Such was Ved Pratap Vaidik
Guest Column: Umakant Lakhera, president of the Press Club of India, remembers the senior journalist
Ved Pratap Vaidik was one of the most prominent names in Hindi journalism for nearly six decades. Being an editor in Delhi, he had good relationships with prominent leaders in the country's politics.
Due to his simple nature, he mixed with people very easily. He was friendly with many leaders of the country and abroad, especially South Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and the sub-continent. However, despite being a supporter of BJP and Sangh ideologies, his neglect in the new-old BJP has been surprising to many.
He was the leader of the Indian language movement. For a long time, he was actively associated with the campaign to advance all languages of the country.
My first meeting with Ved Pratap ji happened in 1988 during many programmes in Delhi. Later, the series of meetings continued in his office in PTI-Bhasha and later in South Ex. Wherever we met, he used to meet with great affection. He would never make us feel that he was such a senior journalist.
When he was invited as a speaker at the Press Club of India after the Taliban took over power in Kabul last year, he readily agreed.
Even at this point of age, writing something new every day was a part of his daily routine. A special quality of his writing was to give information to the common readers on the most difficult subject in simple language, so that everyone could easily understand complex issues.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com
