Rajdeep Sardesai On Dileep Padgaonkar And News Over Noise

Rajdeep Sardesai speaking at the Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial Lecture

 

“Now, we are all used to voicing our opinions in 140 characters. The well-organised troll armies present a danger to free speech.

They seem to muzzle all contrarian opinions with a poisonous mix of abuse, slander and lies, with absolutely no fear of defamation,” states senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai at the first Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial Lecture organised by Pune International Centre (PIC), which took place on Monday, at Symbiosis Vishwabhavan.

Sardesai delivered a lecture on ‘Responsibilities of the Conventional Media in the Age of Proliferating Social Media’. He also recalled the fond memories he shared with the late veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar.

“I owe him a huge debt. He was father figure, mentor and a friend to me.

I sent him a note in 1988 after I had got back from Oxford, seeking his advice. Within days, he wanted to meet me and offered me the role of a trainee assistant editor.

In the six years that I worked with him, I got opportunities beyond my wildest imagination. I could write the article for the main edit page, which was only reserved for seniors. I was given front page bylines. I could cover national stories like L K Advani’s Rath Yatra.

I was made the chief of news service in Mumbai at the age of 26.”

Padgaonkar served as the Editor of The Times of India. During his long stint there, he wrote on various issues including the Babri Mosque demolition and 1993 Mumbai blasts. Sardesai adds, “In the 1990’s there was a growing polarisation in society along caste and religious lines. Very soon the Babri Mosque demolition will complete 25 years.

Dileep, in his writings, offered a poise of balance in the age of extremes. A democratic approach that was firm but also accommodating. He accommodated dissent without anger or violence in thought or deed.”

Also present at the event were Dr S B Mujumdar, Dr R Mashelkar and Dr Rajani Gupte. “Dileep was a great believer in individual values of freedom. His report on Kashmir as an interlocutor lies in dust, but if looked into can help build trust in the blood-soaked valley,” said Dr Mashelkar.

Sardesai concluded by saying that we needed a better journalistic ecosystem. “The Padgaonkar generation of editors saw themselves as patriots but never wore their patriotism on their sleeve.

They were journalists not jingoists. All of us should strive for a higher form of journalism, where news matters more than noise. We must push for a better India, a more plural, multi-faceted India.”

Vijayta Lalwani