The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Sense of tolerance is fast vanishing, says Kuldip Nayar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 11, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Sense of tolerance is fast vanishing, says Kuldip Nayar

Staff Reporter

`Journalism is one profession where one can stay independent'

IN CONVERSATION: Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda (left) and veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar at a book release function in Bangalore on Friday. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

BANGALORE: Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar on Friday said politicians were bent upon doing things that could disintegrate the country and regretted that the "glue" which united people was drying up.

He was speaking at the launch of "Scoop," a collection of his articles translated into Kannada since 1948 when he began his career, published by Prajavani group of publications.

"When I crossed the border (into India) in 1947 witnessing the mayhem, I thought tomorrow's India will never know killings in the name of religion. But, my day starts with that now," he said.

`Grey' area

When he was the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, he told the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that a "grey" area bonded Indians when she asked him what bound the country.

But now, the sense of tolerance and the temperament of accommodation were fast vanishing, Mr. Nayar said.

Stating that neither newspapers nor politicians had remained the same, Mr. Nayar said that "demolition" of values, which began in 1969 after the Congress split, still continued. He said, "This is not the India that Mahatma Gandhi and Moulana Abul Kalam had dreamt of. Economic growth in terms of percentage has no significance in the midst of poverty. India has to be rebuilt on Gandhian principles and the onus is on the younger generation."

Stating that he began his career in journalism selling newspapers, Mr. Nayar said that he did not aspire to become a journalist when he completed his law degree in Sialkot (now in Pakistan).

Independent

"This (journalism) is one field where I am able to say what I want to." "Journalism is one profession where one can stay independent," Mr. Nayar told budding journalists who were present on the occasion.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who released the book, said that the country needed more people like Mr. Nayar to safeguard the rights of the poor and protect the hard-earned freedom.

"Though I too have been at the receiving end of his criticism on various occasions and often I had disagreed with his views, I have always admired him for his forthrightness and noble intentions," the former Prime Minister said.

"Mr. Nayar is among the few senior journalists and columnists, including N. Ram, Malini Parthasarathy, Arun Shourie, B.G. Verghese, Harish Khare and T.V.R. Shenoy, who have not compromised with the eternal principles of freedom, liberty, truth and justice which have guided the fourth, and perhaps, the most important pillar of democracy," Mr. Gowda said.

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