Raja's read only memories

(No names will be mentioned. Readers are expected to fill the blanks themselves) Think of the infamous national emergency of 1975 imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and one would by default make an association with this national newspaper. Why, this was when the newspaper waged a fierce war against the government, burnishing its anti-establishment tenor. When few others had the guts to offend the government, this newspaper chose to excoriate it by publishing a blank space on its front page, usually reserved for editorial pieces. Our rulers themselves tried every trick in its bag to unsettle this publication – through coercion, threat and direct assault – yet it emerged unscathed. As accounts go, Indira Gandhi wanted to stifle this media group because it would not bend to her whims and fancies. Supplies of essentials such as newsprint, electricity and even water were cut, so was its financing. When every other newspaper accommodated persons from the government in the...

A tad autobiographical, this account encapsulates my experiences at a news organisation. Why wait until 50 or 60 to compose one? Hell, who knows, this could even be its blueprint! So, here goes my first stab at chronicling myself... I was prepared for all kinds of weird questions for my first job interview as a journalist four years ago, for the post of a sub-editor, but I never anticipated this one that caught me off guard. Noting that I preferred to work in the editorial than the reporting section, a HR representative at the organization asked in almost an air of dismissal, implying that the editorial is something redundant, “After all, we have Microsoft Word, in built with grammar and spell check capabilities, so why must I hire you?” I stared at him blankly for a moment as a smile grew on his face, perhaps out of exult at having stumped me. I trotted a familiar refrain, which I am sure he would have encountered countless times, “Because I am passionate about writing a...