[India Today]

Published date: Jan 16th-31st 1982

THERE can be little more excitement for the media than to chronicle political events from inception to climax. Opportunities tend to be rare, but as the tempo of political transition quickens, the birth, rise and decay of political phenomena are becoming more easily encompassed. INDIA TODAY was there to report the catapulting of the Youth Congress in 1976, when the late Sanjay Gandhi featured on the first of four covers of the magazine. It chronicled the impact of youth power on the parent Congress party with the mammoth All India Congress Committee (AICC) session at Gauhati the same year. It has, similarly, been on hand to cover the rise of Rajiv Gandhi, who makes it to the cover for the third time in 18 months. In the. August 1980, cover story-Filling The Void- Rajiv was a political recluse. In May 1981-Will The Cap Fit ? the cover story evaluated his decision to enter politics. This fortnight, at the Bangalore Youth Congress (I) convention, he was a trans- formed figure, no longer blushingly avoiding the glare of publicity but perfectly at home in it. To chronicle the event which marked the transformation, Managing Editor SUMAN DUBEY, Picture Editor RAGHU RAI and Correspondent PRABHU CHAWLA joined their colleague RAJ CHENGAPPA in Bangalore for the duration of the conference and Correspondent SUMIT MITRA put the story together in New Delhi. To track events and sense the mood they fanned out among delegates and VIPs there assembled. Then, to get a bird’s-eye view-literally-of the proceedings, they climbed atop a street lamp repair vehicle, gaining a rare perspective on an unusual event. Rai, who has shot scores of pictures of dignitaries, was startled to see his now famous election portrait of Rajiv (held aloft on placards on this fortnight’s cover ) on sale at the convention for up to Rs 150. Mused Rai: “Perhaps I should have charged royalty on this one.”

THINGS are frequently not what they seem to be, and it often devolves on the media to peel aside appearances. At times this can be a humbling experience, as it was last fortnight in the wake of the Sadhupur killings. Taking a close look at the Uttar Pradesh anti-dacoit drive CHAITANYA KALBAG was a stone’s throw from Sadhupur when the killings burst upon the unsuspecting community. Kalbag arrived at the scene before the VIPs in their helicopters. Branching out from there, he criss-crossed the major dacoit districts of the state, travelling more than 1,700 kilometers by car, to put together a comprehensive investigation of some of the so-called encounters. This was a follow-up on an earlier story on police atrocities in the February 16-28, 1981 issue. Kalbag also recruited freelance Photographer PRASHANT PANJIAR to provide the pictures. Said Kalbag : “It’ll take a long time to forget the smell of death and terror that hung over the region.”

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