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He Was, By All Accounts, The Last Of The Gentlemen Editors

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He Was, By All Accounts, The Last Of The Gentlemen Editors

~By Saeed Naqvi

These are such desperate times for journalism that S. Nihal Singh’s departure at 89, triggers memories about a phase in the profession that dreams are made of.

My personal journalistic trajectory trailed his rather closely. He was The Statesman’s Special Correspondent in Singapore when I entered the portals of that once great newspaper as a cub reporter.

I was, in fact, following Nihal’s footsteps because this was how he entered the profession a decade earlier – as a cub reporter. There were no schools of journalism then, but we received training of exactly the thoroughness which our respective letters of appointment had promised:

“We do not guarantee you employment at the end of the six month training period, but the training you will have received here will enable you to find work elsewhere.” It remained something of a puzzle why the pocket money Nihal was offered during the training period was infinitely higher than mine which was a meagre Rs.300 per month.

Like most of us who entered the profession after him, Nihal covered New Delhi courts, Tis Hazari courts, Municipal Corporation, Delhi State Assembly, Police Commissioner, Chief Minister. The drill of dwelling on nodal points of governance and power, moving upwards in measured step, imparted to the journalist that most precious of attitudes: an indifference to power, an ability not to be overawed.

He Was, By All Accounts, The Last Of The Gentlemen Editors

As the profession expanded behavioural contrasts magnified. Untrained entrants at senior levels, who had romanticized political power from a distance, became unsteady on their feet because they found corridors of power too heady. A sense of balance was a frequent casualty.

This is where Nihal could not go wrong. In 1982, when the nation was convulsed by the Meenakshipuram conversions, Nihal, then Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Express, sent a teleprinter message to me in Madras where I was then posted as editor of five southern editions: “urgently need 700 words on Meenakshipuram.”

I put on my ultra-balanced hat and churned out the required wordage. It was a typical “while on the one hand” but “on the other” piece. Muslims shouldn’t be upto these tricks and Hindus shouldn’t get too excited. I mentioned “structural violence” in the Hindu social order: this was sacriledge and Nihal let it pass. Unaware of the gathering storm, he thanked me for having responded promptly.

What followed took him and me by surprise. We were both completely out of touch with the strength of feelings on the issue. Indeed, a certain indifference to religion which a whole generation cultivated as Nehruvian secularism was being jettisoned and we found ourselves flat footed.

After a brilliant career with the IAS and having established himself as a scholar of the Indus Valley script, Iravatham Mahadevan, had taken up a job as Executive Manager of the Indian Express’s southern editions. After reading my edit, he came charging to my room in a state of high agitation. “How could you have done it?” He looked at me in a daze, blabbering like someone in a motor accident. “How could you have done it?” I learnt later he was from the RSS, shakhas et al. I commend to the RSS to keep more Mahadevans in its stable. He was exceptionally erudite on subjects of his choice.

In the Express compound, in Hick’s bungalow, Ramnath Goenka was bringing the ceiling down: “Hindu Kahan Javey?” (Where should the Hindus go?) “Tum to Makkay chale jaao; Hindu kahan javey?” (You can go to Mecca, but where should the Hindu go?)

He commandeered his chartered accountant, S. Gurumurthy, senior RSS functionary, to write a rejoinder to my editorial. My “balanced” approach to Meenakshipuram, it transpired, was misplaced.

It was now Nihal’s turn to face the music. The piece, authored by Gurumurthy, arrived at his desk in New Delhi. His job as Editor was on the line. What should he do? But Nihal did what he had learnt in The Statesman. In a newspaper, the prerogative for taking editorial decision rests with the editor. He consigned the article to the waste paper basket. Ramnath Goenka too was a larger than life publisher. He allowed his Editor’s line to prevail. But separation was clearly on the cards; they belonged to different cultures.

