मी बातमीदार बनलो तेव्हा म्हणजे १९८१ साली आम्हा पत्रकारांना आणि इतर बिगरपत्रकार वृत्तपत्र कर्मचाऱ्यांना वर्षातून दहा पगारी सुट्ट्या (हॉलीडेज) होत्या. रजा वेगळ्या.

तत्कालीन अस्तित्वात असलेल्या आणि बहुसंख्य प्रतितिष्ठ वृत्तपत्रांत अंमलबजावणी होत असलेल्या वृत्तपत्र कर्मचारी कायद्यानुसार या पगारी सुट्ट्या होत्या.

गोव्यात आमच्या `द नवहिंद टाइम्स' या इंग्रजी आणि `नवप्रभा' या जुळ्या मराठी दैनिकात वर्षातून काही दिवस - नूतन वर्ष एक जानेवारी, २६ जानेवारी, पंधरा ऑगस्ट, गणेश चतुर्थी, दिवाळी - छपाई बंद ठेवून सर्वांना सुट्टी मिळायची,

यात तीनचार वर्षांनी एक मेच्या कामगार दिनाची भर पडली.

याचे कारण त्याकाळात डाव्या विचारसरणीचा जोर होता आणि आम्ही गोवा युनियन ऑफ जर्नालिस्टस (गुज) चे पदाधिकारी असलेले श्रमिक पत्रकार आणि इतर वृत्तपत्र कर्मचारी स्वतःला कामगार समजायचो. उरलेल्या पाच पगारी सुट्ट्या आम्ही वर्षातून कधीही घेऊ शकायचो.

त्याशिवाय पत्रकार कायद्यानुसार वर्षाला तीस हक्काची रजा, बारा आजारपणाची रजा आणि दहाबारा कॅज्युएल रजा असायच्या.

गोवा सोडून मी पुण्यात इंडियन एक्सप्रेसला रुजू झालो तेव्हापर्यंत अशीच स्थिती होती,

पुण्यात त्यावेळी म्हणजे १९८९ साली मात्र दैनिकांच्या वेगवेगळ्या सुट्ट्या असायच्या.

त्यावेळची प्रत्येक स्थानिक दैनिक आपापल्या वर्धापनदिनानिमित्त छपाई बंद ठेवायचे. उदाहरणार्थ, `सकाळ' चा वर्धापनदिनाला एक जानेवारीला सुट्टी असायची, दोन जानेवारीला पेपर नसायचा.

ही परिस्थिती एकदोन वर्षात व्यवहारी दृष्टिकोनामुळे बदलली.

मुंबईतल्या `लोकसत्ता आणि इंडियन एक्सप्रेसने पुण्यात आवृत्त्या सुरु केल्या होत्या. या दोन्ही वृत्तपत्रांनी आपल्या प्रती `सकाळ' वर्गणीदारांच्या घरांत दोन जानेवारीला फुकटात देणे सुरु केले.

त्यावेळचा पुण्यात दोन क्रमांकाचा असणारा `प्रभात' दुप्पट किंवा त्याहून अधिक प्रती दोन जानेवारीला छापू लागू लागला.

पुण्यात `सकाळ', `प्रभात' आणि `केसरी' याशिवाय इतरही दैनिके आहेत, याचा वाचकांना यावेळी पहिल्यांदाच पत्ता लागला.

परिणामतः `सकाळ' व्यवस्थापनाने एक जानेवारीला वृत्तपत्राची छपाई बंद ठेवण्याचा निर्णय रद्द केला. प्रतापराव पवार यांनी नानासाहेब परुळेकरांचा `सकाळ' पाचसहा वर्षांपूर्वी खरेदी केला होता.

छपाई आणि काम सुरु राहिले तरी `सकाळ' कर्मचाऱ्यांना मात्र त्यादिवसाऐवजी इतर दिवशी सुट्टी घेता यायची, आजही ही सोय आहे.

मी `इंडियन एक्सप्रेस'ला असतानाच पुण्यातल्या वृत्तपत्र वितरकांनी होळीनिमित्त सुट्टी घेण्याचा निर्णय घेतला.

बहुतेक वृत्तपत्र व्यवस्थापकांनी या निर्णयाला ठाम विरोध केला. या वितरकांच्या मदतीशिवाय आपण आपल्या दैनिकाच्या प्रती लोकांना वाटू असाही इशारा त्यांनी दिला.

वृत्तपत्र विक्रेत्यांनी आपला सुट्टीचा निर्णय वृत्तपत्र व्यवस्थापनकांना कळवल्यानंतर तीनचार दिवस तणावाची आणि संघर्षाची परिस्थिती निंर्माण झाली होती, हे आजही आठवते

मात्र वितरकांनी आपली एकी कायम ठेवली आणि आम्हा वृत्तपत्र कर्मचाऱ्यांना असलेल्या आणखी एका सुट्टीची भर पडली.

पुण्यातल्या वृत्तपत्र वितरकांना आपल्या ताकदीची जाणीव झाली,

याआधी वृत्तपत्र कर्मचारी संघटितरित्या वृत्तपत्राची सुट्टीबाबत निर्णय घेऊ शकत असत. आता त्यांची जागा वृत्तपत्र वितरकांनी घेतली होती,

हळूहळू एक मे चा कामगार दिन किंवा महाराष्ट्र दिन, अशा सुट्ट्या वाढत गेल्या.

अलीकडेच दिवाळीनिमित्त पुण्यात दैनिकांची छपाई त्यामुळे दोन दिवस बंद असते.

पुण्यात काल आणि आज वृत्तपत्रे नाहीत.

मात्र किती वाचकांना या दोन दिवशी सकाळी चुकल्याचुकल्यासारखे किंवा दैनिकांची गैरहजेरी जाणवतअसेल ?

Camil Parkhe

When fugitive Charles Sobhraj was nabbed in Porvorim, Goa

 When fugitive Charles Sobhraj was nabbed in Porvorim, Goa

I was winding up my work in our newspaper office in Panjim on a Sunday evening when I attended a telephone call. A newspaper reader wanted to know about the frantic activity going around in Porvorim near Panjim. As a crime reporter of The Navhind Times, I asked the caller some details related to his query and assured him to check what was happening there. Then, I made a quick call to the police control room and was relaxed when I got the stock reply, "सोगळे शांत असा, काय गडबड ना!” (No major crimes, all is well!)

