As the 2-G Spectrum scam gained momentum over the past few days, I never suspected that it was a Malayali journalist, with whom I had worked in the past, who had unearthed this gargantuan scoop involving an amount close to Rs 2 lakh crore. To tell the truth, I am pleasantly surprised to see that J Gopikrishnan, a colleague when I was with Jaihind TV, has felled Spectrum Raja with his relentless investigative reports.
The titans who lie bleeding from his arrows include Karunanidhi, Anil Ambani, Ratan Tata and Ravi Ruia. Of course, there are bigger fish waiting to be speared, if one goes by the CAG reports and SC comments. (The SC has made an adverse comment on the delay PMO had shown while responding to some letters which detailed specific anomalies in the allotment of 2G licences.) Not only that, his reports made it impossible for Raja to give away licences at his whim and fancy while auctioning the 3-G spectrum. It was done by an EGom, through which the government neted a cool Rs 1 lakh crore.
Back to Gopikrishnan. As his editor Chandan Mitra said, I found him to be a dogged journalist, who was ready to go to any lengths to unravel a story he was after. He had contacts in the right places and knew the news angle perfectly. But the way he talked and reacted (a little bit of swagger and one-upmanship, his detractors might say) made a section of the people talking behind his back, who even used to say that he was too much of a cynic.
But, Gopi Krishnan has made his detractors eat their words. By breaking the biggest scam story in the history of India, he has shown that a committed, persevering journalist can do wonders even in a world where money matters more than anything.
As the electronic media are busy fighting for the credit for exposing the Spectrum Gate, Gopi's heroic efforts in unraveling the murky deals might not get the recognition it deserves. But, he would remain a true champion of fearless journalism for all time to come.
Bravo Gopi! Our nation is indebted to you!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Independence Vs 'Aazadi'
A review of 'Aazadi' by S Mahadevan Thampi
by P Muraleedharan
Till the late '70s, before the eruption of extremist violence in the valley, the name Kashmir evoked a sense of warm happiness and divine beauty in the mind of an average Indian, typified by the Bollywood images of colourful youngwomen selling flowers, sitting on their pretty shikaras floating on the Dal lake. As Persian poet Sheikh Sadie is believed to have said, “If there is any heaven on earth, it is here in Kashmir, in Kashmir in Kashmir only.”
But, all that sense of wellbeing was to be shattered like a sacrificial coconut on a stone slab very soon. What the new generation identifies with Kashmir and its people are religious extremism, hatred and horrible bloodshed as though there never existed peace in the valley post the Indian Independence. (Of course, the valley is changing for the better and it seems, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. But, that feeling would take a little longer to take roots in the minds of people in India in general and in Kashmir in particular.)
It is in this context that S Mahadevan Thampi's novel assumes importance. The fast paced narrative (It couldn't be otherwise!) unfolds through the eyes of PP Menon, a high ranking Malayali civil servant who served the British before Independence and later the Indian government, in Jammu and Kashmir. The nonagenarian gets a call from Baithullah, who wants to meet Menon and his grandson before he breathes his last. Baithullah was an eminent Gandhian and freedom fighter in Kashmir who fought against the British and later, against the extremists from across the border.
Menon could not refuse Baithullah, his intimate friend, his last wish. So, he embarks on a journey from Ottappalam in Kerala to Sona in Kashmir, despite his failing health. He is accompanied by his grandson Hari, who is a DIG in the Special Task Force. This journey can be read at different levels--a journey through the emotional landscape called India, a journey of the country from being a British colony into a Republic, a journey from idealism and high hopes to frustration and despair brought on by our own leaders' narrow-mindedness and helped on by "friends" from across the border.
In Kashmir, Menon is visited by memories from his past at every turn. He fondly recollects his enduring love affair with his wife Parvathy, his secret association with the freedom fighters while working for the British (he was called 'the fighter within' by the Congress leaders) and the way the Indian government's suspicion of Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah sowed the seeds of discontent in Kashmir valley. These were later exploited by Pakistan to fight a proxy war against India, as everybody knows. Thampi provides a captivating account of how things underwent a sea change all of a sudden.
Thampi deftly juxtaposes the Kashmir of yesterday with that of today, with the non-violent struggle for Independence and the horrible, violent war for "aazadi". He asks the all-important question through PP Menon, who believes that they have already won the freedom for the country. He asks indignantly: What freedom? From whom do you want to be free? To do what you want that freedom for? For whom do you want the freedom? He makes it clear that the majority of the people of Kashmir do not want this "aazadi" (freedom). Those who demand it are Pak secessionists who masquerade as Kashmiris. Of course, there are some misguided youths who fall for their heady ideological mix of politics, religious extremism and hatred for India. The novelist is hopeful that they would realize their folly and the nefarious designs of Pakistan much sooner.
Anyway, Menon reaches Kashmir and meets Baithullah in the end. But, no, that is not the end of the novel. A stunningly beautiful climax, which shows the real "Kashmiriat" inspired by Sufi syncretism, awaits us in the end.
