Sharper Than Naked Injustice

Journalists small and mighty suffered the Emergency defiantly, then resisted and defeated plans to muzzle the press. We look towards their example in gathering dusk.

- Hiranmay Karlekar

Kuldip Nayar belonged to a generation of edi­tors and senior journalists who ranged over India’s newspaper/magazine printscape from the time of Frank Moraes, S. Mulgaonkar and prem Bhatia to that of the present generation of practitioners. Most of them have crossed over to the hereafter. With apologies for any possible exclusion, their distinguished ranks include B.G. Verghese, Ajit Bhattacharjea, Girilal Jain, V.K.Narasimhan, Pran Chopra, S. Nihal Singh, Inder Malhotra, Sachchidanand Sahay, Dilip Mukherjee, Vinod Mehta, Amalendu dasgupta and Dilip Padgaonkar.

Their contributions and the nature of their journal­ ism varied. Kuldip Nayar’s forte was bringing behind­ the­scene developments and concealed passages to the foreground of public view. B.G. Verghese played a pioneering role in making rural reporting and developmental journalism visibly important components of the craft. Ajit Bhattacharjea was known for his informed political writings and concern for human rights and social justice. Girilal Jain was a scholarly conservative with an eloquent pen. V.K. Nara simhan was noted for the quality of his economic analysis. pran Chopra, S. Nihal Singh and inder Malhotra were known for the incisive­ ness of their political commentaries, while Sachchidanand Sahay’s knowledgeable and insightful writings on legal and constitutional subjects had come to be widely admired. dilip Mukherjee straddled political and economic journalism with aplomb. Besides writing elegantly, Vinod Mehta ventured into areas into which others had hesitated to tread and had the courage to publish what eme rged. Amalendu dasgupta wrote on a wide range of subjects, including developments on the nuclear front. dilip padgaonkar’s journalism bore the stamp of Seine­bank intellectualism.