{{short description|Indian television producer}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Niret Alva | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | birth_place = Bengaluru | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | known_for = Producer, Anchor and Media Educator | years_active = 1988 – present | spouse = [[Anuja Chauhan]] | partner = | children = 3 | parents = [[Margaret Alva]], Niranjan Alva | relatives = | occupation = Co-founder and Chairman [Miditech ] | website = }}
'''Niret Alva''' is an Indian television producer who co-founded television production company Miditech Studios along with his brother Nikhil Alva.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-19 |title=Brothers for Real |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/brothers-for-real/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>
[https://www.miditechstudios.com Miditech Studios] first made a documentary series on the environment, ''[[Living on the Edge (Indian TV series)|Living on the Edge]]'' for [[Doordarshan]], that won a Panda Award more familiarly known as the Green Oscar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nikhil and Niret Alva get Green Oscar for their Living on the Edge series |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/eyecatchers/story/19961115-nikhil-and-niret-alva-get-green-oscar-for-their-living-on-the-edge-series-833323-1996-11-14 |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=India Today |date=15 November 1996 |language=en}}</ref> They also went on to make documentaries for the BBC, Discovery, Channel News Asia, ITV and National Geographic, before entering the entertainment genre around 2004,<ref name="bi">{{cite news |last1=Ojha |first1=Abhilasha |date=29 September 2004 |title=Miditech moves on |publisher=[[Business Standard]] |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/miditech-moves-on-104092901053_1.html |accessdate=29 September 2016}}</ref> with [[MTV Roadies|MTV Roadies (2003)]], ''[[Indian Idol]]'' (2004–2009), ''[[Galli Galli Sim Sim]]'' ([[Sesame Street]]) (2006),<ref>{{cite news|last1=Adesara|first1=Hetal|title='In terms of revenue, we are growing at just under 300% per year' : Niret Alva - Miditech president|url=http://www.indiantelevision.com/interviews/y2k5/executive/niret_alva.htm|accessdate=29 September 2016|publisher=Indian Television|date=14 November 2005}}</ref> and ''[[Wheels (TV series)|Wheels]]'' (1998) ([[BBC World]]).<ref name="top">{{cite news|last1=Belgaumkar|first1=Govnd|title=He's on TOP gear|url=http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2003/12/15/stories/2003121501740300.htm|accessdate=29 September 2016|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=15 December 2003}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ojha|first1=Abhilasha|title=Brothers in arms|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/brothers-in-arms-108041901031_1.html|accessdate=29 September 2016|publisher=[[Business Standard]]|date=19 April 2008}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Niret Alva was born in [[Bangalore]] – the first child of lawyers Niranjan and [[Margaret Alva]]. Alva has two brothers, [https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/A9qbsPrgnXAARsbr8w03LM/Nikhil-J-Alva--The-big-boss-of-reality-TV.html Nikhil Alva] and Nivedith Alva, and a sister, Manira Alva Pinto.<ref name=dn>{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_niret-alva-is-not-content-yet_1391756|title=Niret Alva is not 'content' yet!|date=4 June 2010|work=[[DNA (newspaper)|DNA]]|author=Sujata Chakrabarti|accessdate=8 November 2018}}</ref><ref name=ind>{{cite news|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/01/06/stories/2005010600360100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050508070837/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/01/06/stories/2005010600360100.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=8 May 2005|title=Indian idols, really|date=6 January 2005|work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> His name is a [[portmanteau]], wherein the first two letters are from his father Niranjan, and the last three from his mother, Margaret Alva.<ref name="top"/> The family moved to Delhi in 1974 when his mother was elected to the [[Rajya Sabha]] (the upper house of India's parliament). She went on to serve as minister of state in [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and [[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Narasimha Rao]]'s governments. A prominent parliamentarian, she served four consecutive terms in the Rajya Sabha and one in the [[Lok Sabha]].
