ANSIF ASHRAF The Herald Man

A visionary beyond compare, one of the pioneers to take the plunge into eCommerce in India, a ‘mediapreneur’ with the eyes on the horizon, a magnanimous philanthropist and a noted orator, Cochin Herald Editor-in-Chief Ansif Ashraf, who met an untimely end on January 27, was a man for all seasons. Read about the fascinating and inspiring journey of this extraordinary man who showed how dreams can be translated into reality

- Renjith Leen

As they say, many have sight, but only a few are blessed with vision. And fewer are the ones who really combine vision with venture and climb the stairs instead of merely staring at the steps, as eminent Czech statesman Vaclav Havel once put it. One such rare gem of purest ray serene was Ansif Ashraf, the Editor-in-Chief and helmsman of Cochin Herald; the owner of London-based news portal and magazine British Herald and Asian Herald, the soon-to-be-launched UAE-based online news platform. He made waves in the media industry and the entrepreneurial world armed with grit, foresight and oodles of self-confidence. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that chronicles can be written about this astute visionary’s jaw-dropping entrepreneurial journey starting from Kochi and spanning Britain, China and the UAE. He achieved so much in so little time and was eyeing more brands around the world to bring to the Herald stable when fate with her abhorred shears cut short his life on January 27, 2021. He was only 37. Cochin Herald takes readers through the fascinating saga of its guiding star.

A foretaste of the media industry

Born in Thane, Maharashtra, on November 15, 1983, to Dr Sheikh Mohammed Ashraf and Naseem Ashraf, Ansif had a good multi-lingual and multi-cultural exposure which stood him in good stead later on in life. It also helped him develop a broad outlook and see the world sans blinkers, something essential for an entrepreneur and media honcho. His first tryst with the media industry happened in his hometown in the early 90s. After relocating to Kochi, his father was instrumental in establishing