Newsman

Something's got to give

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:57:24 +0530

One of the more joyous moments of fatherhood was taking my son, then all of nine years, to watch an India-Pakistan One-Day match in Lahore in 2004. Our Pakistani friends

Times change, politicians don't

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:14:03 +0530

Times change, politicians don't, voters do. Rewind to 1984 and the ad campaign that became the signature of the Congress's election appeal then: scorpions, snakes and barbed wires, Indians were

26/11: Terror comes precariously close

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:42:16 +0530

Dear Reader, forgive my self-indulgence, but I write this as an angry and anguished Indian citizen and south Mumbaikar as much as a professional journalist. Over the last few days,

Maharaj or Dada, Ganguly's legacy lives on

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:04:04 +0530

In the first innings of the Nagpur test, as Saurav Ganguly was batting with remarkable assurance, an excited senior government official rang up: "You guys in the media have to

An Open Letter to Raj Thackeray

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:23:32 +0530

My Dear Raj, My apologies for having to communicate through the editorial pages of a newspaper, but frankly am left with little choice since you seem to have

Otherhood of man

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:40:07 +0530

All over the world, a killer is a killer and a rapist is a rapist. Only in India do criminals have religious and caste identities: they are either Hindus, Muslims

Television, for politicians with a vision

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:26:20 +0530

Barack Obama and John Mccain have just concluded round one of the US presidential debates. Sarah Palin is getting herself battle ready to face upto Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe

A Wednesday and beyond...

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 03:58:56 +0530

"Awesome!" shrieked the young lady in front of me as she munched her popcorn. It was the final scene of the film, A Wednesday, and aam admi turned potential bomber,

Tale of Two Azmis

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:32:09 +0530

Shabana Azmi is a remarkable woman: five times National award winner, she has performed multiple roles in life and cinema. That someone from the increasingly vacuous world of Bollywood has

Bhiwani to Beijing: Lessons from a journey

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:25:30 +0530

Journalism has a nose for nostalgia : Twenty years ago ahead of the Seoul Olympics, I was sent as a cub reporter to track down the family of KD Jadhav,

Gujarat beyond Ahmedabad

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:54:40 +0530

In the terror map of this country, Hansabehn Makwana will probably not even be a footnote. As she battles for survival in the burns ward of Ahmedabad's civil hospital, the

Trust Vote in Technicolour

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:22:11 +0530

India's first Trust Vote in the age of 24 hour news television transformed parliamentary debate into a reality show. The politicians were the star performers while the nation played judge

Amar Chitra Katha

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:06:06 +0530

When the history of contemporary Indian politics is written, Amar Singh will have a special place as arguably the first neta to bridge the gap between political and corporate India,

Separated at birth

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:39:26 +0530

The state of the UPA government is a bit a like a bad old Ajit joke about liquid oxygen: liquid usse jeene nahi deta, oxygen usse marne nahi deta (liquid

Who will be India's Obama?

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:37:51 +0530

In the week when 46-year-old Barack Obama was being anointed the Democratic party's presidential candidate in the United States, Tamil Nadu's chief minister M Karunanidhi was being felicitated on his

Congress, the ageing family firm

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:25:11 +0530

Political soundbites can be rather tiresome and predictable on television. Nothing exemplifies this better than when a Congress politician is asked at election time who the party's chief ministerial candidate

Bite the Bullet

editor@ibnlive.com — Sun, 18 May 2008 05:40:04 +0530

If Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh were to ever look for a contemporary political soulmate, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee would be a likely choice. Both are individuals of

Twenty20: The Page 3 of Cricket

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:40:44 +0530

The Indian Premier League has rammed home a new meaning to the notion of a 'generation gap'. Taking my 13-year-old son to watch the Delhi Daredevils playing their first game

Aaj Ka Arjun

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:21:10 +0530

Eighteen years can be an eternity in politics: on the 6th of September, 1990, a stirring speech was made in parliament criticizing the Mandal commission report. "If you believe in

Rivals, not enemies

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:34:19 +0530

Life in exile can be a sobering, as well as a gastronomic experience. Within weeks of the 2004 general elections, I happened to be in Jeddah and was taken to

Goan with the Wind

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:24:04 +0530

In the early 1990s, Air India printed a calendar showcasing people from different states in their traditional costumes. The Goa portrait had a couple at a church wedding in bridal

The Kisan Connection

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:53:42 +0530

For someone who had finally been embraced by his party and anointed its new poster-boy, Finance Minister P Chidambaram seemed awfully truculent a day after the union budget. Perhaps, it

Cricket's Big Bazaar

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 03:55:08 +0530

My father was obviously born in the wrong generation. For his first test for the country in 1961, he got a cheque of Rs 150. When he was part of

