Noted journalist B. G. Verghese , who passed away two days ago was cremated at the electric crematorium this morning amidst a gathering which included Finance and Information Minister Arun Jaitley, his colleagues and admirers which included senior media persons, diplomats, civil servants and noted artistes.
With the passing away of B. G. Verghese, an era has come to an end in journalism. Known for his free and frank nature, he was heard and read with respect all over the country.
I had the advantage of interacting with him since the early 1960s when I was a Public Relations Officer of the Army posted in Jammu. In 1963, I was asked to conduct B. G. Verghese to the forward areas of Ladakh to show him how the Indian Army was strengthening its defences in Ladakh.
I had heard of George Verghese as a correspondent of the Times of India, who was among the very few who went to the forward areas in North East Frontier Agency during the Chinese Aggression in 1962. Together, we travelled for a week in Ladakh, from Leh to Darbouk and Dungti to Chushul , and to the Pangong Lake. We saw how the Indian Army was strengthening defences along the border and how the Border Roads Organisation was constructing the new roads at high altitude. I had also taken him to show the 17,590 feet high Chang La pass.
During the tour of Ladakh, I noticed how George took detailed notes of the interactions he had with Army personnel and was keen to know and understand their personal reactions as also the strategic situation.
A warm hearted person, I still remember that one day he wrote a letter to his wife Jamila while we were at Chushul and asked me to send it to her through the Army Post Office then called the 56 APO.
The series of articles he wrote helped correcting the image of the army, which had suffered a severe blow following the reverses it suffered at the hands of the Chinese in the Eastern Sector during the 1962 war.
The personal relationship that I had established with him continued , though I had little contact with him professionally till two decades later. By that time he had moved on to become the Editor of the Hindustan Times, after a short stint as Information Advisor to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His sharp editorials on Indira Gandhi’s policy on Sikkim earned him a reputation as an independent journalist.
When the Janata Party Government assumed office after the elections in 1977, George Verghese helped in drawing up the initial draft of the Prasar Bharti Act. The short lived Morarji Desai government could not implement it, but it remained the basic document when the Corporation finally came into being in the late nineties.
I had the opportunity to interact with him frequently when I became the Principal Information Officer of the Government of India in 1985. George Verghese had then moved to the Indian Express as Editor.
After his retirement from the Indian Express, he played an important role as head of the Editors Guild of India. I used to call on him often to get a feedback on various issues.
When militancy erupted in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989, the Government of India had a difficult task in countering the psychological warfare promoted by Pakistan. The controversy regarding Kunan Poshpora erupted after a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir, and allegations of mass rape were hurled at the Indian Army for weeks after the operations, particularly by the Western media.
The Government of India officially reqested the Editors Guild of India to visit Kunan Poshpora and give a factual assessment. George Verghese and members of the Editors Guild visited Kunan Poshpora, interacted with the citizens and the local police and presented a factual report. The report succeeded to a large extent in convincing the media that the allegations made against the army were false. The report was published in a book form entitled “Crisis and Credibility”.
George Verghese was also associated with the Centre for Policy Research and had made a study of the Official Secrets Act” in the late nineties, and had suggested changes in it. He also studied the situation in the north east and made suggestions.
When Jaswant Singh became Defence Minister after the Kargil operations, he invited George Verghese in 2001 to suggest changes in the defence publicity set up, as he was a member of the Kargil Review Committee. Many of the changes suggested by him were carried out by Defence Minister George Fernandes when he took over the portfolio from Jaswant Singh.
George Verhgese used to invite me to the meeting of the Editors Guild which enabled me to interact with senior journalists and get a feedback which helped me in my assignment as the Principal Information Officer.
I have, since my retirement, become a member of the Editors Guild and I always looked forward to interacting with him at the meetings of the Guild. He will be missed .
Mr. I. Ramamohan Rao is a former Principal Information Officer of the Government of India. He can reached on his e-mail raoramamohan@hotmail.com
—-ANI