Vir Sanghvi is an Indian journalist, columnist, author, television host and food critic, and this Vir Sanghvi biography covers his life from his London birth to his 2026 columns. Born on 5 July 1956, he became one of the youngest magazine editors in Indian journalism, built a major food-writing brand with his Rude Food column, and co-founded the restaurant booking platform EazyDiner. In 2026 he is still publishing weekly columns on politics, business and food.
Vir Sanghvi Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Vir Sanghvi |
| Date of Birth | 5 July 1956 |
| Age | 70 years (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | London, England |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Jain (born into a Gujarati Jain family) |
| Education | Mayo College (Ajmer), Mill Hill School (London), Brasenose College, Oxford (PPE) |
| Profession | Journalist, columnist, author, TV host, food critic, entrepreneur |
| Known For | Rude Food column, editing Sunday magazine, the Radia tapes controversy, EazyDiner |
| Spouse | Seema Goswami (second wife); previously married to Malavika Sanghvi (divorced) |
| Children | One son, Raaj Sanghvi |
| Social Media | X: @virsanghvi · Website: virsanghvi.com |
Who Is Vir Sanghvi?
Vir Sanghvi is among the best-known Indian journalists of his generation. His career has covered print magazines, television interviews, bestselling books and digital ventures. He is equally recognised for political commentary and for restaurant and travel writing, which is unusual in Indian media.
He has served on the National Integration Council and the Broadcast Content Complaint Council. His public image has two sides: an access-driven columnist and interviewer on one hand, and a figure whose reputation was shaken by the 2010 Radia tapes row on the other.
Early Life and Family
Sanghvi was born in London to Ramesh and Vimoo Sanghvi in a Gujarati Jain family. His father was a barrister turned businessman from a middle-class family in Rajkot. His mother was an industrial psychologist from a wealthy textile-owning family in Ahmedabad. He was raised in Bombay (now Mumbai) and London.
Sanghvi has said publicly that he is a Jain, though some profiles note his parents were agnostic. One entertainment-biography site says he is an only child, but we could not confirm this with a credible source.
Vir Sanghvi Education
He attended Mayo College in Ajmer and Mill Hill School in London. He then studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Brasenose College, Oxford. His own website says he won an open scholarship, while another profile cites the Inlaks Scholarship.
Vir Sanghvi Career
Early Magazine Years (late 1970s–1980s)
Sanghvi founded Bombay magazine as a very young editor. Sources say he was 22 or 23, so we have not fixed one age here. He later edited Imprint, then Sunday, taking charge of Sunday in 1986. His own biography says it became India’s largest-selling English-language newsmagazine under him, and he edited it for over a decade. He later served as consulting editor at the ABP group.
Television Career (1997 onwards)
In 1997 he moved to the Star Network, where he anchored A Question of Answers, Star Talk, Veer Ke Teer and Cover Story. On NDTV he hosted Face the Music, One on One and Custom Made for Vir Sanghvi. He also fronted food and travel shows for Discovery Travel & Living and business shows for CNBC. He was a lead judge on Foodistan, the India–Pakistan cooking competition, a show with a particular audience in Pakistan.
Hindustan Times and the Counterpoint Column
Sanghvi became one of India’s most-read columnists with his weekly Counterpoint column in the Hindustan Times, where he held an editorial director role. Sources differ on the exact title and dates of that role. His food column Rude Food ran in HT Brunch and remains a flagship feature.
NewsX (2007–2008)
In March 2007 he was hired as CEO of the news channel INX News (NewsX) and given a reported 16% sweat-equity stake. He resigned in January 2008 after a dispute over control of the organisation with the channel’s chairperson, Indrani Mukerjea, according to published accounts. Mukerjea has her own separate public profile.
Authorship
His books include Rude Food (2004), India Then and Now (2006), Men of Steel (2007), 26/11: The Attack on Mumbai (2009), Madhavrao Scindia: A Life (2009), Mandate: Will of the People (2016) and The Game Changers (2019). He has also published a memoir, A Rude Life.
EazyDiner and Food Criticism (2015 onwards)
In 2015 Sanghvi co-founded EazyDiner, an online restaurant reservation service, and serves as its lead food critic. His writing in this area helped establish him as one of India’s leading culinary voices.
Awards and Recognition
According to his official profile, Sanghvi has received the Rajiv Gandhi Award, the Lokmanya Tilak Award, and the Cointreau Award for Best Food Literature Book for Rude Food. He has also been recognised as Best Food Critic by the Indian Culinary Foundation.
