Working with Vinod Mehta
Having worked closely with Vinod Mehta in The Pioneer, I found him an enjoyable editor full of mirth and highly "A grade" jokes during the evening editorial meetings. He was brutally frank about stories that were fit or unfit to appear in the newspaper. He had that debonair's eye in picking glam pictures bordering on semi-nude to pin-up models for page 1 and on foreign pages, and frankly no patience and inclination in trying to understand economic stories in those days. His grasp over political stories was shaky during his Pioneer innings and was guided by other colleagues about the importance of it. He was equally foul-mouthed in his own "spirited outbursts" when mistakes occurred and I was the "chosen one" on more than one occasion!
The only weakness he had then was his limited concentration on story selection, and his attention span was only for a few seconds on the merit of a story, mainly I suspected because of his ill health. He later underwent a heart bypass surgery in the 1990s and launched Outlook after his exit from The Pioneer. The magazine has witnessed a sea change in content and substance and I would not hesitate to say that his views, though caustic and at times impulsive, are worth listening in every TV show. He is undoubtedly an unconventional editor and mixes freely with all age groups. His open admiration for the 10 Janpath family stems more from his unflinching secular ideals, though for the Congress, these ideals are best used for political dividends. – V Sriharsha
DDLJ, the film that made rebellion uncool
Really? That's what you got from such an iconic and fun movie? I was a kid when I watched the movie, but I love watching it over and over again. I love the music, the love they share. Yes, it is unrealistic, but isn't it fun to get out of monotony and watch something nice for a change? Watch a movie like this for fun. There are so many documentaries that depict real life, watch those for the messages. This is reel life. Just take bits and pieces out of them. Hope you don't blame the movie Ye Jawani Hai Deewani for this generation next. – Raji Sarath
Indian marriage laws are biased against men
I would first like to congratulate [Sanjay Hegde] for such a nice, thoughtful article about a cornered topic. I totally agree with your views about how Indian marriage laws are gender-biased and ask a man to work and take responsibility for his parents, wife, kids, etc. and stake his finances and social life. I believe such laws shouldn't be amended but discarded immediately. I hope your views go straight into the minds of lawmakers and India gets its neutral laws soon, which provide justice to citizens. – Santosh Patil
Women don't have it easy when marriages fail
It is agreed that the burden [of divorce where a marriage has irretrievably broken down] is only being put on the man, whereas it should be squarely on both, but keep in mind millions of women suffering from deprivation in the current scenario and the media have been silent. I would also point out that a man can always get married again whatever his age, but a woman cannot and thus needs protection and provision from the spouse. Also, most of the time the man leaves the wife and kids without providing for the children. This law makes it mandatory for the father to provide enough for the family and fulfill his responsibilities. As it stands, most men do not provide for the kids despite the courts ordering them to do so. Women have no recourse to get the orders implemented as the police favour the men. I know of lots of such cases personally. – Hariveen Nain
Why is the burden not distributed equally
I read your article about the introduction of the Marriage Amendment Bill. I am very surprised to see that only the man has to bear the financial burden of his wife even if the marriage lasted for a week and her father has nothing to do. Take my example. My wife is earning a very handsome salary but I was not aware that her father doesn't earn anything. So she wanted to share her salary with her father, which was not acceptable to me. I said it'd be better if you divorced me and take care of your father. Now, I want to ask our law minister this: when my wife knew that her father doesn't earn anything and he needs money from his daughter, how could she get married without telling me about her father? I know that she can give her salary to anyone, but then why is the husband required to give his property to his wife who is not loyal to her husband? – Simen Moses
Raja Mahendra Pratap built bridges between nations
He sounds like a man who was several decades ahead of his time, truly a man of vision, learning and goodwill. Such a man deserves to be remembered and honoured for the good he did, not to have celebrations commemorating his achievements disrupted by political bickering. Perhaps an assessment of his role in building bridges between nations is in order. I was struck by this coincidence while reading the article: just as, a hundred years ago, Indians striving for independence had sought refuge in Afghanistan, so too now we see Afghans coming to India, to learn, to heal. – Devani Khanna
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Having worked closely with Vinod Mehta in The Pioneer, I found him an enjoyable editor full of mirth and highly "A grade" jokes during the evening editorial meetings. He was brutally frank about stories that were fit or unfit to appear in the newspaper. He had that debonair's eye in picking glam pictures bordering on semi-nude to pin-up models for page 1 and on foreign pages, and frankly no patience and inclination in trying to understand economic stories in those days. His grasp over political stories was shaky during his Pioneer innings and was guided by other colleagues about the importance of it. He was equally foul-mouthed in his own "spirited outbursts" when mistakes occurred and I was the "chosen one" on more than one occasion!
