Weak foundation of English journalism in MP ( 2)

Weak foundation of English journalism in MP ( 2)  

In the previous blog I briefly attempted to put across the point as to how weak foundation put paid to future of English journalism in MP. I am picking up the thread where I left.

By eighties, Hindi newspapers had started transforming themselves- both in content and form. Offset technology coupled with the advent of computer brought about huge technological revolution. Nai Dunia (Indore) and Bhaskar (Bhopal) were the frontrunners in adopting the new technologies. They also improved contents.

Nav Bharat, on the other hand, remained smugly slow in adapting itself to the changes sweeping the brave new world. But brand equity of Nav Bharat was still strong enough to keep it ahead of others, notwithstanding the paper’s slow progress.

At national level, the English newspapers were vying with one another in leveraging the technologies to increase their circulations.

In contrast, the two English newspapers –MP Chronicle and Hitavada—remained insular to the changes. They lost out fast to Hindi newspapers in production quality. They also deteriorated in contents.

VC Shukla’s fluctuating political fortunes had an adverse bearing on Hitavada. A paper founded by Servant of India Society of Gopal Krishna Gokhle was sold to an upstart Sardarji with dubious financial antecedents.

Paper’s downhill journey didn’t stop here. As the paper was in the doldrums, a feisty public relation department officer bought its title. A tragi-comic series of events ensued. The staff would neither quit nor work. As salaries were hard to come by, the PRO-turned- owner faced the humiliation of his house being gheraoed and filthy slogans being raised against him.

Many a time he was literally reduced to tears. His misadventure cost him dear both in reputation and in finance. The paper finally sunk without trace.

The MP Chronicle continued to live up to its notoriety of being a badly produced and howler-packed newspaper. Since Nav Bharat group’s flagship itself was on the decline, MP Chronicle, the poor cousin, could not have expected any kind attention from the owners. 

Meanwhile, Free Press Journal, Bombay, launched its edition from Indore in 1982. An apocryphal story about its launch from Indore suggests that the paper owed its birth in Indore to an injured ego of a rich man. The story goes like this.

A close relative of JK Karnani, owner of the Free Press Journal, had gone to meet the then Indore collector. He was made to wait for a long time while in the meantime owner of a big Hindi newspaper was respectfully ushered in the collector’s cabin.

The relative was stung by his perceived humiliation and thought that owning a newspaper is an easy way to win a collector’s respect. He persuaded Karnani to launch Free Press Journal from Indore.

I am not sure about veracity of the story but this much is sure that Free Press Journal in its initial days was much superior to the Hitavada and MP Chronicle. It had professional and qualified editors, though they too did not take much interest in improving language in the paper.

However, the Free Press Journal’s fearless and no-holds-barred presentation of reports endeared it to the readers who had not seen such courage in the older English papers. But the Free Press too started losing credibility, owing largely to its two Bihari managers’ obsession with hiring and firing journalists.  

In mid-eighties, Bhaskar group launched Daily Bhaskar. The launch was impressive and held promise for welcome change in the English journalism scenario.

It hired well respected N Rajan to edit the paper from Hitavada. Late Rajan sir was diligent, sharp and intellectually well –equipped. But, unfortunately, he had an insipid team. Some brilliant reporters like Bharat Desai joined and quit the paper but the deadwoods stayed put and stymied any prospects of the paper making a difference in the scenario.

N Rajan bore them along with unenviable patience. But how long could one man carry the paper on his frail shoulders? The paper started to fade.

After a while it was renamed National Mail. But the change proved only cosmetic. Dr Suresh Mehrotra succeeded N Rajan in 1993. Dr Sahab, with all his harmlessness and wide contacts, suffered from a basic flaw. Language was his Achilles Heel.

I and Mohammad Nasir joined the National Mail soon after Dr Mehrotra took over. The paper began to be noticed. We were euphoric. The management also got interested in promoting the paper.

However, the euphoria proved short-lived. Dr Sahab’s fundamental flaws in leading a team like a professional overwhelmed whatever fame or notoriety the paper had initially earned. I and Nasir got disillusioned.

He quit and I was sidelined. Mediocrity had the field day. In 1999, a few months after I quit National Mail, the paper was folded up.

In next blog, I will try to tell how the launch of first national daily –Hindustan Times-- rekindled hopes  of  putting Bhopal on national map of English journalism and how the hopes were dashed.