That was one of the first and also the most casual calls on the office landline I received on that Sunday late evening, 6 April 1986.

It was past 8.30 pm. In 1970s and early 1980s, there was almost no life on streets in Panjim, capital of Goa, Daman and Diu after 7 pm on weekdays , and Sundays and public holidays, would be even worse. A person informing about something abnormal happening on Panjim-Mapusa route on Sunday evening therefore rang an alarming bell in me, a crime reporter. I immediately rang up to the police control room, Number 100, to know what was happening in Porvorim.. ‘Kay Na’ prompt came the reply and I was assured.

I rang up a police inspector but he too said there was nothing to report. Within half an hour, I had received more calls.

Those days there was a single road for the most stretch of the Panjim-Mapusa route and therefore many people on the move had noticed that something was cooking at a particular site.

By 9 p.m, there were many such calls, each phone call prompting me to ring up higher police officials and different police stations to verify if something strange or major incident was taking place at the site. Thus I had called Mapusa police station, press relations officer of the Goa Police and many others and each verification call had drawn a blank.

The calls of our newspaper readers really irritated me. It was Sunday and normally I did not stay in the office so late. The deadline for filing stories for us reporters was 7.30 pm, maximum 8 pm by which time our Assistant Editor M. M. Mudaliar would clear stories, mark their pages, and leave for home. Only stories meant for the page one were accepted after that and they were cleared by Editor Bikram Vohra when the night chief sub-editor along with page one copies went in a office jeep to his Miramar residence at around 9 pm. There was a reason why I was hanging around so late in the newspaper office that Sunday night.

With Mudaliar’s prior permission, that evening I had booked urgent calls to Delhi headquarters of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) to confirm about my journalism diploma course in Bulgaria and a visit to Russia. Those days, the BSNL had ordinary, urgent and lightening categories for local and outstation calls. After the urgent call materialised after two hours waiting, IFWJ president K. Vikram Rao had asked me to fly to New Delhi the very next day as I, along with other journalists, were to fly to Moscow within a week. With this excitement of my foreign tour, now I was troubled with these telephone calls about some strange happenings in Porvorim. Was someone playing a prank, I wondered.

Soon, I got another call. This time the caller was more specific. Has the police caught a big fish near Porvorim, he asked. That was an alarm bell for the crime reporter in me. I rang up the senior most police, Goa inspector general of police. I apologised to him for calling on Sunday at this night hour and asked him if there was any major arrest or happening near Porvorim. I felt assured when he replied in the negative. But when there was no end to inquisitive telephone callers and there seemed no possibility if prank calls, I once again called the Goa IGP with more profound apologies. This time, the IGP did not hide his annoyance. “Camil, you know it too well, If there is anything major, or arrest of a big fish, I will be the first person to know it,” he said, again denying that any major happening was taking place at that moment in Porvorim.

Normally, such reply from the top cop would have been final. But this time I did not feel assured. Was the IGP hiding the news for the time being? I wondered.

Jovita Lopes, our sports reporter, who was typing his stories on typewriter had his ears all tuned to my local telephone conversation, the repeated phone calls and my efforts to verify the callers’ claims. Soft-spoken Jovito who was also a school teacher was much senior to me in journalism. The night chief sub had already left with a compiled bunch of stories of national news agencies and reporters for the editor’s residence. After I had ended my second telephone call to the IGP, Jovito filed his last sport story, asked the peon to send it for Linotype setting and he turned to me and said. : Camil, there is really something big cooking up there in Porvorim. Let’s now waste time. Let’s move to that spot even if it it late night!”

Hurriedly, both of us climbed down the wooden steps of our one-storeyed tiled roof building and Jovito took out his scooter. In a few minutes, we had crossed both the Pato and Mandovi bridges and 10 minutes later arrived at O Coqueiro hotel in Porvorim, which had figured in some of those telephone calls. Some people who were on the road outside the hotel told us that the `centre of action’ had moved from O Coqueiro to Mapusa. Without wasting a moment, Jovito sped away his scooter. Soon we had arrived near the bust of Mahatma Gandhi, in Mapusa and now there was no need to ask anyone the direction .

There was huge crowd at the Hotel Residency, the hotel of the Goa Tourism Department Corporation located just opposite Mapusa bus stand. Jovito and I realised that a major event was indeed unfolding there. The crowd was watching as a group of persons with strong physique made hurried movements from the hotel to the private taxis parked there. There was no guessing that these plains clothed people were police personnel. There were obviously in hurry to leave the place as early as possible and none of them were interested in talking to anyone, let alone presspersons. I had noted that a few journalists from other newspapers in Goa were already at the spot before us !

I held my breath as I saw what was happening before my eyes and learnt what had taken place. Jovito, a seasoned journalist, had managed to speak to some those persons and the gathered bits of information was just shocking : The plain clothed persons we were watching getting their bags into the waiting taxis were Mumbai Police personnel and they had just succeeded in recapturing a most wanted international criminal, Charles Sobhraj. The serial killer had escaped some weeks back from India’s most high security Tihar Central Prison. The daredevil team of Mumbai police had been on the trail of the fugitive for a few weeks.

What we gathered from the action spot was that the Mumbai police team headed by Madhukar Zende had nabbed Charles Sobhraj perhaps an hour before at O Coqueiro hotel in Porvorim. The Mumbai police had for most obvious reasons not given any clues to the Goa police about the big fish they had in their net. That explained why even Goa’s top cop, the inspector general of police - was not aware of what was going on right under his nose in this tiny territory.

The Mumbai police team was in a hurry to leave for Mumbai along with their most prized cash. As a reporter who visited everyday Panjim police station and also the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court everyday, I understood the need and hurry of the Mumbai police team in rushing out of this Goa at this late night hour. The notorious criminal they had just nabbed had to be produced in a court within 24 hours after the declared time of his arrest. Obviously they were not interested in producing their prized catch in a court in Goa and thus make Goa Police a party to their extraordinary success of arrest of the fugitive criminal.