The only weakness he had then was his limited concentration on story selection, and his attention span was only for a few seconds on the merit of a story, mainly I suspected because of his ill health. He later underwent a heart bypass surgery in the 1990s and launched Outlook after his exit from The Pioneer. The magazine has witnessed a sea change in content and substance and I would not hesitate to say that his views, though caustic and at times impulsive, are worth listening in every TV show. He is undoubtedly an unconventional editor and mixes freely with all age groups. His open admiration for the 10 Janpath family stems more from his unflinching secular ideals, though for the Congress, these ideals are best used for political dividends. – V Sriharsha
DDLJ, the film that made rebellion uncool
Really? That's what you got from such an iconic and fun movie? I was a kid when I watched the movie, but I love watching it over and over again. I love the music, the love they share. Yes, it is unrealistic, but isn't it fun to get out of monotony and watch something nice for a change? Watch a movie like this for fun. There are so many documentaries that depict real life, watch those for the messages. This is reel life. Just take bits and pieces out of them. Hope you don't blame the movie Ye Jawani Hai Deewani for this generation next. – Raji Sarath
Indian marriage laws are biased against men
I would first like to congratulate [Sanjay Hegde] for such a nice, thoughtful article about a cornered topic. I totally agree with your views about how Indian marriage laws are gender-biased and ask a man to work and take responsibility for his parents, wife, kids, etc. and stake his finances and social life. I believe such laws shouldn't be amended but discarded immediately. I hope your views go straight into the minds of lawmakers and India gets its neutral laws soon, which provide justice to citizens. – Santosh Patil
Women don't have it easy when marriages fail
It is agreed that the burden [of divorce where a marriage has irretrievably broken down] is only being put on the man, whereas it should be squarely on both, but keep in mind millions of women suffering from deprivation in the current scenario and the media have been silent. I would also point out that a man can always get married again whatever his age, but a woman cannot and thus needs protection and provision from the spouse. Also, most of the time the man leaves the wife and kids without providing for the children. This law makes it mandatory for the father to provide enough for the family and fulfill his responsibilities. As it stands, most men do not provide for the kids despite the courts ordering them to do so. Women have no recourse to get the orders implemented as the police favour the men. I know of lots of such cases personally. – Hariveen Nain
Why is the burden not distributed equally
I read your article about the introduction of the Marriage Amendment Bill. I am very surprised to see that only the man has to bear the financial burden of his wife even if the marriage lasted for a week and her father has nothing to do. Take my example. My wife is earning a very handsome salary but I was not aware that her father doesn't earn anything. So she wanted to share her salary with her father, which was not acceptable to me. I said it'd be better if you divorced me and take care of your father. Now, I want to ask our law minister this: when my wife knew that her father doesn't earn anything and he needs money from his daughter, how could she get married without telling me about her father? I know that she can give her salary to anyone, but then why is the husband required to give his property to his wife who is not loyal to her husband? – Simen Moses
Raja Mahendra Pratap built bridges between nations
He sounds like a man who was several decades ahead of his time, truly a man of vision, learning and goodwill. Such a man deserves to be remembered and honoured for the good he did, not to have celebrations commemorating his achievements disrupted by political bickering. Perhaps an assessment of his role in building bridges between nations is in order. I was struck by this coincidence while reading the article: just as, a hundred years ago, Indians striving for independence had sought refuge in Afghanistan, so too now we see Afghans coming to India, to learn, to heal. – Devani Khanna
