Editor Unplugged: Media, Magnates, Netas and Me

by Vinod Mehta

Vinod Mehta’s new book takes forward the story of Lucknow Boy, recounting his experiences in the corridors of power in Delhi. His views on Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal and the Nehru–Gandhi dynasty, and his decoding of coalition politics and the significant changes ushered in by the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, are expressed with his characteristic sharp insights, wit and wisdom. So too are his analyses of the sweeping changes taking place in the print and TV media, and his pen portraits of personalities such as Ratan Tata, Niira Radia, Khushwant Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Arundhati Roy. Other chapters examine the lack of humour in our political life, the changing aspirations of the Indian middle class, and the mistakes and regrets of his life. Peppered with anecdotes and gossip, every page of this honest, lively and irreverent book is both illuminating and entertaining.

Genres: Autobiography, Nonfiction

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2014

Reviews

[Nandita · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 1.6 Rs

What I loved most about the book is Vinod Mehta's self-deprecating humour. Take for example : "Gandhi said, 'freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes' I exercised this Gandhi-an freedom prolifically in a span that has crossed the biblical three score and ten." He follows it up with stories that'll raise your eye brows.

I loved his style of writing too. It's lucid, funny and clever. He couldn't have written this better : "Whether it is fair to label the BJP as communal is debatable. What is not debatable is the fact that at the heart of the Sangh Parivar communal elements prosper. They become less or more vocal depending on how the lotus is blooming"
But annoyingly, I had to reach out for the dictionary( I mean Google) often. An Editor will use his fancy words I suppose. ( Dear lord my vocab is limited )

I'll put my last opinion in Vinod Mehta style:
Socrates once said 'An Unexamined life is not worth living'. Vinod Mehta definitely lives a life worth living. His self-examination and frank disclosures ( at the midnight hour, as he puts it) feel like he's mastered the art of looking at his life as a spectator than as the actor.

If your taste doesn't match mine, who else is the book for? For someone curious about the going-ons in the corridors of power at Delhi, the book gives some delicious tid-bits. Also if you treasure up quotes then this book has a chock full of choice quotes. I bet Vinod Mehta has a curated a great collection somewhere.

[Shadin Pranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

চল্লিশ বছর একজন মানুষ সম্পাদক হিসেবে কাজ করেছেন৷ সেই আউটলুক সম্পাদক বিনোদ মেহতার স্মৃতিকথা বলে কথা! তাই বাড়তি আগ্রহ ছিল৷ কিন্তু পুরো বই পড়ে প্রত্যাশা শতভাগ পূরণ হয়নি৷ তবুও যা পেয়েছি মন্দ লাগেনি৷

২ শ ২৫ পাতার বইয়ের বেশিরভাগ সময় আলোচনা করেছেন ভারতীয় গণমাধ্যমের রাজনৈতিক অর্থনীতি নিয়ে৷ তিনি চমৎকারভাবে ব্যাখা করেছেন গণমাধ্যমের মালিকানা ব্যবসায়ীগোষ্ঠীগুলোর হাতে এটি স্বাধীন গণমাধ্যম ব্যবস্থার প্রতিবন্ধক নয়৷ বরং একই ব্যবসায়ীগোষ্ঠীর হাতে একাধিক গণমাধ্যমের মালিকানাই বড় সমস্যা, বড় হুমকি।

নীরা রাদিয়া টেপ কেলেঙ্কারি নিয়ে বিস্তারিত বর্ণনা করেছেন৷ আমি ভারতীয় নই৷ তাই এই কেলেঙ্কারির বয়ান আমার ভালো লাগেনি৷

নিজের ছ'জন প্রিয়জনের স্মৃতিচারণ করেছেন বিনোদ মেহতা৷ এই অংশটি মনোমুগ্ধকর লেগেছে৷ বিনোদ মেহতার প্রিয়মানুষদের তালিকায় ছিলেন - খুশবন্ত সিং, খাজা আহমদ আব্বাস, শচীন টেন্ডুলকার আর রাসকিন বন্ডের মতো ব্যক্তিরা৷

কংগ্রেস মতাদর্শ গোপন করতে পারেন নি বিনোদ মেহতা৷ কংগ্রেসের পারিবারিক নেতৃত্বের সমালোচনা করলেও দৃঢ়তা দেখাননি ইউপিএ সরকারের নানা কুকীর্তির বিপক্ষে বলতে৷

প্রত্যাশা পূর্ণ হয়নি এত অভিজ্ঞ সম্পাদকের স্মৃতিকথা পড়ে৷

[Amit Tiwary · Rating 1 out of 5]

***** REVIEW TO FOLLOW *****

Typical of Vinod Mehta. Modest/Honest/Clear/ Highly readable.