The Mumbai Police team which was on a long hunt to locate the whereabouts of Charles Sobhraj had been going in cognito during these days. They did not even have their official cars and were now leaving for their headquarters in Mumbai in private hired taxis.

Jovito and I were at the ground before Hotel Residency not more than 10 minutes. We watched in awe as the six to seven taxis – Charles Sobhraj was bundled off on one of them – sped away one by one before our eyes towards Altinho and then straight to Mumbai.

A few seconds later, Jovito and I rushed to his scooter and we too sped away in opposite direction –to Panjim - and to inform our boss the most prized catch in our booty which we had to file at this hour which was beyond our newspaper deadline.

Immediately on arrival at the newspaper office, Jovito rang up editor Bikram Vohra to inform him of our story. The editor in turn spoke to the night chief sub and asked him to accommodate the late story and thus delay the next day’s newspaper printing. By this time, Jovito had been banging speedily the typewriter keys with his one finger typing. Ten minutes later, the chief sub-editor had a quick look at the one and half pages news copy and sent it to ground floor for linotype setting. I had not much role in this.

The next day, The Navhind Times carried a front page eight columns news with a joint byline ‘Jovito Lopes and Camil Parkhe’, announcing recapture of Interpol-wanted criminal Charles Sobhraj. No, it was not a scoop for The Navhind Times. A few other dailies in Goa had also carried the news in that day’s edition. The national dailies however missed the news of late night capture of one of the world’s most celebrated criminal.

Thanks to the alertness of sports reporter Jovito Lopes, I, a crime reporter was saved from the huge shame and lifelong embarrassment of missing a major, international story of re-arrest of Sobhraj.

The Mumbai police left Goa with their prized collection just before the midnight. No, no, there was no encounter after the police team entered Maharashtra borders. Mumbai police in 1970s and 1980s was regarded the best in investigation and dedication in the whole world, next only to the Scotland Police. After reaching their headquarters, Mumbai police proudly announced to the world that they had captured Charles Sobhraj and the news was carried the next day in all national dailies.

Post script

The day The Navhind Times carried news of arrest of Charles Sobhraj, I flew to New Delhi. I had carried the NT newspaper copies with me. I stayed with Mr. Padmnabhan, Special Correspondent of The Hindu in New Delhi, whose son, also a Hindu reporter in Chennai, was to attend journalism course along with me in Bulgaria. The newspaper clipping impressed Mr Padmanabhan who the very next day arranged my interaction with some New reporters in connection with the arrest of Charles Sobhraj. I too became a celebrity, basking in the reflected glory of the celebrity criminal !!!.

Charles Sobhraj who was released after serving his term in Indian prison later lived in France. Presently he has been serving a prison sentence in Nepal for another crime he committed in that country.

By the way, Madhukar Zende, leader of the Mumbai police team, who nabbed Charles Sobhraj and who post-retirement is now settled in Katraj in Pune does not believe that capturing Sobhraj was his most extraordinary achievement in his career. There are other more significant cases investigated and handled by him, he says.

Nishikant Anant Bhalerao has replied to my Facebook post...

Nishikant Anant Bhalerao

कॅमिल, अरे तुला गम्मत सांगतो, तू गोव्यात होता आणि बातमी तुला मिळाली स्कुप म्हणून. त्यावेळी मी मराठवाडा दैनिकात रात्रपाळीत होतो. जयदेव पण होता.12 वाजता पाने देऊन आम्ही घरी गेलो. मी गच्चीवर झोपायला गेलो. अनंतराव तेव्हा संपादक होते.12.30 ला त्यांना घरी जगन फडणीस तेव्हा मुंबई प्रतिनिधी म्हणून ते मराठवाडा दैनिकाचे स्वेच्छेने काम करायचे. त्यांनी अनंतराव यांना सांगितले की प्रेस मध्ये फोन कोणी उचलत नाही म्हणून तुम्हाला फोन केलाय Stop Press बातमी आहे असे त्यांनी सांगितले आणि चार्ल्स शोभराज ला गोव्यात एका हॉटेल मध्ये इन्स्पेक्टर झेंडे यांनी पकडल्याचे सांगितले.कोणीच उपसंपादक रात्रपळीत नसल्याने कंपोज कोण करणार हा प्रश्न अनंतराव यांना पडला नाही त्यांनी फोर्मन ला बोलावून पहिल्या पानावरील एक बातमी काढली आणि धावता धावता या मथळ्याखाली 5 ओळी आपल्या स्व अक्षरात लिहून त्याची प्लेट बनवून घेतली आणि दुसऱ्यादिवशी महाराष्ट्रात फक्त औरंगाबादच्या मराठवाडा मध्ये बातमी आल्याने आम्ही खूष होतो. संपादकांच्या अक्षरात बातमी प्रसिद्ध झाल्याची ही पहिलीच घटना होती. जगन फडणीस स्टार पत्रकार होते आणि त्यांच्या मुंबई च्या दैनिकाचे deadline होऊन गेल्याने त्यांनी ती मराठवाडा दैनिकाला दिली. दैनिक समाजवादी, वार्ताहर पुरोगामी, चार्ल्स ला पकडणारे झेंडे सेवादलाचे अशीही एक गम्मत होतीच.जगन यांना स्वतः झेंडे यांनी फोन करून चालर्स पकडल्याचे सांगितले होते.झेंडे हे नाव बहुदा असेच आठवते. गोवा तुझे तर मराठवाडा आमचा.

