Honest Mehta’s writing, immense contribution to journalism will be missed

He had to endure a lot of flak and court cases were threatened

I WAS pleasantly surprised to see mention of the death of Vinod Mehta, former editor of The Outlook magazine in India, in yesterday’s newspaper.

Growing up in Bombay in the mid-1970s, as it was called then, VM started his career editing Debonair, the Indian version of Playboy. The centrespread and similar pictures ensured a fair circulation but hardly any respectability. A determined VM, while retaining the pictures, added articles and interviews to add an intellectual and social dimension to Debonair.

It was a huge success: VM had arrived. He moved to editing a string of newspapers, all of which were huge successes, eminently newsworthy and controversial, reporting news without bias.

The letters page became the USP of all the publications he edited. Praise and complimentary letters were binned, but critical and abusive letters were prominently published, encouraging readers to have a go at each other through the letters column. Surveys indicated that most readers read the letters page first!

Indian media then was known by and large to toe the line of the ruling party, the INC. A few publications leant extreme left towards communism. So if one was not inclined to politics, newspapers were a waste of time.

VM created a platform of news in addition, and sometimes without politics, picking up topics from the arts, sport, cricket, films and books, etc.

His reporting was as he saw it, no holds barred – controversial.

This landed him in hot water always, with him inevitably being fired.

By his own admission, he was sacked from all the editorial jobs he held in the first two decades of his career.

His move to New Delhi to launch Outlook was what perhaps defined him, got him national recognition and accepted as an opinion-maker whose views mattered.

India then was dominated by a magazine called India Today (IT), a kind of biweekly clone of Time and Newsweek. IT was doing a good job, had a huge circulation and advertising support, a clear brand and was a market leader.

The first issue of Outlook ran into controversy, with copies being burnt, and as VM writes in his biography it was the best free marketing plug for Outlook.

The magazine grew from strength to strength and was one of the first to expose match-fixing in cricket globally.

That issue was a big hit, the cricketing world took notice and circulation soared.

In 2001, on a whim, I sent him an e-mail, saying that the Indian cricket team was visiting South Africa and there would be a lot of interest in India. I offered to contact a few South African cricket players and explore the possibility of a weekly column.

His sports editor, Soutik Biswas (now with the BBC), contacted me and we offered the column to Pat Symcox.

Symmo played hard, was fearless in taking on the establishment and his writing was identical to his image.

Rather than being a match report, the column focused on what the Indians were not doing right (like Ganguly being lazy in fielding and at practice). The great Tendulkar was not in the best of the form then, Symmo was critical and Outlook published it unedited.

Drama followed in the Test series when match referee Mike Denness accused Tendulkar of ball tampering in PE. Symmo really let loose and wrote what is considered one of the best critiques of the event, titled “Shame On You, Mr Denness, You’re fired” (http://www.outlookindia.com/ art i cle/ Shame-On- You- MrDenness/213892).

VM and Biswas were chuffed, the article created a furore and the letter pages reflected it. The association continued for a couple of years; Symmo bold, VM supporting it without editing or reservations.

I never met VM, but have been a huge fan since his Debonair days. His writing, honesty and outlook made him an icon.

His books are a must-read. Always writing simply, no jargon, anecdotal, fair, brutally honest, self-deprecating was what defined VM.

In 2010 he did an exposé (http:// www.outlookindia.com/article/The-RadiaTapes/268214) on the nexus between big business, politicians, the media and influence peddlers.

The article caused a big stir as Outlook named a few leading media personalities and Indian business tycoons lobbying the government. The credibility of the media was questioned. He had to endure a lot of flak and court cases were threatened, but not much resulted.

Yes, once again VM, by now in his seventies, was shown the door. The proprietors acknowledged his immense contribution to the magazine and journalism in India and insisted he remain as an adviser, though not responsible for editing the magazine any more.

His role was reduced to writing a few columns and his pet, the very interesting The Delhi Diaries.

Apparently he fell ill in December with a lung infection, was in ICU and passed away. I am going to miss his writings and look forward to his last book – the launch of which was delayed due to his ill health.

How can one not like VM, a very unpretentious man who never hid the bachelor’s degree he barely passed third class – and had a dog he called Editor!