Controversies: The Radia Tapes (2010)
In November 2010, magazines including Outlook and Open published transcripts and audio of phone conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and several journalists, including Sanghvi and NDTV’s Barkha Dutt. In one recording, Sanghvi was heard asking Radia what kind of story she wanted for his Counterpoint column. It was alleged that points suggested by Radia appeared in his 20 June 2009 column, “Time for some transparency.”
Sanghvi’s response: He denied the allegations, posted the column on his website for readers to judge, and on 27 November 2010 published a detailed statement in the Hindustan Times. He raised the possibility that the tapes had been edited and temporarily suspended Counterpoint. He later wrote that he had proof the tapes were manipulated.
Wider context: In January 2012, the Indian government told the Supreme Court that tapes released by media organisations had been tampered with. Media commentators were divided. Some saw the episode as a symptom of cosy relationships between journalists and power brokers, while others focused on how the tapes were leaked and whether they were authentic. In a 2013 Newslaundry piece, writer Anand Ranganathan argued the episode left readers doubting whether columns might be “paid news.” Sanghvi has consistently rejected any such suggestion.
Vir Sanghvi Personal Life
Sanghvi first married author and columnist Malavika Sangghvi. They have a son, Raaj Sanghvi, an entrepreneur in the food and hospitality space. The couple later divorced, and he married journalist and author Seema Goswami. One profile says the marriage was a quiet registration wedding in 2012, though we have not seen this confirmed by a primary source.
Some sites list a “daughter” named Mallika, but the same sources describe her as the wife of Raaj whom the family treats as a daughter. She is not a biological child, and the figure of one child is the most consistent across sources.
Vir Sanghvi Net Worth
There is no credible, sourced estimate of Sanghvi’s net worth. Several websites publish figures, but we found none from a reliable outlet, and one widely circulated page confuses him with another person. His income comes from newspaper and online columns, books, television, speaking engagements and his EazyDiner stake.
Vir Sanghvi in 2026
In 2026, Sanghvi remains active as a columnist across politics, business and food. His recent political columns for ThePrint include:
- “The gangsters are back in Bollywood. This time, they aren’t starstruck” (21 October)
- “Modi’s obsession with UP elections is blinding him to larger reality” (10 October)
- “Losing Gyanesh Kumar and winning UP is the best option before Modi-BJP to silence critics” (5 October)
- A column on the Tata Sons vs Tata Trusts dispute (22 September)
- A column on the BAPS Eiffel Tower row, which he framed as a Gujarati issue rather than a Hindu versus others issue (10 September)
Like most political columnists, his commentary draws both strong agreement and strong criticism. He is generally regarded as a critic of the current government and of Hindutva politics.
His food and travel writing continues in the Hindustan Times. Recent Rude Food and The Taste columns have covered Indian bread quality, avocados, omelettes from around the world and the new venture of hotelier Sonu Shivdasani, along with a column on the school-meal egg debate in West Bengal. He is also still associated with EazyDiner.
Vir Sanghvi Books and TV Shows
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Rude Food | Book (food writing) |
| 2006 | India Then and Now | Book |
| 2007 | Men of Steel | Book (business profiles) |
| 2009 | 26/11: The Attack on Mumbai | Book |
| 2009 | Madhavrao Scindia: A Life | Biography |
| 2016 | Mandate: Will of the People | Book (Indian elections) |
| 2019 | The Game Changers | Book (profiles) |
| Various | Star Talk, Cover Story, Face the Music, One on One | TV (Star, NDTV) |
| Various | A Matter of Taste, Asian Diary, Custom Made, Foodistan | TV (food/travel) |
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Vir Sanghvi?
Vir Sanghvi was born on 5 July 1956, so he is 70 years old as of November 2026.
Who is Vir Sanghvi’s wife?
His wife is Seema Goswami, a journalist, columnist and author. His first wife was author Malavika Sangghvi, and they divorced.
What was Vir Sanghvi’s role in the Radia tapes controversy?
Leaked 2010 recordings featured his conversations with lobbyist Niira Radia, and it was alleged that his column reflected her suggestions. He denied the allegations and said the tapes were edited.
What is Vir Sanghvi’s net worth?
No reliable, verified figure is publicly available. Estimates online are unsourced.
Where did Vir Sanghvi study?
He studied at Mayo College in Ajmer, Mill Hill School in London, and Brasenose College, Oxford.
What is Vir Sanghvi doing now?
He writes political columns for ThePrint, food and travel columns for the Hindustan Times, and is lead food critic at EazyDiner, which he co-founded.
Last updated: November 2026
