A dream that got fulfilled

Post- Film discussion of the movie, 45 years, organised by Indian Express Film Club at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

As a kid, I was fascinated by the children of the celebrities. I always wondered how the environment of exposure and insights in which they were brought up shapes them so that they successfully carry forward the legacy. I longed to meet them but no celebrity ever came in my mind whom I would like to know personally.  

I was in second year of college, graduating as an IT Engineer, when I came across ‘The Big Picture’ coincidentally. I could not switch the channel for the next 30 minutes. After that, it became a ritual to sit in front of TV at 6:30 pm and watch the show. One day, it clicked me to be a journalist like Girish Nikam Sir and I decided to pursue Journalism against the wish of my parents. When I came to Delhi for my PG Diploma in Print Journalism at IIMC, there was a desire that kept wandering in my mind to meet Girish Sir. Luckily, my Professor, Mr. Amit Sengupta, was his friend and when he got to know that I am a great fan of Sir, he promised me that he will arrange our meeting. Soon after, Girish Sir suffered a cardiac arrest in US. The first thing that I prayed to God was - He can't leave without meeting me. Fortunately, he fought back his illness and came back, all hale and hearty. I met him much later but it changed my life making it better. In those dozens of meeting with him, he made me aware of ground realities and gave tips that will help me life long in my profession.

Friends on Facebook

A moment that gave me immense happiness

Friendship with him started on Facebook. For quite a long time, I was his follower on Facebook. Had conversation with him twice or thrice through Facebook comments on his posts after which he accepted my Friend Request. I nearly jumped upon seeing this notification, took a screenshot straight away. Blessed Mark Zuckerberg for initiating such a platform.

Much later, got to know that he received a lot of Friend requests every day along with message requests appreciating his work. Very few of them were accepted as friends, rest would follow him happily. 

So when I discovered that I was the lucky one, I asked him, "Hey! Why did you accept my Request? I didn't give you any message Request?" He replied in his style, "You didn't send any message request that's why I accepted your Request."

First meet

At an ice-cream parlour in Jaipur

When every way of meeting him failed, Facebook came to the rescue yet again. He updated his Facebook status as travelling to Jaipur, I quickly commented 'Where in Jaipur?' He messaged me the address shortly. I couldn't sleep the whole night thinking about meeting him. I just prayed the plan doesn't get cancelled. 

In the morning, I called him. He asked me to come at the Officers' Quarters at 11. I reached there at the scheduled time. He asked me to take him to the main market of Jaipur, Johari Bazar. We were roaming around the city on foot in the scorching heat that I have never done before but I was actually enjoying it. He got into the heart of the narrow lanes and talked to people on street. To my surprise, everybody responded him with equal attention. 

While I stood near him watching him getting familiar with a totally unknown surrounding, I was thinking if I will ever have that amount of curiosity in me. It was almost evening till we wrap up the sight seeing. The meeting was fun and better than what I had expected. 

He took this selfie making me feel like a celeb

I was happy that my wish of meeting him once materialised. Days passed, he messaged me, 'where the hell have you disappeared?' I didn't message him for all these days as I was not sure if he would like to continue the friendship. But his message made me extremely happy. I replied him exactly the same I was thinking. He smiled and said, "You have shown me Jaipur, now it's my turn to show you Delhi." 

Fan to Friend

It was so easy to talk to him regarding any damn thing. I asked him everything that came to my mind and he answered patiently. 

Once, while we were roaming around Baba Kharak Singh Marg in CP, I noticed the poor people on the footpath. I asked him, "It must be very difficult for them to live on roads. I wonder how they make out here in the presence of so many family members." He answered, "It's a five minutes thing for them. There is no foreplay. Haven't you seen Bhaag Milkha Bhaag? By the way, you should see these women fighting. They would abuse each other in the worst possible manner and the issue would be invariably one of them getting involved with other's husband." 

Another instance - Me: "Hey! What happens when one doesn't get to marry the person they want to?" 

He: "who said you get to marry the person you want to. I, myself, was not able to marry the girl I wanted to but I got a better option after that. Life will give you options. Don't worry." 

I don't know what was the magic in his words but I happily followed them as the final order. 

Run after your curiosity

He captured every interesting thing he came across

He had this habit of knowing every new thing he came across. He would talk to the local people, gather information about it, click its picture and share it on Facebook (As his duty) so that people can know about it.

He did this so perfectly that I felt like copying him. After my first meeting with him, I made it a habit to capture interesting things that came in my way. 

