Writing a column of about 1300 words week after week is a daunting task for any writer. The column can survive only if it offers something new in a refreshing style, bereft of punditry and, yet, absolutely refreshing. After all, no writer, least of all a columnist, can force his reader to read him, except when his book becomes a prescribed textbook.
Anil Kumar Singh was a columnist for The Free Press Journal, founded by Swaminathan Sadanand, about whom the author says that he preferred to sell his real estate to defend the fourth estate when he could have just tendered an unconditional apology.
Before putting on the cap of a columnist, Singh had proved his mettle as a reporter and sub-editor, entitling him to hold the title of Metro Editor at The Times of India in Mumbai for four years. Surely, the FPJ would have taken into consideration his four-decade-long innings as a frontline journalist.
His columns, a compilation of which forms the body of this book, clearly reveal not only his command of the English language but also his meticulousness in backing all his claims with facts and figures. That is, perhaps, why they appeal not only to the casual reader, who reads them on the local train but also to the scholar who researches into the decaying of the metropolis.
Singh had been given a vast canvas which he used to portray the city, the citizen, and the nation in his inimitable style. The basic function of a newspaper is to reveal what is hidden from the public eye. The columnist also has the onerous duty to bring out viewpoints that may not be palatable to those who hold power.
Small wonder that Prime Minister Narendra Modi figures the most in his columns. The author does not take anything at its face value but goes deeper and deeper to find out its intrinsic worth. Thus, he cannot gloss over the flaws and inadequacies of Modi, while underlining the fact that the author is essentially a muckraker.
Only a person who has a subtle sense of humour can hold forth on a subject without boring the reader. A column on human rights ends with a jailbird approaching the librarian of the jail for a particular book, to which he replies, “We don’t have his book, but he is here.”
It requires courage and sensitivity to discuss topics that are described as religious or matters of faith. His pieces on the temple under construction at Ayodhya and his take on Valentine’s Day are as bold as they are original, for he succeeds in pointing out that building a Ram temple is not a substitute for establishing Ram Rajya.
The author’s love for Mumbai is palpable when he touches upon the city’s inability to make the grade as the cleanest city and invokes the argument that Mumbai has been bursting at the seams. It requires guts to take on both the Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition while living in the same city as theirs.
One issue with columns is their limited shelf life because their subjects are too contemporary and ephemeral to maintain interest for an extended period. In this case, none of his columns loses readability, though years have passed since they were written.
Anyone who reads this book will easily understand why pressure was put on the newspaper management to stop the column. In these days of social media and new technologies, it is not possible to curb the creative instincts, as the publication of this book clearly demonstrates.
Anil Kumar Singh's enduring columns fearlessly navigate society, politics, and human nature, showcasing timeless relevance. The book needs to be made available in print format also to reach a larger section of the readers.
Title: The Fault with Reality: New Experiments with Truth
Author: Anil Kumar Singh
Publisher: Notion Press
Pages: 204
Price: Rs 285