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A witness to the Emergency rule 1975 -1977

A witness to the Emergency rule 1975 -1977

That morning, soon after I had arrived at our tailoring shop in Shrirampur, the cycle riding newspaper boy had delivered the newspaper. I was a 10th standard student then but was addicted to newspaper reading. The news content of the newspaper on that day startled me and immediately I pointed it out to my father. The day was June 27, 1975. Sakal, the Marathi newspaper, which I was reading had carried the news that an internal emergency was imposed in the country on June 25 late night and that leaders of all opposition parties including Socialist leader Jaiprakash Narayan, former Union Minister Morarji Desai, and Jan Sangh leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been arrested in various cities and sent to jails. Although a minor, I understood the significance of the news. I had been reading newspapers thoroughly for the past many months which had been a turbulent period for the country. I had read about the students’ agitations in Gujarat and later in Bihar, the nationwide Chakka Jam railway strike led by firebrand leader George Fernandes and the very recent Allhabad High Court’s ruling disqualifying Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as Raebareli MP. Having known the chronology, I understood the ramifications of the promulgation of the Emergency and imprisonment of all Opposition leaders in the country. The atmosphere in the country at that time was surcharged and I too was affected by that. The news in most newspapers carried details of how the main opposition leaders were picked up from their residences in most undignified manner at very odd hours. As a reader, I was indeed indignant at the treatment meted out to these national leaders. It was the first day of the Emergency and obviously the censor officials had not yet reached at newspapers offices. Otherwise these details of the arrests would not have been published. The effects of the Emergency were felt only a couple of days later through the blank spaces in the middle of sentences in news and the blank spaces at the pocket cartoons columns and most important, at the editorial and edit articles on the inside editorial page, then reverentially referred to as the soul of any newspaper. The blank spaces and blank columns on various pages of the newspapers were obviously a result of the censor officials objecting to particular words, sentences, edits or cartoons. Those were the days of linotype setting in English newspapers and hand composition printing technology in Hindi and most regional languages. At night, there was hardly any time left with the newspaper employees for replacing the objected words, sentences, editorials and other articles. But this practice of leaving out blank spaces and columns in newspapers did not last. For, this practice enabled us readers to know that the glaring blank spaces found everywhere in the newspaper pages were the handiwork of the censor officials. The censor officials too soon saw through this game of the newspapers and later even leaving out any spaces and columns blank was strictly forbidden. Later I heard that a teacher in my school, named Kaduskar, was also arrested. Kaduskar who taught us well and was popular among students, we were told, was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist. Thousands of RSS functionaries all over the country including the organisation’s chief Sarsanghchalak Balasaheb Deoras were also arrested during the Emergency. The series of arrests carried out by the police throughout the country in a short duration must be a unique operation in the post-independence era. Initially, some stray incidents of some persons protesting against Emergency were published in newspapers. Publication of such news was banned later. Soon there was publication of newspapers in routine style, sans any anti-government or anti-Emergency news or protests of any kinds. “You were asked only to bend, but you crawled,” was the refrain of Lal Krishna Advani as the information and broadcasting minister in the Janata Party government. I can vouch, there was truth in his statement. It was so exciting to read newspapers during the students agitation against Gujarat Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel, the railway strike and the aftermath of the Allahabad High Court ruling against Indira Gandhi. Alas, for an avid newspaper reader like me, the newspapers suddenly became insipid and boring. Soon we common people returned to normal life, notwithstanding the Emergency rule. It had no impact on common people who were more interested in matters of earning their bread and butter. Nonetheless, yes, there were some visible consequences of the Emergency promulgation which had far-reaching impact on the lives of the common people. After the Emergency was declared, the government had imposed a total ban of Matka activities which were very rampant in Mumbai and also in other parts of Maharashtra. Indira Gandhi had also ordered arrest of the Mumbai-based Matka king Ratan Khatri who ran the illegal gambling activities single handed and also pocketed the entire profits. The Matka or private lottery business had created a parallel economy in Mumbai and also rest parts of Maharashtra. The Matka business empire had spread its network in urban and rural areas as well. The Matka results were declared at midnight and were carried by most reputed English and regional languages newspapers prominently on the first page the very next morning. The Matka results were code named as Sona Chandi, Mumbai Kalyan, Open Close and so on. Circulation of many newspapers in Mumbai, Pune and elsewhere was solely dependent on publication of the Matka results. At the small Sonar ( Jewelers) Lane in Shrirampur town where we had a tailoring shop, there were three Matka bookies who in their small kiosks were busy throughout the day accepting Matka bets from customers. The Matka bets for the common people were as low as two paise, three paise, one ana (six paise) or maximum 10 paise. I have never observed any person betting for more than 10 paise, let alone for one rupee. A neighbour shopkeeper who had a well furnished ostensible jewellery shop ran a Matka Pedhi and collected the Matka bets from Matka bookies in the town with 9 pm as the deadline. The Matka Pedhi owner was the richest shopkeeper in the entire Sonar (Jewellers) Lane. Lives of a large number of persons in Maharashtra were ruined because of their Matka addiction. After the arrest of Matka King Ratan Khatri, the Matka operations came to a total standstill. After the lifting of the Emergency and release of Khatri from prison, Matka activities were resumed. But the Makta industry never saw again its golden period which existed before the Emergency rule. Ratan Khatri died on May 9, 2020 and during the Lockdown period not many newspapers wrote obits of this man, a living legend who had once ran a parallel economy. To be frank, I was not aware that this legend who ran an empire five decades ago was still alive. Yes, there was another remarkable Emergency-related activity that was taking place in our Sonar Lane in Shrirampur and which was also obviously a nationwide phenomenon. As I sat on a wooden bench kept outside our `Parkhe Tailors’ shop, I watched a large number of families visiting the neighbouring jewellery shops and later walking out carrying big brass and copper utensils including urns, pots, buckets, and even glass and plates. A prominent and most expensive vessel among these used to be a copper made heavy utensil which served as a traditional water heater, called as Panyancha Bamb in Marathi. All these heavy and light utensils were mortgaged with the jewellers who also doubled up as moneylenders. During the Emergency, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had abolished the practise of private money. Money lenders in the country were directed to return all the mortgaged materials including, gold, silver and also brass, copper utensils without demanding the agreed interest and the principal amount from their respective owners or face the legal consequences. The returning of all mortgaged materials to their rightful owners continued for some weeks as more and more as people kept visiting their moneylenders when they learnt of the new law. I could see the glee on faces of members of families - men, women and children carrying in their hands, on shoulders and heads the utensils they had recovered without paying any cash to their moneylenders. For once, the law and the law enforcement personnel were on their side. These beneficiaries were not aware of the Emergency rule but they were reaping fruits of one of the fall outs of the prevalent situation in the country. I had never witnessed any arguments between the people and moneylenders as the mortgaged materials were returned without even a murmur. Nor was ever a police personnel called at the moneylender’s shop to settle a dispute. Such was the fear of the law enforcement authorities during this period. Although newspapers had become very dull and boring to read, there was a brighter side for the people to much talk about. The trains in Mumbai and elsewhere had after a long time started running punctually. It was also said that government officers and employees were also too scared to demand bribes from people for carrying out works in government offices, such was the fear of law enforcement authorities during this period. Sarvodaya leader Acharya Vinoba Bhave who was observing a vow of silence at his Pavnar Ashram during this time is said to have described the Emergency rule as Anushasan Parva, an era of discipline. My neighbour in Pimpri Chinchwad Vijay S. Deshpande who has retired 15 years ago was a junior officer in Union industries department in New Delhi when the Emergency was imposed. He recalls how the rule of punctuality was enforced at the behest of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in North Block and South Block in the Capital. It is said that Indira Gandhi (There was no Prime Minister's Office - PMO- then) had one day ordered closure of the main gates of these government premises the next day exactly at 9 am. Consequently, for the first time in their careers, many senior bureaucrats of the ranks of chief secretaries and others were either denied entry in their offices or had the late remark against their names in the registers on account of their late arrival , says Deshpande . The situation prevailing in the first few months after the imposition of the Emergency certainly came as a relief for the common people. Later on people got accustomed to the Emergency rule as even many political workers and activists were released a few months later, barring the main political leaders. Significantly Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader S. A. Dange and Socialist leaders S.M. Joshi and N.G. Goray were among those non-Congress leaders in Maharashtra to whom Indira Gandhi had spared from arrests. Among these, Thackeray and Dange had openly supported the Emergency. The excesses in the family planning campaigns implemented by Sanjay Gandhi and his team came in later stage of the Emergency. Most of the political leaders and RSS workers were detained under the Maintenance of the Internal Security Act or MISA. ( Laloo Prasad Yadav - one of the political veterans sprang up by the Emergency - has named one of his daughters as Misa). Those arrested were treated as political prisoners, provided newspapers and even allowed to interact with each others. That is how there was a `reconciliation’ among the socialists, Jan Sangh, RSS, and other political party leaders, leading to the birth of the Janata Party soon after the release of these leaders. The strict enforcement of law and discipline in government offices and public life started disappearing soon after Indira Gandhi relaxed restrictions of the Emergency in January 1977 and general elections in the country were announced. The rest which is history is known to all. Camil Parkhe's other English and Marathi articles are on following blogs https://camilopark.blogspot.com https://camilpark.blogspot.com https://camilparkhe.blogspot.com