Helped me catch up with an interesting picture

Once, while he was dropping me to the metro station, we came across these women (in the picture) travelling on the cart. I wanted to click them but got a little late in taking out my phone. We overtook them. I was a bit sad. He said," You can't afford to be late. You don't get so much time. You need to be quick." He decelerated the car and I was able to capture the women on cart.

Noticed this gentleman during a dinner with Sir at Biryani Paradise

The other day, we discovered this place called Biryani Paradise in Connaught Place. As we entered, noticed this old man playing violin. 

Me: "Such an old man. This is amazing."

He: "Amazing? Go and talk to him. Find out about him. This is an interesting story."

I did what he said. But this man called Swapan Seth who plays violin in restaurants/hotels to gather money for his wife's cancer treatment was already covered by media. 

Counselling

Probably, his father's handicraft shop

He frequently asked me how my job was progressing. I was not satisfied with the work I was supposed to do there. Most of the Freshers don't get the desired opportunities. The struggle to get that one chance either make them compromise on their desires or follow the monotonous policy of the organisation. At times, I wanted to leave but he would explain struggle is a part of the profession. To which once I told him, "You get the chance of covering the current issue, talking to the experts, top politicians and senior journalists everyday. That's why you are saying this. You can't understand what I am going through." 

He politely explained me how difficult the beginning of the career was for him. After passing out from TISS, it took him three years to start with Journalism. He even escaped from home (in Mysore) leaving a letter behind for the parents not to worry about him. Sat in some random bus where one of his friends recognised him and offered him to work in a NGO. The same person created some very big controversy due to which media covered the issue. During that time, he made a friend, Sachidananda Murthy, from Indian Express. He came back to his place after that incident, the Editor of Star of Mysore offered him the job. Within few Days, he started doing marvellous work. Pages were covered with his stories. The journalists of his time would be jealous of his work. He was talked about everywhere. His friend, Sachidananda, recognised that he was the same person he met during the controversy and informed him about the vacancy in the Indian Express. 

When he wanted to leave, the Editor of Star of Mysore was completely shattered. He even asked him to double his salary but then eventually let him follow his dreams. 

Busy tweeting his show after recording

He warned me never to think of even leaving Delhi and begin the career in Jaipur as it will be very difficult to come back again. He, himself, had to wait for years to come back to Delhi. 

Mentoring

I was not ready to understand what he said and quit my job (torture). He called me in his office and asked me to meet one of his friends who would help me figure out my career. I denied meeting anyone that time, instead, asked him to train me to work as a freelance reporter. He readily agreed. 

He assigned me the Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics. He wanted me to find out how these clinics were operating and what was the public view. Whenever I would stuck during reporting, I would ask him and he was available 24*7 minus 30 minutes of his recording. 

Once, while I was clicking the picture at the clinic, the doctor started shouting for clicking pictures in a public hospital without any permission. He wanted me to delete all the pictures from my phone. I got scared a bit and quickly contacted him. He said, "Have you clicked few pictures?" I told him I am done. He, then, asked me to move out without arguing with the Doctor. 

He liked the story done by me even if it wasn't published anywhere. He shared it on Facebook and it got a good appreciation.

My work getting his worthy share

My second story with him was on Hingonia Gaushala in Jaipur. I went to the Gaushala and spoke to the workers there who told me that they were not paid for months due to which they went on strike and since there was no one to look after the cows for 15 days, they died in large numbers. After hearing it, I was so excited that I called him saying Hey! I have got a story and told him what the workers said. He replied, "Good! But what if they are lying to you?"

Why will they lie to me, I thought. 

"As a journalist, it is your duty to check your facts ten thousand times. Talk to their contractor and find out the issue. Go and seek answers from JDA commissioner after that."

JDA commissioner??? How will I meet him and ask questions? Oh! God! 

The contractor told me that JDA hasn't paid them yet and that's why the workers salary is on hold. The commissioner went out of the Gaushala just a minute before I reached his office. 

I called sir again, he advised me to ask the drivers sitting in the parking if they know about his returning. 

I did the same. The drivers told that if he would come today then it would be around 5 pm else he won't. They asked me to wait till 5. I was sitting there for almost 4 hours waiting for the commissioner, he turned up at 5. I spoke to him and got his quote with due credit to Sir's advise. 

Sole appreciator of my assignments

He would send me to different Press Conferences and ask to meet people, make contacts and write about it. 

