‘A bombshell story that brought down Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.'
The Bofors exposé by N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, on corruption in the purchase of Swedish howitzers features in the list of 50 great stories by the alumni of the Columbia Journalism School in the U.S.
Click here for a .pdf of the front page of The Hindu, October 1989
In its tribute to the investigative journalism that helped expose the deal from 1988 onwards, the Columbia J-School states that Mr. Ram was “instrumental in breaking the Bofors scandal, a bombshell story about corruption in military spending that brought down Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and changed the course of Indian politics.”
Mr. Ram graduated from Columbia in 1968.
The J-School, which features exhaustive information on each of the 50 stories on its website, highlighted an October 9, 1989 story by Mr. Ram and Chitra Subramaniam in The Hindu which laid out “evidence of a qualitatively new, unimpeachable kind…” that nailed Bofors' claims that “no Indians” had been paid in connection with the contract.
Fulfilling Pulitzer's dream
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, which compiled the list to kick-start its centennial celebrations, has hailed the 50 chosen stories for demonstrating both “the historic sweep of Columbia journalists' work, as well as their curiosity, courage, compassion, diversity, persistence and versatility.” One of Joseph Pulitzer's great hopes for the J-School was that its alumni would educate and uplift the public with outstanding journalism, it said. “After a hundred years, it's fair to say that his dream has been fulfilled —and then some.”
Mr. Ram's investigative reports sit alongside other remarkable pieces of journalism such as the war reports by Carl Ackerman, among the earliest graduates of the Journalism School, Merryle Stanley Rukeyser's insightful writing on the Great Depression, reportage on the fall of the USSR by Stuart Loory of CNN and Ann Imse, Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press, and more recently Rawya Rageh, reporting on the Arab Spring uprising in Egypt for Al Jazeera in 2011. In creating such a list, the Columbia Journalism School acknowledges that while this was by no means a list of these journalists' “best” work, it was a representative snapshot of their achievements over the past century.
A note on the J-School's website said the collection was compiled by “culling the school's archives, researching the recipients of a wide array of journalism prizes, consulting with colleagues and scouring some of the best journalism ever produced. Then, we enlisted our faculty and a group of distinguished judges to vote for their favourites.” A second list of 50 stories would be announced later and “will help bring the Centennial to a close.”
It said the term “story” was used loosely: “in some cases the entry is for a single work, and in other instances the entry is a more panoramic subject to which the journalist made a significant contribution.”
Keywords: Columbia University, N. Ram, Bofors scandal, 50 Great Stories
Congratulations N.Ram and The Hindu for this great achievement.Hats off to you..
Magnum Opus deed, indeed! Sh. N. Ram and of course Chitra Ji who imparted the hard gathered objective evidences that proved to be more than a bombshell changed the direction and momentum of our politics then after. Jumping into the fire like work it was but in the high interest of the country. Sacrificial, tough in-tent and univocal thoughts might have needed to print it out.
Sincere thanks goes to Columbia University for selecting the well-deserved ever inspiring story of Bofors Scandal by Sh. Ram and team. How honest and brave the university is in selecting the Bofors Scandal in "list of 50" in contrary to our think tanks who hardly thought of honoring like that.
Sh. N. Ram and Chitra Ji and the whole team shall be remembered by the coming generation as an inspiration for their chastity, unbiased, courageous and heroic work! Integrity and Respect of "The Hindu" shoot up exponentially in the wake of that report.
Investigative journalism had taken a purposeful rebirth with the then starling revelations made in Bofors deal by N.Ram and Chitra Subramanian that not only rocked the whole nation, but also was catalistic in the change of guard. The Congress govt,which was caught in cleft wood is now seen crossing its fingers with the new can of worms opened by Bofor's Deep Throat Sten Lindstorm. Of course, we are used to the lung power of the spin managers of the ruling party who would not shy away to deny,circumvent,defend,and feign ignorance over the episode,screened way back in 1989 by the duo N.Ram and Chitra Subramanian.
congratulations to Mr.N.Ram and Chitra Subramaniam to get the recognition for reporting the BOFORS Scandal. we should really appreciate Chitra Subramaniam for her work ,all the documentary evidence provided by her made the reporting by HINDU as the most reliable and unbiased but also made the SWISS authorities to handover the secret bank documents to indian government.
The world has acknowledged the story, but where it matters, it stands no good. None held accountable or guilty. Sad state of affairs. While we are one of the greatest democracies presently we are also one of the worst when it comes to prosecuting the accused. We seem to do everything right up to the point finding of minute details of the case but when it comes to nailing the guilty we falter like none other.
Congrats Mr. Ram long live people of your ilk.
Mr Ram's story still remains as a story.In India prosecution in all scandals remain farce. The offender of the crime of this type is no small but 'big'. With the money he/she loots buy the prosecution with the help of lawyers.Public with poor memory always loose track of the case.In the years to come public will come across so many economic offenses and violation of moral codes due to liberalization.Newspapers will not have sufficient columns to report the same.
Congratulations to Mr. N.Ram for international recognition for outstanding effort which exposed the Indian leadership at the hardest times of Indian Political History and The Hindu for keeping up high quality of reporting and standing all the way for fair and impartial reporting. The article is truly inspiring for the future generation of journalist's who is in the hot pursuit for Truth !!
Congratulations to N Ram for selecting his story. Still parties, politicians, Medias and governments talking about Bofors and exposed then PM link to deal is not an easy job as normally journalist (that time) fear to touch first family of Indian politics but he revealed the facts with evidence. Really its true honor to an Indian journalist at internationally reputed journalism school and certainly in the present journalism he is the one commands huge respect among all walks of life to reader for maintained highest degree of honesty, integrity and factual journalism.
what a story , it shaked the government in a single day, before this none from the fourth pillar of democracy raised hue of such intensity. the hindu highlighted the controversial bofors deal, one of the first controversial deals to hit the army.it was hindu which showed the way for the stings to come later.
I heartily congratulate Mr N Ram. I was a student when this story was published in the Hindu. I would say this story in many ways helped the moral angst in the Indian public against dynastic arrogance and feeling of impunity even in the light of serious transgressions of the Congress establishment fructify in the next elections. I have disagreed with the editorial stand of the Hindu on many issues but I have always read with respect and a sense of pride of having been a reader since I learnt the alphabet. And that is for almost 39 years; Kudos to Mr Ram.
Congrats on this story making to the list. Bofors remains one of the most prominent corruption scandals that remain in popular memory though the numbers are miniscule compared to current scandals.
Dear sir People are expecting similar kind of stories. A story should be both investigative and constructive in nature. Let us hope the fourth estate will live upto the expectations of the common man.
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