India Today TV launches “India First” at 8 PM with Gaurav Sawant

New Delhi: India Today TV on Monday announced that veteran journalist Gaurav Sawant will anchor the network’s prime-time 8 PM slot with the show India First, starting today. 

The move marks a significant leadership shift at the channel, with Sawant taking over the slot previously home to Newstrack.

Now serving as Managing Editor at India Today TV, Sawant’s elevation reaffirms India Today Group’s tradition of building and empowering leadership from within its vibrant and democratic newsroom, the company said in a press statement.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by bestmediainfo (@bestmediainfo)

With more than three decades of frontline journalism behind him, Sawant has covered some of India's most defining moments — from the Kargil War, the Kandahar hijack, 26/11 Mumbai attacks, to the recent Galwan standoff with China. 

His reporting has extended deep into conflict zones around the world, including Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, Ukraine, and Israel, and key terror incidents like the 7/7 London bombings.

In a career marked by on-ground bravery, Sawant was notably the first journalist to report from Daulat Beg Oldie at 16,900 feet during the India-China tensions, a feat accomplished in sub-zero temperatures. 

His passion for authentic storytelling was further demonstrated when the Indian Navy awarded him Para Wings after five para jumps, including an assisted free fall from a Sea King helicopter at INS Dega, a rare recognition for a civilian journalist, said India Today.

As an author, his book Dateline Kargil: A Correspondent’s Nine-Week Account from the Battlefront captured the raw realities of the Kargil conflict, offering readers a frontline perspective. His Veergatha series, focused on Param Vir Chakra awardees and dedicated entirely to the welfare of armed forces’ families, underscores Sawant’s ethos of selfless service. Notably, he refused any government remuneration for writing about India’s war heroes, reflecting his unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity.

Sawant will bring the same clarity, credibility, and commitment to India First, a show positioned to prioritise facts over frills, and real issues over manufactured noise, India Today asserted.

India First will aim to combine sharp field reporting, ground-zero insights, and intelligent analysis, reflecting Sawant's journalistic philosophy that news must be experienced first-hand, not merely narrated from studios.

The India Today Group’s decision comes at a time when credibility and ground connect are emerging as key differentiators in the highly competitive prime-time news landscape.

Sawant’s new assignment is seen as an endorsement of field credibility and editorial depth — qualities that have defined his career and which India Today TV is keen to amplify at its most crucial viewing hour.