'Panikkar was ambitious, brave and tried it all — a real Renaissance man'

Born in Travancore in 1894, Kavalam Madhava Panikkar was the first editor of the Hindustan Times. In an interview with Somya Lakhani, Narayani Basu, the author of the recent book, A Man For All Seasons: The Life Of K.M. Panikkar, sheds light on the academic, politician, diplomat, author and administrator. Edited excerpts:

- NARAYANI BASU, AUTHOR

Tell us about Panikkar's journey as he became the first editor of HT in 1924.

In 1924, a 30-year-old Panikkar landed up in Bombay to check the credentials of a newsroom job and met social reformer CF Andrews, who he knew since his Oxford days. Instead of advising him about the job, Andrews - who was close to Mahatma Gandhi-suggested to Congress president Mohammad Ali that Panikkar go to Amritsar as Gandhi's emissary to the Akalis. This was a great chance for Panikkar to meet Gandhi, to be noticed by him, so he moved to Amritsar, as head of the Congress office there, named the Akali Sahayak Bureau, and dutifully reported back to both Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi.

Months later, the Akalis, who were pushing for an English newspaper, took Panikkar into confidence and saw in him a man fit to run it. But Panikkar was wary; he had been burnt in the past when he worked at Swarajya in Madras. Before this, he had also been asked by Nehru to edit a collection of essays on the noncooperation movement, which was not what he wanted to do. He already had a formidable body of work behind him, including writing on nationalism, citizenship and identity; this was why the Akalis were keen to bring him on board as the editor of the newspaper, which came to be known as the Hindustan Times.

And though he couldn't speak Hindustani, he knew English, and this was going to be an English newspaper, so he was the perfect choice. This was an exciting opportunity for Panikkar. The paper was a stepping stone in the direction of his political ambitions.

Did the Akalis want the paper to be based out of Amritsar?

Yes, but Panikkar put his foot down on that point. If they wanted larger reach, they needed to be in a place like Delhi. Who was going to read it in Amritsar? Panikkar was an ambitious man who wanted to be in a place where he could be seen and heard. He wanted to be at the centre of power.

Who gave the paper its name?