The Hindu : National : A guiding force for young journalists

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Saturday, Nov 07, 2009
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National

A guiding force for young journalists

Vijay Lokapally

New Delhi: Prabhash Joshi was a revered figure in the press box. He was at his best in the company of youngsters, especially when sharing his vast experience of interaction with cricketers. He always made it a point to make young cricket reporters comfortable and would be the first to greet them with an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

From Mushtaq Ali to Sachin Tendulkar, he commanded respect from all. Senior cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi and Kapil Dev valued his views on the game. “It was always a pleasure to listen to his opinion. His knowledge of the game was deep and unquestionable. I knew him from my formative years and have always preserved his encouraging write-ups. I am shocked at his death and my heart goes out to the family,” said Kapil Dev.

He would have words of encouragement with an early morning call to record his appreciation of good work. He would go out of the way to reach out to the scribe and convey his joy. “I like it when a young journalist does good work. It means the game would not suffer from bad writing,” he would say.

Cricket was very dear to Mr. Joshi. Often he would enquire about young talent. Unqualified criticism would put him off because he was known to be a superb judge of the game.

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