Worried as a responsible mentor

Whenever it would be late reaching my place after reporting, he would make sure that I have reached safe.

A live debate

 A Debate that would have been incomplete without his points

We would ritually go together for watching movies at the India Habitat Centre organised by Indian Express Film Club. It was the screening of the movie 45 years, when I got to see his fearless debating quality. 

The movie was about the couple who were about to celebrate 45 years of their wedding life but just a week before their anniversary, the wife gets to know about her husband's love with a girl who unfortunately died in an accident (all before the couple's marriage). The husband didn't tell his wife about having a woman in his life before her which made her feel cheated. 

As soon as the post-film discussion began, the women present in the auditorium spoke against the man calling him a cheater. Even the men, supported the argument. Looking at the one-sidedness of the debate, Girish Sir spoke, "If the girl a guy loves dies, then what is the guy supposed to do? He was afraid of losing his wife after telling about his love (before marriage) who no more exists. First, the girls want to know about the other girl in their husband's life. When told, they can't get over the fact that their partner loved someone." 

Soon after he made his point, viewers supported him for his valid point. 

Oh! My God! you are so tall

Made me feel like a Giraffe every time 

Whenever we would walk together, he would be like, "Oh! My God! You are so tall!" 

Me : "I am just few inches taller than you but you always make me feel like a giraffe." 

Then we both would laugh aloud. 

Moments of fun

Lunch garnished with interesting tales from him

We tried a lot of restaurants and hotels in Delhi. Sitting there, we would notice couples fighting, loving, taking selfies and checking out others and it would turn out to be fun. Once, it was my treat but the waiter handed over the bill to him. He got furious over it and said these prejudiced people never give the bill to females. 

We were watching a movie. In it, the wife calls her husband, 'Raju ke Papa', every time. Sir said, "I wonder what she called him when Raju was not born?" 

A shopaholic

Shopping was his second love. I guess, he had shirts and jackets of almost all shades. To my surprise, he was also a fan of Sarojini Nagar market just like me. 

Fruits, a regular item in his lunch box

He was fond of eating fruits and brought them daily to the office along with his tiffin. Whenever I would go and meet him in his office, he would offer them to me. 

Dinner, after a long session of Rum

Rum at night before dinner was a must for him. No matter how much you argue about the disadvantages of drinking it, he would counter all the arguments with his points. 

No bad words for his drink

Once, I told him that I dreamt that we both were travelling from CP to Greater Noida and the auto wala charged us only Rs. 40/-. 

He started laughing and said, "You Marwari Kanjoos! Think of saving money even in your dreams."

Last Meet 

With Max, a lovely Persian cat of his locality 

A day before he passed away, I was there with him. He messaged me on Saturday, What I was doing that weekend. If I was free then he wanted me to meet him.

I went to his place. We talked for a long time, watched movie and went around Greater Noida. We were watching Dev D and its famous song, 'Emotional Atyachar' came. We both were like Oh! This is Nawazuddin! He was amused with the lyrics and started imitating the singer by singing it through his nose. 

The next day, we went for morning walk where he posed in different styles. 

Posing with and without cap

One of his maids name was Sheela. So, while he was instructing her regarding some work, this song, 'My name is Sheela. Sheela ki jawani' came out of my mouth involuntarily. To which he responded that he also sings this song many times because of her name.

A lady who passed him every day during his morning walk

He told me that this lady crossed him every day during his morning walk. She would be there at the same time irrespective of the weather. She would drape the saree in unique way covering her head. 

Females of his locality

Females of his locality who readily posed for me.

This man exercised rigorously every day, he said

I had already captured this man when he told me that he exercises rigorously every day at the same point in the park. 

After the morning walk, we went back home. He made coffee for himself and boiled milk for me. That was a very emotional moment for me. I never thought that my favourite journalist would ever do that for me. Knowing him was the best thing that happened to me in my life. 

Last sight

Wish he could get up again

The next day when I heard that he passed away, I was deeply shocked. In all these meetings, I not even once thought that he could die. He was full of life so it was hard to believe his departure.

We did discuss death. He was not afraid of his death. Instead he said his friends would ask him not to post the memories of his heart attack in US. My view was that the one who dies has no problem but the people who loves them find it difficult to live in their absence. He believed life doesn't work on emotions. It is not affected by death. 

But when I saw him lying dead, I understood the meaning of 'body' and 'soul'. It is the soul that matters not the body. 

He is no more but I know his spirit would guide me in life.