The Legacy of Goonda Raj

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:19:06 +0530

Long before there was 'monkey' (sorry, 'maa ki'), there was "bhaiya". The 1979 Ranji game between Mumbai and Delhi at the Wankhede stadium witnessed the repeated chants of "bhaiya" every

Married to the Mob

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:41:11 +0530

Last Saturday, as India was celebrating a famous cricket victory over Australia in Perth, NDTV's Ahmedabad office was ransacked by a mob calling itself Hindu Samrajya Sena. The alleged provocation:

Why the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year awards

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 10:07:57 +0530

Who is the greatest filmstar? Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan or Sharukh Khan? Who is the finest Indian batsman of all time? Sunil Gavaskar or Sachin Tendulkar? Who was

Modi Mandate: Myth and Reality

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 02:29:00 +0530
In this age of instant punditry, it's often easier to arrive at conclusions without even attempting analysis. When the person in question is Narendra Modi, then it becomes even more

Brand Modi on sale

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:18:30 +0530
DK Barooah's singular contribution to Indian democracy was his coronation of Indira Gandhi as the Empress of India with his infamous remark: "India is Indira, and Indira is India". Barooah

Dr Modi and Mr Hyde

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:35:56 +0530
On the very day that Lalu Yadav marched to the Prime Minister's residence demanding Narendra Modi's arrest in the wake of the Tehelka sting expose, a small group of Sikh

The Political 20-20

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:17:18 +0530
Why the Deve Gowda brand of politics now threatens the center My most intimate experience with former prime minister HD Deve Gowda was in a rather incongruous setting: the

New India's New Heroes

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:17:06 +0530
On the face of it, Wanderers 2007 is Lords 1983 all over again. As Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted the ICC world 20 20 trophy, the beaming smile brought back memories

Sting in the Tale

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:26:37 +0530
A few weeks ago, I received an SMS: "Dear sir, I am from Patna. I have more than 40 stings with me. Meet me once, you will not be disappointed.

Karat and Stick

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:46:35 +0530
We always knew the Prime Minister had a mind of his own. Now, we know he's finally added some muscle. When the history of Dr Manmohan Singh's prime ministership is

Needed: A Lesson in History

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:00:14 +0530
I am not a midnight's child or a child of partition. Actually, I was born the year after Nehru died. In a sense, I represent the post-Nehruvian generation, those for

Kalam, a man for all reasons

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:38:25 +0530
It was meant to be a celebration of excellence in journalism. The Ramnath Goenka award ceremony was a gathering of the country's power elite: top politicians, captains of industry, cerebral

Jai Maharashtra

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 02:27:44 +0530
Within minutes of Mrs Pratibha Patil being "chosen" as the UPA's candidate for president, a chain sms was floated: "After 300 years, the Marathas are finally set to conquer Delhi",

The Royal Sickness

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 25 May 2007 12:00:01 +0530
In the furious debate in Britain over sending Prince Harry to Iraq, a royalist voice angrily remarked on a television show, "We cannot barter our future for an uncertain present."

Lady in Waiting

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:26:17 +0530
In this media age, Mayawati is the ultimate "outsider". Openly contemptuous of the "manuvadi" media, she will rarely come to a television studio. Even if she does speak, it is

Death of a game

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:17:13 +0530
Here's a candid confession: as India were losing to Sri Lanka, for once I didn't really mind. After a lifetime of cheering for the men in blue, for the first

Where art thou Sonia?

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:08:57 +0530
If a week is a long time in Indian politics, then three years must seem like an eternity. It was, after all, three years ago this month that Sonia Gandhi

The Two Modi(y)s of Gujarat

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 11:29:43 +0530
There are two Mr Modis I know in Gujarat, one spells his surname with an 'i', the other with a 'y'. Mr Narendra Modi is a familiar household name. He

Ghosts in the machine

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 09:21:00 +0530
A few days ago when the alleged murderer of Meerut professor Kavita Rani decided to turn himself in to the law, he chose a television studio to enact his surrender.