Badalati Patrakarita Foreword by Mukesh Machkar

‘बदलत्या पत्रकारितेचा प्रवास’ प्रस्तावना

मुकेश माचकर

‘बिगुल’ या मतपोर्टलचा संपादक म्हणून काम पाहात असताना गेल्या वर्षी २८ मे रोजी ज्येष्ठ मित्र आणि ज्येष्ठ पत्रकार कामिल पारखे यांचा मेसेंजरवर निरोप आला. त्यांच्या मितभाषी स्वभावाला अनुसरून एवढंच लिहिलं होतं, माझ्याकडे मराठीत एक लेख आहे, तुझा ई मेल आयडी कळव. तुला पाठवायचाय.

‘पत्रकारितेतील राशीभविष्य आणि मटक्याचे आकडे’ हा तो लेख वाचला आणि खाली कामिल पारखे हे नाव वाचून उडालोच... मी पत्रकारितेचं प्रशिक्षण घेत असताना कामिल पुण्यात इंग्रजी पत्रकारितेत नाव कमावून असलेले वार्ताहर होते, ते मराठी बोलतात, हे पाहिलं होतं. पण, त्यांचा त्याआधीचा पत्रकारितेतला प्रवास ज्ञात नव्हता. त्यामुळे ते मराठी लिहितात, याची कल्पना नव्हती. अतिशय सुगम आणि थेट भाषेत लिहिलेला हा रसाळ लेख पाहून कामिल यांची मराठी भाषेवरही उत्तम पकड आहे, याचा माझ्यापुरता साक्षात्कार झाला आणि त्यांना ‘मराठीत आणखी लिहा,’ असं कळवलं. छापील पत्रकारितेमध्ये ९०च्या दशकापर्यंत वावरलेल्या पत्रकारांना अतिशय परिचयाचा असलेला दैनंदिन राशीभविष्याच्या दैनंदिन फिरवाफिरवीचा आणि कल्याण बाजार, सोने चांदी, शुभांक, अशा सांकेतिक शीर्षकाखाली दिले जाणारे मटक्याचे आकडे यांचा अतिशय खुमासदार आणि नाट्यमय आढावा त्या लेखात घेतला होता. त्या काळात पुण्यातल्या एका प्रख्यात, ऐतिहासिक दैनिकामध्ये आदल्या रात्रीच्या अंकात थोडा फेरफार करून सकाळी ११ वाजता एक आवृत्ती टपालाने बाहेरगावी रवाना केली जायची. तिला ‘एम’ एडिशन म्हणायचे, म्हणजे मेल एडिशन- टपाल आवृत्ती. प्रत्यक्षात तिच्यातला ‘एम’ हा मटक्यातला होता, हे गुपित सर्वांनाच ठाऊक होतं- त्याची आठवण करून दिली या लेखाने.

हा लेख ‘बिगुल’वर प्रसिद्ध झाला आणि त्याला वाचकांचा उदंड प्रतिसाद मिळाला. छापील माध्यमांच्या, खासकरून वर्तमानपत्रांच्या सुवर्णकाळात वाचकांचं वृत्तपत्रांशी एक खास नातं जडलेलं होतं. सकाळच्या चहाला किंवा इतर आन्हिकांना ताज्या वर्तमानपत्राची जोड नसली तर दिवस सुरूच व्हायचा नाही अनेकांचा. त्या काळातल्या वर्तमानपत्रसृष्टीविषयी, तिच्यातल्या माणसांविषयी, पत्रकारांविषयी आदरयुक्त कुतूहल असायचं वाचकांमध्ये. कामिल यांच्या लेखाने त्या वाचकांना त्या काळात नेलं, पत्रकारांना त्यांच्या उमेदवारीच्या दिवसांतल्या अनेक मजेशीर गोष्टींची आठवण करून दिली आणि या काळाची काहीही माहिती नसलेल्या नव्या पिढीच्या पत्रकारांना जुन्या काळाची ओळख करून दिली.

