathya has performed in experimental plays, one of which was invited to perform off Broadway in NY. Other creative outlets include authoring a book of short stories. She is currently working on a novel as well as a biography of Guru Dutt, a prominent film director. Both books are to be published by Penguin India.

Winner of many national awards, Sathya has received the Young Journalist Award,in 1994, the Bharat Nirman, and the Mahila Shiromani Award, which was presented by the First Lady of India, for her contribution to journalism.

Today, Sathya Saran edits India’s first weekly magazine for women,ME, and is breaking new ground in women’s journalism. Me is part of the DNA basket of offerings, and boasts of a circulation of 300,000 copies.