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 A sequel to the author’s earlier memoirs “Lucknow Boy”. Fills in on some of the topics which were left out earlier. Liked the cheeky, irreverent tone.

[Arcopol Chaudhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

This is a superb follow-up to Lucknow Boy. As a sequel, it touches upon more professional aspects of Mr Mehta's life and his commentary on a variety of current-affairs topics. But each essay, each anecdote is written with his quintessential charm, a style which is so utterly unique. One of the traits of his writing -- and storytelling -- is the very rich 'nukkad value'. Meaning, even as you read it, there's a sense that he is narrating a juicy story or comment while sitting with you, sipping tea and exchanging hi-fives at a roadstall stall, just how college brats would. In the amount of colour that his every memory contains, in the sheer entertainment of his stories, I feel Mr Mehta is second only to Khushwant Singh. It's unfortunate that there are no more memoirs in the pipeline, but his fans should do themselves a favour and read his highly acclaimed biographies of Meena Kumari and Sanjay Gandhi.

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant sequel to "Lucknow boy". Unlike "Lucknow boy" which felt like an organic whole ,this new book is a collection of essays which covers diverse topics of interest from "corporatisation" of media to humour in Indian politics. His character sketches of Narendra Modi,Arvind Kejriwal and Arundhati Roy make for compelling reading.

What shocks me is that Vinod Mehta finds redeeming qualities in Rahul Gandhi. The spirit of Khushwant Singh lives on in Vinod Mehta's writing - in it's self-deprecatory tone , highly readable prose, sharp sentences which grab our attention and weakness for the Dynasty. (Sanjay for Khushwant,Rahul for Vinod).

[Ranjeev Dubey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would assume that every liberal, democratic, sometimes radical humanist, vaguely left of center educated Indian would want to hear what Vinod Mehta may have to say about the state of the nation. If that is the agenda, this book does not disappoint.

The sequel to his biography Lucknow Boy, Mehta is always engaging, intermittently insightful and occasionally provocative. His easy writing style is a pleasure to behold.

All in all, a great read. Just do it.

[Megha Kaveri · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are curious about the perks and pitfalls of being an editor in a renowned print media house , go nowhere else but pick this book up.

It is an interesting read till the part of Niira Radia and Ratan Tata. Beyond this, I found this book painfully slow.

It is a tough nut to crack not because of the complex content, but because of sheer boredom and monotony.

Finished for the sake of starting it.

[Subra Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book by Vinod Mehta. He is probably one of the few people who called a spade as it should be and who also took sides in political jousting and then admitted his erroneous ways. The book is varied in its topics and gives the reader a different view at times into the history on Indian politics. Mehta does not mince words and is a breeze to read

[Mohamed Imranullah S.]

Fantastic book

A great book that reveals much about almost every other major Indian personality beginning from Ratan Tata to Narendra Modi from a journalist's perspective. To read the book was a treat!

[Bindesh Dahal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting!

[Tariq Engineer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, fun read. I expected more political and media gossip but there is enough here to keep the reader turning the page.

[Fraz Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

VM is great. I like him a lot. Book is good, easy read. 3 stars for book. one star for VM.

[Ritesh Chhajer · Rating 4 out of 5]

“News is sacred, comment is free”

Corporates don’t invest in media platforms to make money but to influence the editorial policies.

“The desire of most corporate leaders is not to become the President of the United States but to influence the President of the United States”

One one hand, corporate funding is necessary to keep much of the media from going bankrupt. On the other, we have to ensure that corporate ownership does not turn into an oligopoly. Every time a small newspaper dies, democracy dies a little.

While majority of news publications are run by corporates, there are exceptions of few who are run by trust to serve news in public interest. It’s important to emphasize that public interest is not same as what is interesting to public. Pornography may be interesting to the public but it is definitely not in the interest of public.

In any argument, if you need to raise your voice, you have perhaps lost the argument. Television debates usually don’t give time for nuance and subtlety. When Arnab launched Times Now in 2006, NDTV and CNN-IBN were dominating the scene. To carve out a positioning, Arnab resorted to sensationalizing trivial issues and it seems to have done his channel no harm. It tells you more about the psychology of TV viewers than Arnab. Even his fiercest critics are his most dedicated viewers.