So did S. Mulgaonkar “apparently” belong to another culture but he was both, a craftier man and a finer writer. In the projection of his image, Mulgaonkar was exactly Nihal’s opposite. Never having been to school, Mulgaonkar cultivated all the airs of English aristocracy. He was adept at bridge, horse racing, angling, and, believe it or not, keeping Oxford and Cambridge cricket scores. He was a gourmet cook, a fad for which he cultivated junior French diplomats as sources for herbs and white wine. All of this impressed the Marwari in RNG. Once an editor, devoted to the amber stuff, looked at his watch and dropped an obvious hint: “I suppose I will not get a drink here.” Pat came the reply from RNG “I keep, but only for English people.”

Nihal had no aristocratic pretenses of a Mulgaonkar. He was content with his buffalo undercut, marinated in garlic and pepper, roast potatoes and Dujon mustard on the side. He called it beef fillet. The Dujon, rather than English mustard was in deference to his warm hearted Dutch wife, Ge. He had first come to know her when she was a young KLM hostess. I remember him flaunt his European affiliation before friends in London: “I prefer the continent”, he would say with a sort of flat, ineffective pomp.

His understanding of politics and International affairs was uncomplicated. He made up in clarity what he lacked in deep insight. He was, by habit, a perfect gentleman.

It was a mistake, I believe, for both Pran Chopra and Nihal Singh to be parked respectively in Kolkata as editors of The Statesman. The only Punjabi that Bengal has ever tolerated was K.L. Sehgal in New Theatre cinema. This elicited no more than a smile from Nihal.

India News

Bank holidays April 2023: Banks to be closed for 15 days next month, check state-wise bank holiday list here

With the new financial year starting on April 1, major changes are anticipated as these changes are connected to money and banks.

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Bank holidays April 2023

April is just a few weeks ago and with the new financial year starting on April 1, major changes are anticipated as these changes are connected to money and banks.

As per the Reserve Bank of India’s calendar, all public and private banks will remain shut for 15 days in April 2023 for multiple festivals and occasions including Mahavir Jayanti, Good Friday, Tamil New Year’s Day, Biju festival, Bengali New Year’s Day, Ramazan Eid, Himachal Day, Jumat-ul-Vida, and others.

Read Also: Video of people saving man after coming in contact with live wire in Uttar Pradesh goes viral | Watch

State-wise bank holidays list for April 2023

DateOccasionRegion, Nation Specific
April 1On the occasion of banks’ closing of accountsBanks will remain closed across India except in Aizawl, Shimla, Chandigarh, and Shillong
April 2SundayAcross India
April 4Mahavir JayantiAhmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Raipur, and Ranchi
April 5Babu Jagjivan Ram’s birthdayHyderabad
April 7Good FridayBanks will be closed in Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Imphal, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, and Thiruvananthapuram
April 8Second SaturdayAcross India
April 9SundayAcross India
April 14Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti, Bohag Bihu, Cheiraoba, Vaisakhi, Baisakhi, Tamil New Year’s Day, Maha Bisubha Sankranti, Biju Festival, Buisu Festival celebrationsAgartala, Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Ranchi, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram
April 15Vishu, Bohag Bihu, Himachal Day, Bengali New Year’s Day (Nababarsha)Agartala, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Shimla, and Thiruvananthapuram
April 16SundayAcross India
April 18Shab-l-QadrJammu and Srinagar
April 21Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Eid), Garia Puja, Jumat-ul-VidaAgartala, Jammu, Kochi, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram
April 22Eid-Ul-Fitr, fourth SaturdayBelapur, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong and Srinagar for Eid and across India for fourth Saturday
April 23SundayAcross India
April 30SundayAcross India

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Indian Railway cancels, reschedules multiple trains today, check the full list here

Passengers who booked their tickets online from the IRCTC website will be refunded automatically to their source account.

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Trains cancelled today

Indian Railways on Saturday cancelled and rescheduled several trains today due to its maintenance and Navaratri rush.

Passengers who booked their tickets online from the IRCTC website will be refunded automatically to their source account. Others who booked their tickets from the reservation counter will need to visit the booking counter and claim their refund.

