There are two publications which has played a role in shaping my reading habits.The two publications belong to two extremes and as such their contribution in my wonder years were responsible to give it a wider spectrum.The moment I spell out the two ,I can see a lot of eyebrows getting raised in the my known Bhadralok-ian universe. I can only say that without this exposure in my formative years my openness to read anything from "the Gita to the Kamasutra " wouldnot have formed.And I think it is true for many in my generation-the generation which is responsible today to ensure a wide spectrum of thoughts are available in the written world.
My acquaintance with Debonair (during shades of moustache days) predates my acquaintance with The Statesman(complete grwn moustache and beard days).Used to be tucked inside my shirt after collecting from a friend or purchasing from the “not regular stall”,Debonair used to be read(or seen?) inside the bathroom(Thank God we had a WC there).After being read/seen,it used to be tucked inside again only to be hidden below a heap of text books(my embarrassment, when once such a heap was dropped from the loft - we were moving house- proved that past sins will always catch up with you).And I also used to marvel like Vinod Mehta’s friends from Lucknow that the editor and photographers of the magazine used to have a gala time with the models.On the other hand,The Statesman,generally read in the drawing/siiting room, used to give me the vantage position to acquire an Intellectual Arrogance (that as Jug Suraiya certifies the Newspaper used to have)during friendly arguments . I was also a contributor to “letter to the Editor” with a lot of “ That….” and “Apropos” in sync with the prevalent tradition.Publication of some letters used to give me the respectability while discussing current affairs with Kakus .
By the time I have moved from my student days to the real world ,Samir Jain led newspaper revolution and my movement out of the Eastern part of the country has made the Times Of India my regular daily .The three autobiographies of the editors that I read during last couple of months incidentally gave me a ringside view of these three publications as also a passthrough the various publications to which I was exposed to during my Adult Years.
Vinod Mehta’s “Lucknow Boy” is a easy read.It seems that you are reading an extended version of his single page “Delhi Diary” that he rides occasionally.It doesnot tax your mind and it passes on a lot of inside information about public figures without much fuss.
Jug Suraiya’s “JS & he Times of his life” is a personal account in which you can see his yearning for his Junior Statesman and his remorse for its premature days,his “misfit” in the traditional the”senior” Statesman and his long but “routine” the Times Of India days.S.Nihal Singh has an aristocratic look and style(“looks like all India’s ambassadors should look like-distinguished,polished of manner and emanating a nimbus of benign intelligence.You’d buy a foreign policy from him like a shot”…as per Jug Suraiya)and the same is evident in the title(Ink in My Veins)and the content.If Vinod’s book looks like an extension of his one page musings in the Outlook ,Nihal’s book looks like a collection of the vintage Statesman articles,editorials and dispatches from the foreign countries.Finishing this book took me more than that it took to complete the other two together.But at the end of which,to paraphrase Jug’s above quoted profiling,I have purchased a foreign policy on South East Asia .
Incidentally,there are linkages between the three.Jug joined the Statesman under Nihal,burdened by the “heavy-ness” of the paper’s working atmosphere he got a escape route by free lancing to Mehta’s Debonair.Mehta followed Nihal in editing,first the Indin Post and then the Pioneer.There are also linkages in terms of third persons-expectedly so as they are all members of the same Editors fraternity during overlapping period-including fellow journalists(eg Sunanda K Dutta Ray and Shobha De)
and the owners(eg C.R.Irani,Sameer Jain,LM Thapar,Vijaypat Singhania).Sunanda-K.Dutta Ray was panned by both Jug and Nihal(to make a confession-I am personally an admirer of his writing,used to wait for his column in Sunday Statesman though during induction to his writing I had to read the column twice to grasp the same-maybe because as Nihal Singh says he “ was a felicitous writer” who” would read like an English Country squire”)in their own particular way.Jug wondered sarcastically about his role in appearing at almost all “letter to the editor” piece hinting at some internal manipulation in the organisation whereas Nihal referred to him in his typical Statesman fashion quoting his article on Nihal’s resignation about “through cynical misuse,editorial freedom has become another of these misleading shibboleths” and his being a pawn in Irani’s hand who was ultimately exited unceremoniously.Shobha De,came out as an arrogant “Bitchy Bee” in terms of the accounts given by both Jug and Mehta. The role of Irani(and Nani Palkivala)in the killing of a truly independent media house like the Statesman because of his personal ambition comes out very clearly in Nihal’s book and also to some extent in Jug’s memoir.Palkivala’s role in silently supporting Irani in this was condemned by Nihal and as per Mehta’s book criticized by JRD Tata.Personally I also feel saddened by the plight of The Statesman and wonder why no case study has been written on the decay of such an institution.The role of the other owners brings out the sorry state of media independence in view of the political control of media houses on account of their other commercial interests.
There are snippets in Mehta’s book which has not drawn controversy , I fail to understand why the habit of Chandrasekhar to “fart loudly” after making love did not bring in the charge of “charitahanan” by his followers.Maybe the ex PM doesnot have any follower anymore.Or maybe Mehta has got over his “controversial editor” tag now that he has named his dog”Editor”.Nihal’s book gave a good insight on the Emegency days(Mehta’s description of VC Shukla’s interaction with the Debonair censor piece makes light reading in contrast)as also his coverage of his Foreign Correspondent days.Jug’s book lay bare the working at the Times and the quirky nature of the Jains.That Editors have to draft the personal letters that the owners want to send to world leaders also reflect poorly on the persons who pontificate on freedom of thoughts and expression everyday.
But there are varied takeaways from each book. “Lucknow Boy” shows how experimentation in differentiation (Outlook vis a vis India Today) will surely yield result,”Ink in the Veins” gives a comprehensive view on those neighbours (South East Asia)of us whom we should,as a nation,should understand and collaborate much better than what we do today.”JS & The Times of My my Life” is a reflection on the how the face of journalism in this country has changed wherein the opinion on “soft” social are no more just “third edits”.
All the books are worth reading.If the bylines attract you as much as the Headlines,please read them.