या लेखाच्या प्रतिसादानंतर कामिल यांनी उत्तमोत्तम लेखांचा धडाकाच लावला. मेसेंजरवर ‘मुकेश प्लीज चेक मेल,’ असा संदेश यायचा. ते मेल तात्काळ उघडून आधी लेख वाचून काढायचा, कामिल यांच्यासोबत त्या काळाची, त्या गावाची फेरी मारायची, त्यांच्या लेखातल्या व्यक्तिरेखांना भेटायचं आणि मग तो पुढच्या सोपस्कारांसाठी पाठवायचा, असा नित्यक्रम होऊन बसला. आमची कॉम्रेडगिरी, अनुभवलेले पु.ल., तीन दशकांतले अण्णा, पत्रकारितेतील स्त्रिया असे अनेक लेख ‘बिगुल’वर छापले गेले आणि सुजाण वाचक त्यांच्या लेखांची वाट पाहू लागले, तसं कळवू लागले.

त्यांनी वेळोवेळी बिगुलवर आणि अन्यत्र लिहिलेल्या, ब्लॉगवर संग्रहित केलेल्या माहितीपूर्ण आणि रसाळ लेखांपैकी काही वेचक लेखांचा हा संग्रह आहे.

कामिल हे खरंतर मिशनरी सेवाव्रती होण्यासाठी महाराष्ट्रातून गोव्याला गेले होते... तिथे त्यांनी कालौघात वेगळाच एक धर्म आत्मसात केला, पत्रकारितेचा- आणि त्यात ते मिशनरी वृत्तीनेच वावरले आहेत. संवादसाधनांची कमतरता असलेल्या आणि टीव्ही पत्रकारितेच्या कल्पनेचाही जन्म होण्याच्या आधीच्या काळात वर्तमानपत्रांचे बातमीदार प्रत्यक्ष घटनास्थळीही जात असत. आजकाल काही ठिकाणी वर्तमानपत्राचा बातमीदार दिसला, तर लोक आपत्ती विसरून आणि वेळात वेळ काढून त्याचा सत्कार करतील, इतकी मोबाइल आणि व्हॉट्सअॅप पत्रकारिता बोकाळलेली आहे. टीव्हीवर बातमी पाहून त्यावरून लिहून काढणे किंवा सरळ इतर वर्तमानपत्रांच्या वेबसाइटवरून बातम्या उचलून त्यांची चतुर फिरवाफिरव करणे, हे आजकाल वार्ताहर आणि उपसंपादकांचं काम होऊन बसलेलं आहे. अशावेळी गोव्यासारख्या सुशेगाद राज्याची पेंग उडवणारी ‘चार्ल्स सोबराजला अटक’ ही घडामोड सर्वांच्या आधी टिपण्यासाठी कामिल आणि त्यांच्या सहकाऱ्यांनी केलेला आटापिटा वाचताना वाचकाला धाप लागते. दहावी-बारावीचे निकालही जेव्हा वर्तमानपत्रांमध्ये छापून येत आणि राज्यात कोण पहिला आलाय, हे त्या विद्यार्थ्याच्या आधी वार्ताहरांना कळत असे, त्या काळात गुणवान विद्यार्थ्यांना भेटून, अरे तू पहिला आला आहेस, असं आपणच सांगून त्यांच्या मुलाखती घेण्याचा अनुभव कामिल यांनी झकास रंगवला आहे. त्यात वार्ताहरांची सरबराई काही वेळा थंडगार बियर आणि केकने होत असे, हे वाचून मराठी वार्ताहरांना गोव्यातल्या वार्ताहरांचा हेवा वाटेल.

ज्या काळात आजच्या घटनेचा फोटो दोन दिवसांनी छापून यायचा त्या काळात प्रिन्स चार्ल्स आणि डायना यांच्या विवाहाचे फोटो तात्काळ मिळवण्यासाठी नवहिंद टाइम्सचे तत्कालीन संपादक बिक्रम व्होरा यांनी ते टीव्हीवरून टिपण्यासाठी लढवलेली युक्ती, सुप्रिया सुळेंच्या लग्नाच्या फोटोसाठी आवश्यक यंत्रणाच बारामतीला नेण्याची इंडियन एक्स्प्रेसने लढवलेली युक्ती यांसारख्या प्रकरणांमधून पत्रकारितेतल्या वाचकांना स्मरणरंजनाचा आनंद मिळेल आणि अन्य वाचकांना थरारक रंजनाचा. अशीच गंमत पत्रकारितेतल्या बदलत्या तंत्रज्ञानाचा माहितीपूर्ण आढावा घेणारा लेख वाचतानाही येते. पत्रकारितेचा बाकीचा प्रवास कुठून कुठे झाला आहे, हे सुजाण वाचक जाणतातच; तांत्रिक प्रवास मात्र अज्ञात असतो. त्यावर हा लेख प्रकाश टाकतो. पत्रकारितेतल्या महिला सहकाऱ्यांविषयी त्यांनी कौतुकपूर्ण आदराने लिहिलं आहे.