Alva is a graduate in history from [[St. Stephen's College, Delhi]], has a post graduate diploma in journalism from the [[Indian Institute of Mass Communication]] (IIMC), Delhi, and is a recipient of a certificate from the Radio Netherlands Training Centre in Hilversum (Holland) for a news and current affairs course in television. He earned a law degree (LLB) from [[Mumbai University]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The dream merchants|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2007-06-08/news/27672037_1_miditech-indian-idol-alva-brothers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116202559/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2007-06-08/news/27672037_1_miditech-indian-idol-alva-brothers|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 January 2014|accessdate=29 September 2016|publisher=[[The Economic Times]]|date=8 June 2007}}</ref>
==Career== Niret joined the [[Press Trust of India]], television, as a trainee reporter/scriptwriter in January 1988. Beginning his career when television was still government-controlled in the late 1980s, he moved on to become a correspondent with ''Eyewitness'', a monthly independent video news magazine, owned by [[Hindustan Times]] Television in 1990. He covered subjects such as Indian attitudes toward sex, caste violence, the dangers of the civilian use of the army and the capture of [[Rajiv Gandhi]]'s assassin.
In 1992, he co-founded [https://www.miditechstudios.com Miditech Studios], a television software production company, along with his brother [https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/A9qbsPrgnXAARsbr8w03LM/Nikhil-J-Alva--The-big-boss-of-reality-TV.html Nikhil Alva]. Miditech Studios conservation and sustainability series, ''[[Living on the Edge (Indian TV series)|Living on the Edge]]'' won a Panda award, familiarly known as the Green Oscar, at [[Wildscreen]] in Bristol in 1996.
Niret has scripted, directed and been associated with several international, award winning documentaries, including ''The Great Descent'' – a river rafting journey down the Brahmaputra after the massive flood of 2000, and ''Operation Hot Pursuit'' – an undercover documentary on the illegal [[ivory trade]] between India and Japan.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barooah Pisharoty|first1=Sangeeta|title=And the winners are...|url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/12/22/stories/2003122200550400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040117195212/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/12/22/stories/2003122200550400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 January 2004|accessdate=29 September 2016|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=22 December 2003}}</ref>
Alva teaches a media and communications course at Srishti Manipal University in Bengaluru.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niret Alva {{!}} Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology |url=https://srishtimanipalinstitute.in/people/niret-alva |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=srishtimanipalinstitute.in}}</ref>
== Awards== * National Award for 'Outstanding Effort in Science and Technology in the Electronic Medium', awarded by President [[APJ Abdul Kalam]].<ref name="IndiaTV">{{cite news |title=National Award for Miditech co-founder Niret Alva |url=https://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/mar/mar41.htm |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=Indian Television Dot Com |date=3 March 2007 |language=en}}</ref> * Wildscreen Panda Award, better known as the Green Oscar, for Living On The Edge.<ref name="IndiaTV"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Nikhil and Niret Alva get Green Oscar for their Living on the Edge series |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/eyecatchers/story/19961115-nikhil-and-niret-alva-get-green-oscar-for-their-living-on-the-edge-series-833323-1996-11-15 |access-date=21 March 2022 |work=India Today |date=15 November 1996 |language=en}}</ref> * Asian Television Award for best Anchor in an Information Based series for Wheels on BBC world.<ref>{{cite web |title=BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS OR INFOTAINMENT PROGRAMME PRESENTER |url=https://www.asiantvawards.com/winners/2002-winners/ |website=Asian Awards |access-date=21 March 2022}}</ref> In 2019, Niret and Nikhil Alva and their production house Miditech was inducted into the Indian television Hall of Fame.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
==Personal life== Alva is married to Indian author and advertising executive [[Anuja Chauhan]] author of ''[[The Zoya Factor]]'' (2008) and five other best selling novels. They first met in 1989, during the production of a play in Delhi. They were married in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20090720-love-story-740225-2009-07-08|title=Love Story|author=Nandini Narayanan |date=9 July 2009|work=[[India Today]]|access-date=8 November 2018}}</ref> They have three children, two girls and a boy.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bagchi|first1=Shrabonti|title=Three is the new two|url=http://www.timescrest.com/coverstory/three-is-the-new-two-8356|accessdate=29 September 2016|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=21 July 2012}}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |+ Television ! Title !Year !Role |- |''[[Wheels (TV series)|Wheels]]'' (TV series)||1998||Host/Executive Producer |- |''[[Indian Idol]]'' (Reality-singing competition)|| (2004–2009)||Executive Producer |- |''[[Galli Galli Sim Sim]]''||2006||Executive Producer |- | ''Parrivaar'' (TV series)|| ( 2007–2008)||Executive Producer |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150511211120/http://www.miditech.tv/ MidiTech, official website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alva, Niret}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Indian television producers]] [[Category:Indian male journalists]] [[Category:Indian television journalists]] [[Category:St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni]] [[Category:Indian television presenters]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Haryana]] [[Category:People from Gurgaon]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]