The principal reason for channels overdoing the debate and discussion component is it’s low cost. It’s much cheaper than sending a reporting team and a camera crew to cover an important story.

Any autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. Admiration is preferable to unrestrained adulation. Whether it’s Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teressa or Nelson Mandela, they all had their Achilles heel.

Self indulgence snobbishly demands that serious writing must be written solemnly. The trick, of course, is to deal with heavy subjects lightly.

Yadavs, Karunanidhis, Badals, Thackerays - All of them should thank Indira Gandhi for making dynastic rule appear normal and necessary.

People in India have limited choice between dynastic rule and communal politics.

[Ashwin Mb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Vinod Mehta when he would appear on news channels to give his opinion. When I got a chance to read his book, I immediately took upon it.

The book is a quick read with his thoughts on various incidents in this life, experiences as an editor of Outlook, and his two cents on Indian Politics. As a person who feels the current Indian State has become too intrusive on the media outlets, by reading VB's book I realize media outlets have always been at loggerheads with the ruling government for the past thirty years. VB talks about draconian policies that governments over the years have tried to enact, politicians and their misdemeanours, and some masala on the media personnel.

Overall, if you are looking for a book to finish in two days and remotely interested in Indian journalism, this is for you.
Bonus: VB wrote this book in 2014 when Modi just got elected. He wrote a chapter on him where he talks about Modi, and his personality (which I think was spot on.)

[Abdul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to know about Vinod Mehta after he passed away and I was introduced to his particularly acerbic but sarcastic style of writing that won me over. I have read dozens of biographies by people from South Asia but this one remains the best that I've read because Mehta was clear, personal and disarming in his writing style. He didn't shy away from controversy and stood by his principles. This was the second part of his biography so I went and bought the first one afterward, which was equally good.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Editor Unplugged: Media, magnates, Neta and me by Vinod Mehta is interesting reading because it brings details of human qualities and frailties about media, magnates, Netas, writers and others. Most interesting is about writers and popular persons of his time Ruskin Bond, Arundhati Roy, Sachin Tendulkar, Ratan Tata, Nira Radia, Khushwant Singh and others. The book shows changes in print media into electornic media with change in time.
The reader easily connects with the context and persons described. It is a charming book for a reader.

[Girish Kamath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. An alluring read.
Editor Unplugged is stimulatingly honest take on different subjects of interest to Vinod Mehta. I started with the Ratan Tata (not a fan) chapter and I was happy to read how candidly Vinod has described the episode – no holds barred; it would have been interesting to see Vinod’s response to Tata-Mistry feud. Equally interesting to read were his views on NaMo, the Dynasty and Kejriwal – I really appreciate the neutrality with which Vinod has given his views; in this age when taking sides is a norm and very easy to do, Vinod’s neutrality is so refreshing to read. There are very few authors who take a dig at themselves and Vinod is one of them; loved his sense of humour and how he doesn’t take himself and his work too seriously; only a person, who is extremely good at his work and secured about himself, can do such a thing. After reading this book, I have decided to read Lucknow Boy as well. An alluring read. 4 stars.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

An brilliant raconteur, who would be excellent company in any dinner party, enlivening proceedings with political gossip, insights into the personalities of famous people and the ups and downs of his own celebrated career as a journalist and editor.

[Anjani Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was extremely humourous while narrating the incidents.
Detailing of Niira radia and her reach in political and corporate class was very interesting to read during UPA rule. His contribution at outlook was fantastic.

[Jinal Shah (If I Were Marketing) · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read, though more about politics than I like

[Dwarakanath Reddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lot of this book is convincing gossip. Very few references were provided for the claims he makes. a fast read, accepts that he is from pseudo secular brigade and drinks on TV debates.

[Kumar Manoranjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, not bad an average book. I wanted to get some insights in India's publication houses. Hence I read it :)

[Ramya Viswanathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editor unplugged by Vinod Mehta. Well written, interesting. Readable and to a certain extent relatable. Funny in parts and the bit about Niira radia was very interesting.

[Ethan Lambert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Useless Tripe about India.
He does not reveal anything worthwhile for those interested to read just for the gossip.

[Sarojesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vinod Mehta's Editor Unplugged is a merry romp through the jungle of Indian politics, spiced up with some of the juiciest gossip ~ it makes for good entertainment but I don't think it achieves the objective of making Mehta's beliefs and political judgments sound interesting or epochal, although not for want of trying.

