Silchar Collegiate School’s Anirban Chowdhury among winners for Podcast The Morning Brief

When The Morning Brief bagged four awards at the Indian Audio Summit and Awards (IASA) 2025, it wasn’t just a moment of pride for the Economic Times team — it was a moment of pride for Silchar too. Among those behind the acclaimed podcast is Anirban Chowdhury, a proud alumnus of Silchar Collegiate School and Gurucharan College, whose voice and vision have helped shape one of India’s most celebrated business podcasts.

“This award is a testimony to the team’s hard work and a recognition for our shared passion for newer forms of storytelling,” Anirban says. “This is our third consecutive year of wins at the IASA.” The team’s growing list of accolades includes the prestigious SOPA Award for Excellence in Audio Journalism — often called the Pulitzers of Asia — which The Morning Brief was the first Indian podcast to win.

Launched in 2021, The Morning Brief was born out of the pandemic and quickly evolved into ET Podcasts’ flagship show. Chowdhury heads the podcast as the executive producer. “It’s a tri-weekly deep dive into the most compelling stories of the day from the world of money and power: tech to Trump, banking to Bangladesh, startups to scams, Modi to markets,” Anirban explains. The show has two formats: a deep-dive analysis into major stories, and Corner Office Conversations, where global CEOs and founders — from Uber, Siemens, Lufthansa, to Cipla — open up in candid interviews. “One of Ustad Zakir Hussain’s last detailed interviews was with us,” he adds.

Anirban’s journey from Silchar to the national stage wasn’t a straight line but a steady climb built on passion, patience, and persistence. He credits Silchar’s vibrant environment for education, quizzing, and merit tests as his earliest foundation. “That culture and environment shaped me in ways that maybe an urban setup never could have,” he says. Though he admits he wasn’t the topper, participating actively helped foster a spirit of curiosity and resilience.

After completing his undergraduate studies in English Literature at Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College, a journalism course at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, and later an executive MBA at IIM Calcutta, Anirban spent thirteen years reporting and writing for Business Standard, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economic Times. His background in music, shaped by legendary Silchar teachers like Deepak Bhattacharya, Pramita Nandy, and Amarendra Chakraborty, later gave him a natural affinity for the world of sounds and storytelling, easing his transition into podcasting.

Building ET Podcasts, he says, “has been like building a startup within a legacy organisation. Every idea has required a proof of concept.” Yet, the experience remains deeply rewarding.

Despite his national and international achievements, Anirban keeps a keen eye on developments back home. While he hasn’t come across podcasts emerging from Silchar yet, he is an avid reader of Barak Bulletin, appreciating its “truth to power” journalism.

For aspiring podcasters, his advice is simple yet powerful: “Learn about the medium — it’s much more than random conversations between two people on mics. Read loads, listen to great work like Radiolab, The Daily, BBC’s documentary pods, Acquired, and Planet Money. Develop a style and always, always put the listener above everyone else.” A crucial tip, he says, especially for the Indian audience, “Video podcasts do way better than pure audio — people here like to watch more and listen less.”

Anirban Chowdhury’s story is a reminder that no matter where you come from, excellence can be built — one story, one episode, and one listener at a time.