The illustrated weekly: An editor edited

"Khanna Baaju Aa Jaa Raju" (Out of the way Khanna, let Raju in). "Resident editor, don't shift your residence". "Outsiders! Please don't interfere with the internal promotion policy."-Mumbai Mazdoor SabhaRego(extreme left) and Bharatan(third from left) conferring with colleagues: No to outsidersDecorating the stately portals ofThe Times of India (TOI) building in Bombay's Boribunder last month, these slogans marked the beginnings of what is likely to become a watershed agitation in Indian journalism - a direct confrontation between the mammoth publishing organisation's management and working journalists over the choice of a new editor for India's oldest and most widely circulated English magazine,The Illustrated Weekly of India.Backed by R.J. Mehta's Mumbai Mazdoor Sabha, which controls a majority of the group's workmen and journalists in Bombay, the entire staff of the Weekly refused to cooperate with any new editor chosen by the management unless the choice was made from within the established hierarchy of the magazine's staff. When Kumud C. Khanna, 54, the Times' diminutive Bombay edition resident editor was finally picked for the prestigious appointment, Weekly staffers refused even to acknowledge his presence, bypassing him and sending their articles and "copy" directly to the press.By month's end, after a harrowing fortnight of uncertainty for the new incumbent, an uneasy calm was restored when TOI Managing Director Ram Tarneja succumbed, at least partially, to the Union's wishes and accepted that his management's policy would henceforth be to encourage internal promotions based on seniority rather than outside appointments. Although Khanna remained the editor for the time being, a tentative truce was declared after Tarneja promised to allow Raju Bharatan, the Weekly's assistant editor, to meet the group's Chairman, Ashok Jain and put forward his claim to the editorship.Agitation Suspended: Pending Bharatan's meeting with Jain, and his final decision on the matter, Mehta agreed to suspend the agitation and allow Khanna to function as temporary editor. But the truce, while it ensured that immediate issues of the mass circulation Weekly would not suffer, was by no means a final solution to the problem, since the Union is prepared to renew its non-cooperation efforts at the slightest sign of management vacillation.While The Illustrated Weekly confrontation came to a head only last month, the feud had first made itself felt almost a month earlier. With the three-year tenure of M.V. Kamath due to expire on September 7, the magazine's management was reportedly on the look-out for fresh new talent to revitalise its gradually flagging circulation. Finally Pritish Nandy, a Calcutta-based poet, was picked for the job. But Mehta and his Union promptly took up Bharatan's cause and opposed the entry of an absolute outsider who would be bypassing senior and experienced Weekly staffers. Insisting that Bharatan, who had spent 28 of his 30 journalistic years with the magazine, had first claim on the post when it fell vacant, Mehta promptly informed Tarneja that his Union would not "tolerate" an outsider's appointment in view of the assistant editor's qualifications and experience in the field. Replied Tarneja: "Appointments of editors are decided by the company at its discretion and there is no question of any prejudice."Even while upholding the right of a newspaper management to appoint editors, however, the Weekly's administrators finally gave in to Union pressure and dropped Nandy from the prestigious sweepstakes. The alternative was Khanna, a seasoned journalist with editorial experience, and a choice which the Weekly staff could not be expected to oppose, since he was from within the Times group of publications. But Khanna, in his turn, was not accepted by the magazine's journalistic staff, which continued to insist that Bharatan was entitled to the promotion. Said Wally Rego, a Times reporter who is vice-president of the Mumbai Mazdoor Sabha: "Raju Bharatan has been an assistant editor in the magazine for 10 years, and his experience in pictorial journalism runs to almost 30 years. He has been capable, competent and has handled cover features ranging from politics to cricket." While the TOI and its allied publications have generally followed a policy of internal promotions to editorial positions based on seniority, there have been exceptions to this in the past. Femina, Filmfare, Madhuri, Parag, Sarika and the now defunct Youth Times are all edited by people who have risen from within the hierarchy. The Illustrated Weekly, when C.R. Mandy retired, was automatically handed over to A.S. Raman, who was previously assistant editor of the magazine. Historically, however, newspaper managements have always asserted that it is their prerogative to appoint an editor. Raman was followed by Khushwant Singh, an outsider, and Kamath who, like Khanna, came from the Times set up. In the case of The Economic Times, also, Dr Hannan Ezekiel was brought in as editor from outside the group But with the Raju Bharatan case, Mehta is challenging the very right of a publisher to overrule seniority and internal promotions and select an outside editor.Sound Footing: Legally the veteran unionist is on a sound footing. Under both the Industrial Disputes Act and the Journalists Act the post of editor is defined as a journalistic position which is governed by the rulings of the Acts. The courts have always defended the rights of an employee who is denied internal promotion without reasonable grounds, in favour of an outsider. Applying a similar yardstick to the post of editor would seem to make it an open and shut case for Bharatan. Mehta, however, admits that this cannot be applied as a generalisation to all journalistic establishments. "Each case would definitely have to be tried on its merits"The ex-editor, in fact, had agreed that it was a management right to decide on its editor, and had suggested that a special post of associate editor be created for Bharatan who, he felt, deserved a promotion. Mehta is prepared to accept Bharatan as a compromise solution to the dispute.For publishers around the country, however, the Bharatan affair is likely to serve as a test case. Instead of passively submitting resignations as a form of protest, as has happened in the past, newspaper and magazine journalists will in all probability treat the Weekly feud as a precedent.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 4, 2013 11:01 IST--- ENDS ---

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The illustrated weekly: An editor edited

The entire staff of The Illustrated Weekly of India refused to cooperate with any new editor chosen by the management unless the choice was made from within the established hierarchy of the magazine's staff.

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