Digvijay Singh, ICH scribes are not Chintak

Last week Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh was in Bhopal and, as it happened quite often whenever he was in town in the last one and half decade, he came to the Indian coffee house for informal chit-chat with journalists over coffee and snacks. He had started the practice when he was the state’s chief minister.  His stated purpose for visiting the coffee house has been to meet an old friend, ND Sharma, a veteran journalist, who retired from Indian Express in 1999. ND Sharma is a sort of patriarch among the journalists who frequent the coffee house.           

But this time things were different. For one, despite knowing that we, the regulars, leave the place before 1 PM, Digvijay Singh chose to come a little later. For another, unlike in the past, he did not inform any of us including ND Sharma in advance about his arrival. Quite a few other journalists, who would flock the coffee house only when the former chief minister went there, were duly intimated. This took the regulars by surprise.  They sensed Singh’s impending arrival through a trickle of the non-regulars. Any way, we left the coffee house at our usual time of departure.  

Digvijay Singh came and inquired about ND Sharma. A Congress worker promptly called Sharma on phone at home (the septuagenarian journalist does not keep mobile).  Sharma politely declined to return. Digvijay promised to revisit the coffee house next day on usual meeting time at 12.

As promised, the Congress leader came to the coffee house, albeit a good 40 minutes late. This time no non-regular scribes were around.  As we greeted Digvijay Singh, he rather wryly remarked,” Mujhe Bataya Gaya Hai Ki Yanha To Ab Chintak Log Baithte Hai. Aise Log Jo Ab journalism Me Nahi Rahe. Mai Soch Raha Tha Ki Ab Aau Ya Nahi Aau .(  I am told that now only thinkers sit here, the kind of people who are no longer in journalism. I was in dilemma whether to come here or not). His remark took us by surprise. Who was his barb directed at?  Who described us as Chintak ? Rasheed Kidwai (associated editor, the Telegraph ) sought to play down the remark by a repartee , “ Chintak To Banna Pad Raha Hai, Congress Ke Bhavishya Par Chintan Karane Ke Liye ( we are forced to be thinker to think about future of the Congress).  But Digvijay Singh was not amused. He looked uncharacteristically sombre that day. The usual bonhomie was missing. He drank a coffee and left the place in 10 minutes.  His younger brother Laxman Singh and son Jaivardhan Singh also accompanied him. Many Congressmen were waiting for him outside.

We surmised for a while what may have provoked Digvijay Singh’s sarcastic comment.  ND Sharma dismissed it as usual canard spreading about the “Coffee house gang” by some journalists.  He recalled an anecdote as to how a senior journalist, who he had offered on phone to meet at the coffee house , petulantly refused to do so, saying that is a place of backbiters.  The matter ended there.

But, to me, it did not end there.  Digvijay Singh’s sarcasm set me thinking why people in the journalist fraternity in Bhopal have so many misgivings about the”gang”.  Which one of us is so nasty that the “gang” evokes so much revulsion in certain quarters?  Can it be put down to usual jealousies among the journalists? But jealousy for what?  None of us is either influence-peddler or influential enough to warrant spying from the government.  None of us is either capable of or inclined to moulding opinions in the press for or against any particular political party. It is just that we sit for less than an hour, have coffee or tea on soldier payment, exchange ideas and jokes and push off. Nothing that transpires in the coffee house weighs down in our mid to affect our usual journalistic work. Each one does his job in his own way. That is how the “gang” has sustained its bonding for over two decades, though its composition has kept changing.