A transparent, beautiful prose, which turns lyrical, descriptive, matter of fact or even brutally insensitive as per the situational demand, makes for compelling reading. His descriptions of places and events in Kashmir are so real and picturesque that reading the novel is almost like watching a cinema on Kashmir. The characters are convincing, especially those of the old generation like Deen Dayal and Abu Hamza. The illustrations by Artist Namboodiri heightens the visual feel of the narrative.
In these times, when human rights activists bat for the rights of terrorists who are out to destroy the fabric of peace in societies, it is not at all fashionable to support the State in its efforts to battle extremism. It is here that Mahadevan Thampi deserves praise. A major pitfall of the novel also stems from this: At places, he seems to go overboard in his zeal to justify the deeds of Indian Jawans.
'Aazadi' belongs to a rare genre in Malayalam. The author marries fact with fiction and past with the present to make a beautiful novel.
(Published in the New Indian Express in June 2010)
by P Muraleedharan
Till the late '70s, before the eruption of extremist violence in the valley, the name Kashmir evoked a sense of warm happiness and divine beauty in the mind of an average Indian, typified by the Bollywood images of colourful youngwomen selling flowers, sitting on their pretty shikaras floating on the Dal lake. As Persian poet Sheikh Sadie is believed to have said, “If there is any heaven on earth, it is here in Kashmir, in Kashmir in Kashmir only.”
But, all that sense of wellbeing was to be shattered like a sacrificial coconut on a stone slab very soon. What the new generation identifies with Kashmir and its people are religious extremism, hatred and horrible bloodshed as though there never existed peace in the valley post the Indian Independence. (Of course, the valley is changing for the better and it seems, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. But, that feeling would take a little longer to take roots in the minds of people in India in general and in Kashmir in particular.)
It is in this context that S Mahadevan Thampi's novel assumes importance. The fast paced narrative (It couldn't be otherwise!) unfolds through the eyes of PP Menon, a high ranking Malayali civil servant who served the British before Independence and later the Indian government, in Jammu and Kashmir. The nonagenarian gets a call from Baithullah, who wants to meet Menon and his grandson before he breathes his last. Baithullah was an eminent Gandhian and freedom fighter in Kashmir who fought against the British and later, against the extremists from across the border.
Menon could not refuse Baithullah, his intimate friend, his last wish. So, he embarks on a journey from Ottappalam in Kerala to Sona in Kashmir, despite his failing health. He is accompanied by his grandson Hari, who is a DIG in the Special Task Force. This journey can be read at different levels--a journey through the emotional landscape called India, a journey of the country from being a British colony into a Republic, a journey from idealism and high hopes to frustration and despair brought on by our own leaders' narrow-mindedness and helped on by "friends" from across the border.
In Kashmir, Menon is visited by memories from his past at every turn. He fondly recollects his enduring love affair with his wife Parvathy, his secret association with the freedom fighters while working for the British (he was called 'the fighter within' by the Congress leaders) and the way the Indian government's suspicion of Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah sowed the seeds of discontent in Kashmir valley. These were later exploited by Pakistan to fight a proxy war against India, as everybody knows. Thampi provides a captivating account of how things underwent a sea change all of a sudden.
Thampi deftly juxtaposes the Kashmir of yesterday with that of today, with the non-violent struggle for Independence and the horrible, violent war for "aazadi". He asks the all-important question through PP Menon, who believes that they have already won the freedom for the country. He asks indignantly: What freedom? From whom do you want to be free? To do what you want that freedom for? For whom do you want the freedom? He makes it clear that the majority of the people of Kashmir do not want this "aazadi" (freedom). Those who demand it are Pak secessionists who masquerade as Kashmiris. Of course, there are some misguided youths who fall for their heady ideological mix of politics, religious extremism and hatred for India. The novelist is hopeful that they would realize their folly and the nefarious designs of Pakistan much sooner.
Anyway, Menon reaches Kashmir and meets Baithullah in the end. But, no, that is not the end of the novel. A stunningly beautiful climax, which shows the real "Kashmiriat" inspired by Sufi syncretism, awaits us in the end.
A transparent, beautiful prose, which turns lyrical, descriptive, matter of fact or even brutally insensitive as per the situational demand, makes for compelling reading. His descriptions of places and events in Kashmir are so real and picturesque that reading the novel is almost like watching a cinema on Kashmir. The characters are convincing, especially those of the old generation like Deen Dayal and Abu Hamza. The illustrations by Artist Namboodiri heightens the visual feel of the narrative.
In these times, when human rights activists bat for the rights of terrorists who are out to destroy the fabric of peace in societies, it is not at all fashionable to support the State in its efforts to battle extremism. It is here that Mahadevan Thampi deserves praise. A major pitfall of the novel also stems from this: At places, he seems to go overboard in his zeal to justify the deeds of Indian Jawans.
'Aazadi' belongs to a rare genre in Malayalam. The author marries fact with fiction and past with the present to make a beautiful novel.
(Published in the New Indian Express in June 2010)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)