But, first the tittle-tattle ~ Indira Gandhi being yelled at as a female of the canine species -:), Atal Behari Vajpayee's roving eye and his rather unconventional arrangement of living with the wife of his best friend, Ratan Tata's kowtowing and less-than-savoury business practices all find mention. In fact, when much of the other matter in this book is likely to be forgotten, these are likely to stay in the reader's memory!

But Mehta has not written a book of gossip; in the main it is meant to be an interesting exposition of his values and how he put those into practise as editor of several notable Indian magazines and newspapers. In this, I think he fails. His essential argument is that secularism as the principal, or at least the dominant, virtue endears the Congress more to him than the BJP which tends to get hijacked by its Hindutwats ~ this is a simple enough argument that makes eminent sense, but did it really need to be expounded and propounded overalmost three hundred pages?

And a word about the writing style ~ easy, undemanding and gently glowing with self-deprecatory humour, but positively infested with sayings from the great and the good. At an average of (I think) two per page, these get tedious soon enough, particularly when the likes of Russel and Churchill are dragged from their perches to justify some forgettable editorial decision. And some quotes are repeated ad nauseaum, e.g Girlial Jain saying that he wrote for just two persons in the country - the Prime Minister and an unspecified gent.

No Apologia Pro Vita Sua then although that might have been the intent, but enjoyable and much of it forgettable all the same!

[Pradeep T · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to an autobiography.. That speaks something strange. Vinod Mehta, as we all know is a kind of journalist cum editor where he speaks his mind and often gets into troubles. His first Autobiography "Lucknow Boy" was a best seller. The second in the series "Editor Unplugged: Media, Magnets, Netas and Me" is an attempt to score some points that's it. Mehta has written basically what he was peddling all through his life. A staunch secular, leftist and the biggest Congress Chamcha as well know and heard off. Interesting thing is, Mehta has agreed with full heart that he is the biggest Congress chamcha himself. The book covers some interesting phases of his career as a journalist, columnist, writer and finally an editor. His various jobs ranging from Debonair, Pioneer and his final job at Outlook has given a complete satisfaction to his job. His tryst with the drinks and how he rose to become a celebrated personality "Drunk Vinod Mehta" is a hilarious stuff to read. All in all, a good book to understand the life of this unconventional personality.

[Ravinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up not because I was a fan of the late Vinod Mehta, but because it seemed to be an interesting read.

At the end of it, I am a fan of his writing, mostly so because of his trait not to hide his failures or spare himself. This is quite uncommon in any autobiography, and l found it extremely refreshing.

His writing makes for enjoyable reading, and what I likes most was the manner in which other people's points of view are acknowledged and discussed. Once again quite unusual in Indian autobiographies. Apart from that Mr. Mehta brings candour and humour in plenty, be it anecdotal or just gossip!

This is a book for anyone looking for balanced views, certainly not for those who passionately take one-sided views.

Lastly, the entire book has lessons on how & why one should not one self too seriously. This lesson...from one who had mastered it. After all he had named his dog Editor.

[Anal Ghosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to his hugely engaging and entertaining autobiography 'Lucknow Boy', this one follows the same candid and direct style but is a bit shallow on content. There are a few chapters that truly stand out - Niira Radia, exposition of Ratan Tata, the history of media and its corporate connections - but the rest mostly come across as topics that the publisher asked him to write about. He tries to be diplomatically correct on his stance on Narendra Modi, while the pages on Kejriwal serve as penitence for his strong advocacy of Kejriwal.

Vinod Mehta read extensively, and his use of quotes from famous personalities is very apt and clever. Sample this - 'Patience is actually a minor form of despair, disguised as virtue'. Vinod Mehta passed away recently after a glorious career, and I am glad that he used this book to close out his thoughts. RIP!

[Nikhil Majithia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is high on views like an article & less on memoir. i though the Lucknow boy was a good read, nice & light & kept the reader entertained by mixing fact, narration. This one though tells us less about the person himself, even less than Lucknow boy. His so called fondness for the flesh had no examination of his relationships, either past or present. Everything is narrated in a general tone. I guess this could at best be a collection of articles, part personal & part professional. i had expected better treatment of aleast his professional life & his profession with more anecdotes coming about giants or leading men. His offends or is slightly critical but leaves it by rounding up everything in general terms.