Book: A Slice Of Life

Author: P K Ravindranath
Publisher:

At the outset I have to reveal that I have known P K Ravindranath, the author of the book under review, for more than a decade and I consider him as not just a journalist friend or a mentor but a father-like figure. This situation is both an advantage and a disadvantage for a reviewer.
Ravindranath needs no introduction to avid readers of Indian and Malayalam newspapers. Nevertheless, I am obliged to introduce him, if in case. He became a journalist in 1952 when he joined The Free Press Journal; he worked with Mathrubhumi and The Times of India (1955-76). Later he became the press advisor to the chief minister (Sharad Pawar) of Maharashtra and his last stint was as director (publications), Nehru Centre, Mumbai.
Apart from being a successful journalist, Ravindranath is a writer of repute. His books in English include Sardar Patel: In A New Perspective, Chandrasekhar: A Political Biography and Sharad Pawar: The Making Of A Modern Maratha. He has translated numerous outstanding Malayalam works into English. These include Neighbours (Keshav Dev), An Adult In New York and Arab Gold (both by M T Vasudevan Nair), and Second Turn (Nair and N P Muhamed).
Now, People`s Art Centre, Mumbai, has come out with a collection of about 70 articles written by Ravindranath in various national and international journals for over a period of 50 years. One could even call it `Ravindranath Retrospective,` though I recall that the volume, titled A Slice Of Life, does not carry some his best writings that I have read in the last 15 years. Nevertheless, the effort is praise-worthy.
In the not-so-intelligent preface of the book, senior journalist and columnist M V Kamath, who has known Ravindranath for half a century, says the collection reads like a novel. It is not true. The book may, at the most, read like a collection of short stories, but, frankly, it is a set of pieces that describes the then events, happenings and people, written for a pure journalistic reason.
Many in the business of publishing argue that collecting and publishing a book like this only interests the author and his friends. Which is normally true. In fact, the book in question has so far been read by Ravindranath`s friends and old colleagues and not by the common public; and I am yet to see a review of the book in any print or electronic media. This is sad, as this rare collection is not an egoistic trip by a journalist-writer. The book is a mirror of the ever-changing phase of Indian journalism, culture, society and politics.
I did read the book from cover to cover in one sitting, which is rare. Not because, as I told you earlier, I know Ravindranath quite well, but because of what he says — in a lucid and frank fashion. Ravindranath`s writing may not be world-class (the language is unpolished at various places, but, then, polishing is the job of a good copy editor, whose absence is severely felt), but what he says makes perfect sense — almost always.
Sample one (quoted by Kamath too in his preface): 'Each newspaper and journal has its own favourite set of columnists churning out their 600-word pieces week after week. They pick up cues from each other or from the day`s headlines to dish out their say. Anything new or fresh in what they say? Wade your way through the haystacks to look for the proverbial needle.' Did Kamath squirm when he read this? I need to ask him.
One good quality of this collection is that it is neatly divided into several sections: Personalities, Reporting Riots, Investigation, History, Perception, Travel, The Arts, Events and Review. And what is of particular interest to someone like me who is fond of reading the history of Indian journalism is that the book offers several anecdotes of larger-than-life editors with whom Ravindranath had the fortune to work under.
Ravindranath`s interaction with the fearless S Sadanand, the legendary editor-proprietor of The Free Press Journal, is one interesting story. Sadanand was apparently pissed off by seeing Ravindranath sporting a beard and had to tell the cub reporter: 'Take it off. I don`t like it.' Had Ravindranath disobeyed him, Sadanand, known for his brutal hire-and-fire policy, might have shown him the door.
Despite being poorly printed (reader-unfriendly font, pathetic cover, bad binding) the book is a must-read for both journalism students and aficionados. And, yes, all of Ravindranath`s friends and acquaintances too need to read this (in case they haven`t) — and I know for sure that they comprise a large number.