Why politicians get edgy when judiciary plays God

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:24:10 +0530
The day union minister Shibhu Soren was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, the mood in parliament's central hall was distinctly somber. "Bechara Shibhu," said one member of parliament. "Phas

In the name of Ambedkar

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:51:46 +0530
The late Kanshi Ram was the hellraiser of the 1990s. His shirt always unbuttoned, hair uncombed, a towel around his neck, the Bahujan Samaj party leader was keen to maintain

In the Name of Ram

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:35:13 +0530
It is perhaps symptomatic of the times we live in that a 20 second noisy soundbite will echo far more than a 1200-word reasoned argument. Which is why a

A revolution gone wrong

editor@ibnlive.com — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 12:11:08 +0530
Many years ago, the frenzied search for an elusive soundbite led me to climb a rather perilously shaky electric pole. I clambered with painful desperation in my attempt to enter

Maharashtra: The New Bihar

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 03:58:31 +0530
A journalist friend from Patna was recently transferred to Mumbai. During his many years in Bihar, I often wondered how he coped with a daily dose of murder, kidnapping, death,

Lotus in Crisis

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 01:16:24 +0530
A picture sometimes does tell the story. The photo-op of opposition leaders lining up behind Natwar Singh in parliament was one such moment. That Amar Singh would be in the

Citizen Mumbai

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 02:16:18 +0530
One of Mumbai's principal contributions to popular culture has been the creation of its own vocabulary. The word "bindaas" typifies Mumbai. It means a happy-go-lucky, fearless attitude. It's a spirit

No goal for India

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 01:16:52 +0530
28 years ago, the world cup soccer experience entered my life courtesy the crackle of the radio. Buenos Aires 1978s was the cup of Mario Kempes, the legendary Argentinian with

Prime Time reservation

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 29 May 2006 02:38:14 +0530
Satellite television in India is just over a decade old. 24 hour news networks are the excitable younger siblings of the venerable voices of the broadsheets. Yet today, mutually competitive

My Friend, Mr Mahajan

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 04:38:47 +0530
In the corridors of power, politicians and journalists share a peculiarly incestuous relationship based on mutual need. It's a strategic alliance. The politician "feeds" the journalist with privileged information, the

Sonia's "Sacrifice"

editor@ibnlive.com — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 03:14:53 +0530
In the tele-democracy that we have become, Sonia Gandhi appears to have emerged a clear winner. If sms polls are a barometer of the public mood, then Mrs Gandhi's singular

Southern Discomfort

editor@ibnlive.com — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 06:39:38 +0530
Think about it.. more than 60 per cent of the english speaking audience for television news channels is south of the Vindhyas (atleast thats what the television audience meter ratings

Sting Season !!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:13:06 +0530
In my new avatar, most people who call or sms me to wish a happy holi are usually job-seekers. A few days ago, a young aspiring journalist rang up to

The Face of Intolerance

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 07:53:37 +0530
An editor once told me that he believed his magazine had "arrived" the day two legal notices were slapped against it (no, we're not referring to the editor of Maxim

Amar Chitra Katha

editor@ibnlive.com — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 08:08:58 +0530
You cannot help feeling a little sorry for Samajwadi party leader Mr Amar Singh as he scurries from city to city, from one tv channel to another crying hoarse that

THE NEW JOURNALISM

editor@ibnlive.com — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 08:36:04 +0530
At the risk of sounding ancient, I see myself today as part of the penumbral generation in journalism. We were the guys who joined print, ran around with pad and

Sting In The Tail ......

editor@ibnlive.com — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 07:25:35 +0530
Oh no, not another sting operation.. the cynics were at it again within moments of us airing the stories of netas for sale in Uttar Pradesh. But this wasn't just

The Love of Cricket

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 06:32:26 +0530
I write this while watching the Lahore India-Pak one dayer like millions of other Indians. When you have cricket on air, "news" in the conventional sense seems boring, even irrelevant.

In Search of the Middle Ground

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 06:09:43 +0530
I must confess that I never quite expected the kind of response that the last blog I wrote got. A majority of those who have written in seem to feel

Journalists or Fire-Fighters?

editor@ibnlive.com — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 03:39:22 +0530
The debate over media ethics has never been stronger (and shriller) than it is at the moment. As the "media" becomes a gigantic beast, there has been a growing tendency

A News Channel with a Difference?

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 03:19:21 +0530
Ever since we set off on our journey of discovery on CNN_IBN exactly a month ago, we have received a fair response, the good, the bad and, of course, the

Breaking the big story

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 05:33:01 +0530
A recent survey in the United States suggested that the credibility of journalists was at an all-time low. Its just possible that a survey in this country would throw up

what a weekend

editor@ibnlive.com — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 08:19:02 +0530
At CNN-IBN, we have all the enthusiasm that anyone would if they were dealing with a new born baby. Every day, for us is a new day, a day full

a week on

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 04:30:15 +0530
hi guys.. CNN_IBN is a week old..its been a week ending with some satisfaction. atleast some of you out there are saying that they like the channel.. remember guys, this

Opening stroke

editor@ibnlive.com — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 05:30:19 +0530
It is strange what your 40th birthday does to you. Suddenly, you realise that you aren't a thirty something young urban professional (emphasise on the youth factor, please). The twenty