पत्रकारांविषयी, खासकरून वार्ताहरांविषयी समाजात फार कुतूहल असतं ते त्यांना थोरामोठ्यांचा सहवास सतत लाभत असतो म्हणून. राजकीय नेत्यांमध्ये सगळ्या बातमीदारांची उठबस असते, त्यांचा व्यक्तिगत परिचय असतो, याचं वाचकांना फार अप्रूप असतं. राजकीय-सामाजिक नेत्यांची मुलाखत घेण्याची, त्यांच्याबरोबर काही काळ व्यतीत करण्याची आणि त्यांचा प्रवास टिपण्याची संधी कामिल यांनाही मिळालेली आहे. त्यातून त्यांनी पंतप्रधानपदाचे दावेदार म्हणून निवडणूक लढवणारे ज्येष्ठ नेते शरद पवार यांची विमानतळापर्यंतच्या प्रवासात मिळवलेली मुलाखत, तत्कालीन पंतप्रधान विश्वनाथ प्रताप सिंह यांची विमानतळावरच्या कक्षात मिळालेली एक्स्क्लुझिव मुलाखत, अण्णा हजारेंच्या राजकीय प्रवासावरचं टिपण (त्यात अण्णा हे पहिल्यापासून कसे ‘मीडिया सॅव्ही’ आहेत, हे कामिल यांना कसं लक्षात आलं तो प्रसंग मुळातून वाचण्यासारखा) आणि किरण बेदींच्या आग्रहामुळे पत्रकारितेचे संकेत बाजूला ठेवून एकच बातमी तीन दिवस लावण्याचा प्रसंग ही प्रकरणं आकाराला आली आहेत. अनौपचारिक गप्पांमध्ये, ऑफ दि रेकॉर्ड व्यक्त केलेल्या मताची बातमी झाल्यामुळे अतिशय प्रतिष्ठित आणि विद्वान राजकारणी असलेले नेते सी. सुब्रम्हण्यम यांच्या कारकीर्दीची दुर्दैवी अखेर कशी ओढवली, ही हकीकतही धक्कादायक आणि रोचक आहे. कामिल यांनी काही निवडणुकांमधल्या वार्तांकनाच्याही आठवणी मांडल्या आहेत.

महाराष्ट्राचं लाडकं व्यक्तिमत्त्व असलेल्या पु. ल. देशपांडे यांचं गोयंकारांवर केवढं गारूड होतं, याचं दर्शन कामिल यांनी दूरस्थपणे घडवलं आहे. मात्र, पुलंच्या निधनाची बातमी पहिल्या पानावर न छापण्याच्या ‘टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया’च्या निर्णयामागे त्या वर्तमानपत्राचे मराठी संपादक दिलीप पाडगावकर यांचाच आग्रह कसा होता, ही माहिती वाचकांना थक्क करून सोडते. लोकांना रोज ‘गुडमॉर्निंग न्यूज’ द्यायची, नकारात्मक बातम्यांनी त्यांचा सकाळचा चहा खराब करायचा नाही, अशा व्यापारी कल्पनांमधून निघालेल्या टाइम्सच्या नवपत्रकारितेच्या नियमांनुसार नामवंत व्यक्तीच्या निधनाची बातमी आत छापायची, बाहेर आठवणींना उजळा देणारा एखाद्या सेलिब्रिटीचा लेख छापायचा, हा नियम तयार झाला होता. त्यात पुलंसाठी अपवाद करण्याची पाडगावकरांची तयारी नव्हती. आता हे औद्धत्य म्हणायचं की शुद्ध व्यावसायिक पत्रकारितेचं ब्रीद, हे सांगणं अवघड आहे. असाच एक नैतिक पेच दैनंदिन राशीभविष्य नावाची फेकाफेक आणि मटक्याचे आकडे छापण्याच्या संदर्भात पडतो. पण, पगारचं काम म्हटल्यावर ते केलंच पाहिजे, अशा सोयीने तो सुटतो. वर्तमानपत्राच्या छापील किंमतीला काही व्यावहारिक ‘किंमत’ असण्याचा काळ संपत गेला, पत्रकारिता जसजशी जाहिरातदारांच्या कह्यात गेली आणि नंतर सर्वात मोठा जाहिरातदार बनलेल्या सरकारच्या हातात गेली, तसतसे पत्रकारितेच्या ब्रीदात काय बदल घडत गेले असतील, त्याचं दिशादिग्दर्शन या लेखातून होतं.

या लेखनप्रपंचात कामिल यांनी त्यांच्या पत्रकारितेच्या कारकीर्दीच्याच नव्हे, तर जन्माच्याही खूप आधी घडलेल्या पंचहौद मिशनच्या चहापानाची अर्थात ग्रामण्यवादाची रंजक आणि बोधपूर्ण हकीकत सांगितली आहे. गोपाळराव जोशी या उपद्व्यापी गृहस्थाने लोकमान्य टिळक, न्यायमूर्ती रानडे यांच्यासह पुण्यातल्या मान्यवर नागरिकांना पंचहौद मिशनमध्ये व्याख्यानाच्या मिषाने बोलावून चहाबिस्कीटं खायला लावली आणि नंतर त्याची बोंब मारून लोकमान्यांवर प्रायश्चित्त घेण्याची वेळ आणली, ही गोष्ट त्यांनी पत्रकारितेच्या दृष्टिकोनातून मांडली आहे. आणीबाणीच्याही काळात कामिल सक्रिय पत्रकारितेत नसले तरी देशात काय घडतं आहे, हे टिपण्याच्या वयाचे होतेच. वाचनातून, मोठ्या माणसांच्या बोलण्यातून त्यांनी आणीबाणीची तुलनेने अपरिचित बाजू पुढे आणली आहे. आणीबाणीमुळे व्यक्तिस्वातंत्र्याचा आणि अभिव्यक्तीस्वातंत्र्याचा संकोच झाला, बाबूशाहीच्या वरवंट्याचा अतिरेक झाला, हे तर खरेच- त्यातूनच इंदिरा गांधींना निवडणुकीत भुईसपाट व्हावं लागलं. पण, आणीबाणीत सरकारी कार्यालयं वक्तशीरपणे चालू लागली, लाच न देता कामं होऊ लागली. अशा प्रकारच्या सामान्यजनांना सुखावणाऱ्या बदलांच्या अनुशासनपर्वाची दखल फारशी घेतली जात नाही. ती कामिल यांनी घेतली आहे. आणीबाणीमुळे लोकांच्या तिरस्काराच्या धनी झालेल्या आणि आर्थिक बळाविना निवडणूक लढवणाऱ्या इंदिरा गांधींनी हिंमतीच्या बळावर आणि जनता पक्षाच्या नादानीमुळे कसा जोरदार कमबॅक केला, हेही त्यांनी एका प्रकरणात नमूद केलं आहे.

