Vijay Darda’s Ringside: Lokmat Chairman publishes new book
Ringside is a collection of 218 articles, written by Darda over the past several years on political thought, socio-economic mores and landmark moments in the country’s recent history
Wearing as many hats as he does, it was perhaps unsurprising that the launch of Lokmat Group Chairman Vijay Darda’s new book, ‘Ringside’, was so widely attended, by a large cross-section of eminences. The journalist, activist, former MP and media house owner was in Delhi where his book was launched by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and introduced by Dr Sanjay Baru, and The Print’s Shekhar Gupta, followed by a characteristically no-holds-barred talk between Rajdeep Sardesai and the man of the hour.
The book is an eclectic collection of 218 articles, written by Darda over the past several years for a variety of publications, on a wide-ranging number of topics, all of which add up to his views on the evolution of political thought, socio-economic mores and landmark moments in the country’s recent history. The packed launch was attended by politicians, veteran journalists, senior bureaucrats and others who walk the corridors of power in Delhi and beyond.
Speaking about the book and Darda’s particular contributions to the political discourse of the country, both journalistic and parliamentary, Baru mentioned at length the author’s non-partisanship, as well as the unbiased reporting by the Lokmat group of publications. Baru extolled the fact that whether he was writing articles or asking questions in parliament, Darda was known for not pulling his punches, and ever willing to ask awkward questions.
Darda’s continued efforts to establish Vidharba as its own polity, distinct from Maharashtra was brought up many a time, with Baru hailing Darda’s championing the region and its people. Darda assured the audience that he had every confidence that it would be a reality sooner than later.
On the subject of regional concerns, Gupta spoke about the growing strength and impact of regional Indian journalism. “India is the only country where newspaper readers are increasing, as people from across the country are becoming literate and wanting to stay informed. And all these languages, from Marathi to Gujarati to Telugu, have loyal readerships that far exceed the so-called elite English publications,” said Gupta, adding that he personally eschewed the term ‘vernacular’, given all of India’s languages were as important in building a national narrative.
Acknowledging that same plurality, whether linguistic or any other, Tharoor said that there was a growing intolerance, especially for criticism, in the current political climate, noting, “There has been a gradual depletion in the relations between the political class and media.”
Tharoor said this vitiated the ideals of democracy even as it hampered progress and there was a dire need for political parties, media houses and professionals and other stakeholders to work together to resolve issues and help India move ahead.
Other attendees of the book launch were BJP’s Varun Gandhi and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, NCP's Praful Patel, BSP's Danish Ali, J-K National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and CPI's D Raja, among others.
