An outstanding journalist and a generous friend

SUNIL JAIN (1963-2021)

It was a particularly stressful night at the Express Building at Delhi’s Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. There was a massive power failure just minutes before the newspaper was supposed to go for printing and some final touches were still needed. I, then with the Financial Express in Delhi (1998), was nervous. In came Sunil Jain, then the business editor of the Indian Express, a sister publication. “Don’t lose hope, yaar. Have you ever seen any newspaper not hitting the stands due to a power failure in office?” he said with a big smile on his face. The tension just melted away, and we had a good laugh.

I was lucky to have had many opportunities to learn from his wisdom and sharp intellect, as he kept coming to the FE newsroom in the evenings just to debate and discuss the important business events of the day. Those discussions and the subsequent ones over many years were lively as Sunil was certainly not a man of few words — neither at the professional nor personal level.

Just when everyone was saying that Sunil was recovering as he had been taken off the ventilator at the AIIMS emergency room, I was relieved but something in me rankled. Reason: His last tweet on May 3 this year that said, “Breathing but just that close to letting go. Can’t take it anymore. Docs have no solution either…”

When a man as optimistic and as full of life as Sunil writes this, your heart skips a beat. But as subsequent messages from some of his well-wishers kept saying that his situation was steadily improving, and he replied promptly with a namaste sign when I enquired about his health just a few days ago, that initial concern of mine seemed an over-reaction — until Saturday evening when his close ones tweeted that he was no more.

I got an opportunity to work together with Sunil in the same organisation when he joined Business Standard as the Opinion Page Editor in 2002. That Sunil was an outstanding journalist and one of the finest economic writers was evident from his weekly “Rational Expectations” columns in and later in the Financial Express where he was the Managing Editor. His write-ups on telecom, for example, didn’t endear him or Business Standard to some influential people in the government and the industry at that time but they were masterpieces and helped demystify the scam.

Many readers will get a sense of déjà vu if they read his columns written many years ago on some of the country’s regulators — how even a “good” regulator would have no option but to give a bad judgement given the framework. For example, several of the legislations say if the regulator steps out of line, the government of the day has the power to remove him/her before his/her term comes to an end after just an internal inquiry! The columns created quite a stir but Sunil as usual remained unfazed. Backed by excellent analytical skills, he never shied away from calling a spade a spade.

He was a generous friend as well — though he moved on from Business Standard 11 years ago, he never forgot to call to wish me (I believe the same was with his other friends) on my birthday. For him, no shortcuts such as a Whatsapp or SMS for something so personal. For me, he was always a giver in friendship. I remember when we went to Pakistan together in November 1997 to cover the opening of the first expressway between Lahore and Karachi. On the second day of our trip, one of the Indian journalists left his wallet in his hotel room in Lahore and Sunil convinced our hosts in Pakistan to go all the way back to Lahore (a 25-km trip) so that the friend was not inconvenienced; remember, there were no instant money transfers those days. We were told the driver ignored the strict security protocol reserved for Indians in that country. What better example of Sunil being a master in the art of convincing people and making friends.

It’s difficult to come to terms with the untimely passing away of such a dear friend. I have never forgotten his “Don’t lose hope, yaar” comment made many moons ago. But let me admit today — it’s damn difficult not to lose hope when one hears something as devastating as this. Covid-19 has left a permanent scar indeed.

His write-ups on telecom didn’t endear him or BS to some influential people in the government and the industry at that time but they were masterpieces and helped demystify the scam