साधारणपणे पत्रकारांना दीर्घलेखनाचा कंटाळा असतो आणि त्यांची पुस्तकं प्रकाशित होतात ती आधी वर्तमानपत्रात लिहिलेल्या लेखांच्या, सदरांच्या संग्रहाच्या स्वरूपातली असतात. खरंतर अनेक वार्ताहर वर्षानुवर्षं एकेका बीटवर काम करतात म्हणजे एकेका क्षेत्रातल्या बातम्या गोळा करतात. त्या कार्यकाळात त्यांच्याकडे अनुभवांचं, किश्शांचं भांडार जमा होतं, काहीएक अंतर्दृष्टी तयार होते. त्यातला ७० टक्के भाग हा बातम्यांबाहेरचा असतो. त्या खजिन्यातल्या ऐवजाची थोडी लक्षपूर्वक मांडणी केली, तर त्यातून त्या त्या क्षेत्रावर क्ष-किरण टाकणारी उत्तम ग्रंथसंपदा तयार होऊ शकते. पण, तसं फारसं होताना दिसत नाही. माहितीचं अद्ययावतीकरण, दीर्घ लेखन, बैठक मारून, मांड जमवून पुस्तकाचा दमसास अवगत करून लिहिणं, या सगळ्याचा कंटाळा, हे याचं कारण असावं.

पत्रकारांचं अनुभवकथन, हा जो दुसरा प्रकार आहे, त्यात कामिल यांच्या या पुस्तकाचा समावेश करावा लागेल. अशा पुस्तकांच्या बाबतीत ‘मी’पणाची लांबण आणि पाल्हाळिक तपशीलांची भरमार होण्याचा धोका संभवतो. शिवाय अशा लेखनात समकालीनता हरवण्याचीही शक्यता असतेच. कामिल यांनी आजवरच्या प्रवासातल्या अनुभवांनाच शब्दरूप दिलं असलं तरी इंग्रजी पत्रकारितेच्या नेमकेपणाच्या, नेटकेपणाच्या अट्टहासामुळे त्यांनी या अवगुणांची बाधा त्यांच्या लेखनाला होऊ दिलेली नाही. या पुस्तकात त्यांनी काही व्यक्तिरेखांच्या अंगाने लिहिलेले लेख आहेत, काही घटनाप्रधान आहेत आणि काही पत्रकारितेच्या तांत्रिक-आशयात्मक प्रवासाचा आढावा घेणारे लेख आहेत. त्यातल्या अनेकांमध्ये साक्षीदार म्हणून किंवा त्या प्रसंगात सहभागी असलेले पत्रकार म्हणून खुद्द कामिल यांची उपस्थिती आहे, पण ती जाणवतही नाही तिथे खुपेल कशी? चांगला बातमीदार बातमीत दिसत नाही, वाचक आणि बातमीचा आशय यांच्यामध्ये लुडबुड करत नाही, असा संस्कार कटाक्षाने पाळण्याच्या काळातले ते पत्रकार आहेत. या काळात लेखांमध्येही अनावश्यक ‘मी’ आला असेल, तर उपसंपादकांची कात्री त्यावर चालायची. त्यामुळे या लेखांमध्ये कामिल ‘नायक’ बनून येत नाहीत, ते ऐतिहासिक प्रसंगाचे तटस्थ निरीक्षक ही खऱ्या पत्रकाराची भूमिका या व्यक्तिगत स्वरूपाच्या लेखांमध्येही सोडत नाहीत, हे त्यांच्या लेखनाचं सर्वात महत्त्वाचं वैशिष्ट्य आहे. त्याने हा ऐवज चघळगप्पा आणि किस्सेबाजीच्या पलीकडे जातो, वाचकांना एकेका काळाचं आणि माणसांचं सुस्पष्ट दर्शन घडवतो आणि सर्वात महत्त्वाचं म्हणजे पत्रकारिता कशी कशी बदलत गेली, हे सांगणारा एक अंत:प्रवाह या लेखनातून राजापूरच्या गंगेसारखा सुप्तपणाने वाहताना दिसतो.

कामिल यांनी उकळत्या शिशापासून बातमीच्या ओळी घडवणारं लायनो टायपिंग आणि फोटो छापण्याचं ब्लॉकमेकिंग तंत्र यापासून ते आताच्या पोर्टल पत्रकारितेपर्यंतचा अतिशय कमी काळात घडून आलेल्या प्रचंड बदलांचा काळ पाहिला आहे. हे बदल काही फक्त तांत्रिक नाहीत, पत्रकारितेचा आत्माही आता बदलला आहे, अनेक ठिकाणी गहाण पडला आहे. कामिल यांनी आता या आशयात्मक बदलाचाही साक्षेपी आढावा घ्यावा, असा आग्रह त्यांच्याकडे धरावासा वाटतो. तो एक महत्त्वाचा दस्तावेज ठरेल.

एकेकाळी चळवळींमध्ये ‘कॉम्रेड’गिरी केलेले कामिल काही काळ पत्रकारितेतल्या सहकाऱ्यांनाही कॉम्रेड म्हणत, आता अनेक वर्षांत त्यांनी तसं कुणाला म्हटलेलं नाही, असं त्यांनी एका आत्मपर लेखात म्हटलं आहे... पण, पत्रकारितेच्या मूलभूत मूल्यांशी परिचय असलेल्या आणि त्यांच्या मुशीत पिंड घडलेल्या हाडाच्या पत्रकारांना आणि तशाच तयारीच्या वाचकांना या पुस्तकातल्या लेखांमधून ‘कॉम्रेड’ या शब्दामध्ये अंतर्भूत भ्रातृभाव, सहानुभाव जाणवेल.

मी पत्रकारितेमध्ये अनुभवाने आणि अधिकाराने कामिल यांना सर्वार्थाने ‘ज्युनियर’ असताना त्यांनी अतीव स्नेहाने या पुस्तकाला प्रस्तावना लिहिण्याची मोठी जबाबदारी माझ्यावर सोपवून माझा मोठाच सन्मान केला आहे. त्याबद्दल आभारी आहे ‘कॉम्रेड कामिल’!

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