Freedom of the press, essentially, is the guardian of a sound democracy, apart from a healthy opposition party. A fearless press depicts the progress of a Nation, the good times and the bad times, its capacity to hold its own in the international arena and above all guides the people how to improve by learning from their mistakes. I happened to work for The Times of India soon after my graduation and this popular English daily taught me many lessons which I still always treasure.

While I was working at The Times of India, I joined the K.C. College of Journalism (evening classes) and completed the post-graduate course under Dr. Oturkar, a freedom fighter. It was exhilarating to work for a Press and the 24x7 news coverage it gets from the five continents, through the teleprinting machines is amazing. This situation prompts the working journalists to be vigilant at any time of the day for the ‘breaking news’ stories and hence they work a 3-shift routine that again is very adventurous though it takes a toll on the regular sleep and meals. But again every rose tree has thorns and life is not a bed of roses. If you have a passion for journalism, then these trivial comforts can be sacrificed on the altar of shaping yourself to be a firebrand journalist, while you are still young and rearing to go. But one thing is very contagious  - the consumption of coffee, tea and cigarettes - to keep oneself awake to take care of the news that pour in till late in the night. And the alertness one has to use to re-check all the newspaper pages at 2 in the morning when they are sent for printing is possible when you are wide awake and care is taken that news coverage is given proper importance according to its economic and political weightage.

Well, let me tell you about The Times of India press itself. The building that houses the newspaper press and the offices is an imposing edifice just opposite the former Victoria Terminus, now rechristened as Chhatrapati Sivaji Terminus. The strategic placement of the press just opposite the famous rail terminus makes it very convenient for the distributors to send the papers far and wide as soon as they are printed as the long distance trains roll out of the station the whole night long. Besides the press has its own vans that ferry the newspapers to the suburbs and so by latest 6 in the morning the Mumbaites receive their newspapers at their doorstep. Cities in other parts of Maharashtra receive their edition also quite early. The Delhi edition too does the job in the north and so any important news is disseminated very fast. And that is the essence of the newspaper industry. News must be printed and reach the readers before it gets stale.

As we all know, The Times of India was owned by the British and Ram Kishan Dalmia bought it from Bennett Coleman Co. Ltd., for rupees 2 crores. In post Independence years it became the largest English daily and a media giant with its contents and features changing according to the needs of the people, and the profits of the proprietors. At the beginning when the British left there were more news coverages and less advertisements but post Independence years saw increase in advertisements, public notices, and also increase in the number of pages. When I was there in the sixties and the seventies advertisements covered just 2 pages at the most. Today the advertisements run into  maybe a dozen pages specially on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Sundays are monopolized by matrimonial columns as the parents of the prospective bachelors and spinsters get time to go through the same at leisure. 

Another thing that  I noticed  during my sojourn in The Times of India is the power struggle between the proprietor and the editor of the newspaper. This applies to many other newspapers too. Basically the newspaper Editor must have a say in the news that are published on the front page, immaterial whether it will have an adverse effect on the  fortunes of the party in power that is the government itself. If the proprietor tries to dictate terms to the Editor, there are cases where the editors have resigned rather than bend to the whims and fancies of the proprietor. Examples abound in firebrand editors like Frank Moraes, Khushwant Singh, S. Mulgaokar, George Verghese and so on. Most were victims of political pressure violating the Constitution of India that guarantees freedom of expression. Indira Gandhi had also gagged the press during Emergency. All these actions have a reaction and people nowadays read between the lines as they have lost credibility in the printed word. 

Apart from the above there are cases where the Editor has to fall in line with the wishes of the Government specially in case where truth has to be blunted for the greater good of  the country. Delicate situations like hurting of religious sentiments or insult to national heroes could be downplayed in order to save a volatile situation that can erupt into loss of life and property.

I keenly absorbed all the intricacies of the newspaper working and the time passed fast as I was interested in the share market, football, cricket and even lawn tennis. But what I most liked and learnt was the English literature in its sophisticated form. Today I never refer to any dictionary as the most difficult words saunter into my memory. Constant touch with proof reading and editing made me an expert in the English language which even otherwise was my mother tongue as I grew up in the Portuguese colony of Goa, where only English and Portuguese were taught. This stint in The Times of India improved my English language so much, that besides freelancing I also teach Portuguese and English in Mumbai. This fluency of the English language prompted me to write my Ph.D. thesis ‘Pressure Groups and Democracy in India’ as my guide was very happy with the way I put things in the proper  perspective. So the 12 years I put in The Times of India became a very significant part of my life and I owe a lot to that institution. 

Another aspect of The Times of India is that it does not resort to ‘yellow journalism’. There is no gingoism. Mostly the news is authentic as the news agencies relay it from different corners of the world. Besides there are correspondents and columnists, in various parts of the world, who relay the facts. During the time I worked they had news agencies like PTI (Press Trust of India), Reuter, NAFEN (Near and Far Eastern News) and so on. Today The Times of India is the most popular daily not only in India but even abroad as the coverage of news and features is so rich and informative that from entertainment to advertisements to news coverage you couldn’t ask for more. And advertisements, though expensive, the results are phenomenal.

During my time in that famous press what my relatives and friends wanted was the results of their exams which I could get 24 hours in advance. I went armed with their seat numbers and threw the chits out of the window on the 2nd floor of the building as all the acquaintances were huddled down the building. There were other employees also doing the good work so I had to sign my chit for identification. It was a thrill for me and them and I could get a party maybe from those who did well and tears and consolation to the less fortunate. 

Today when I go round the world, maybe Canada and the United States of America or the Far East like Hong Kong and Singapore there is no newspaper to beat my alma mater The Times of India. Abroad the dailies concentrate on climatic conditions, traffic on highways, consumer goods offers, trade conditions and so on. I get starved of international news and critical reviews that are the essence of a good democracy.