Full list of trains cancelled today

• 04449 New Delhi-Kurukshetra EMU special CO 25.03.2023.
• 04452 Kurukshetra – Delhi special JCO 25.03.2023.
• Train No 04651 Jaynagar – Amritsar In (JYG-ASR) 17.03.23, 19.03.23, 21.03.23, 24.03.23, 26.03.23, 28.03.23, 31.03.23, 02.04.23, 04.04.23, 07.04.23, 09.04.23
• Train No 04652 Amritsar Jn – Jaynagar (ASR-JYG) 17.03.23,19.03.23, 22.03.23,24.03.23, 26.03.23, 29.03.23, 31.03.23, 02.04.23, 05.04.23, 07.04.23,09.04.23.
• Train No 14331 Delhi In. – Kalka (DLI-KLK) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 14332 Kalka – Delhi Jn. (KLK-DLI) 18.03.2023 to 11.04.2023
• Train No 04523 Saharanpur – Nangal Dam (SRE-NLDM) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04524 Nangal Dam – Ambala Cant J (NLDM-UMB) 18.03.2023 to 11.04.2023
• Train No 04590 Ambala Cant Jn – Kurukshetra In (UMB-KKDE) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04589 Kurukshetra Jn – Ambala Cant J (KKDE-UMB) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04584 Ambala Cant Jn – Panbari (UMB-PNP) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04013 Panbari – Ambala Cant J (PNP-UMB) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023

• Train No 04579 Ambala Cant Jn – Ludhiana Jn (UMB-LDH) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04504 Ludhiana In – Ambala Cant J (LDH-UMB) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04578 Ambala Cant In – Saharanpur (UMB-SRE) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04139 Kurukshetra In – Ambala Cant In (KKDE-UMB) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04176 Panbari – Ambala Cant Jn (PNP-UMB) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• Train No 04140 Ambala Cant Jn – Kurukshetra In (UMB-KKDE) 17.03.2023 to 10.04.2023
• 01135 Bhusaval -Daund MEMU JCO 02.03.2023, 09.03.2023 16.03.2023 and
23.03.2023
• 01136 Daund- Bhusaval MEMU JCO 02.03.2023, 09.03.2023 16.03.2023 and
23.03.2023
• 14525/14526 Ambala Cantt -Shri Ganganagar- Ambala Cantt Express JCO 15.03.23 to 24.03.23.
• 01625/01626 Dhuri-Bathinda-Dhuri Passenger Special Express ]CO 15.03.23 to 24.03.23.
• 04548/04547 Bathinda- Ambala Cantt – Bathinda Special Express JCO 15.03.23 to 24.03.23.

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Video of boys donning sarees, skirts, towels on College’s ‘mismatched days’ in Maharashtra goes viral, users laud their confidence | WATCH

Some students can be seen wearing skirts, towels, sundresses, dhoti, and frocks as they walk with confidence and pose for the camera. The video also shows the guard making a video of the whole scenario as he cracks a smile.

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A video has come to light from Maharashtra’s Ulhasnagar Smt. CHM College where the boys won the hearts and praise of many for confidently walking into the college premises while wearing women’s clothes on mismatched day. The video was shared by one of the students and went viral after it surfaced.

In the video, male students can be seen entering the college premises while wearing a variety of clothing which are of the opposite gender. The students can be seen entering the college hand in hand with their peers.

Some students can be seen wearing skirts, towels, sundresses, dhoti, and frocks as they walk with confidence and pose for the camera. The video also shows the guard making a video of the whole scenario as he cracks a smile. Toward the end of the video, two students can also be seen posing for the camera as they make hearts by joining their hands.

Watch video here:

Of late, fashion trends have allowed many to explore and push the limits of their fashion. Many also dismiss the binary and wear clothes of whatever gender.

Users reaction

After the video of the incident went viral, many users came forward to add their take on the incident as one user wrote that they love how open-minded the country is becoming. One user wrote how confident the male students look in a skirt.

One user wrote and highlighted how happy the security guard looked watching this new phenomenon which they don’t witness in their usual days.

One user wrote and lamented why their college doesn’t practice similar days such as mismatched days, implying that the male students look like they are having fun.

One user wrote and praised the students who came towards the end of the video and made a heart, implying how wonderful and confident they looked wearing whatever they wished to wear.

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