Updated --- "Naukri karni hae ... This is just a job" --- such thought process is biggest enemy of Journalism : But such maladies existed in abundance in PTI :::::::: Four NPP MLAs likely to be 'embraced' by Cock family on Oct 4 or 5 ::: Rio's planned missive : "When chips are down, people still willing to support me"

I landed in PTI, New Delhi -- its news headquarters - in 1998. The administrative headquarters was still Mumbai.

Within weeks, one ex-PTI and who was then working for a newspaper told me --- "Some of your colleagues and even bosses will know nothing about History and the rest will know nothing about Geography". 

I laughed and sought to dismiss his philosophy.  

Was that a joke; or he was being a philosopher ? The venue of our meeting was Press Club. 

After a while; I discovered --   conduct and behaviour of many 'jokers' in the pack made me laugh more times than it made us frown. That does not mean, I had no respect for seniors and elders. There were several genius in the pack too.  

Krishnamachari Srikkanth and M K Razdan (GM, PTI, 1998) 

(photo by Partha Sarkar) 

***

When Krishnamachari Srikant, former Indian cricketer, walked into PTI headquarters, in 1998 ... he gave a classy headline - I thought.

"Leadership is result oriented". --- Impressed M K Razdan, the Editor-in-chief and still 'general manager'; had responded saying - "Thank You for saying that". Yet the country's premier news organisaton missed the story. 

Stories may come. Stories may go ... Journalist will remain there. That's the Fly on the wall... The 'road' on the surface of the earth. 

Gulzar's lines on 'Road or Path' not only sound familiar ... they sound so relevant for our tribe - the scribes.  

"Ek dur se aati hai

Paas aake palatati hai

Ek raah akeli si .... rukati  Hai na chalati hai

(A path/road comes from afar, comes close but takes a quick turn away,

It is also a lonely path that goes nowhere. I think amongst these velvet paths, there will be one... a path leads me to you a path that starts from here. That lonely road ..... is standstill and is rendered immovable.) 

The story is of 1998. 

And my regret is not about 'not able to write' that 'news-story'. It was the responsibility of the Sports Bureau; but something odd happened.

Krishnamachari Srikant made a 'guest appearance'. During interaction with the journalists in the common hall, I asked him fairly at the end of the show - "How would you rate Sachin Tendulkar as a captain material"?  

His response was:  "Captainship is result oriented. You change a bowler, he gets couple of wickets; everyone will say genius, what a decision. But the same bowler gives away two boundaries and the people would say 'yeh pagal captain'". 

Razdan sahab was impressed and he even told Srikant on the spot : "Thanks for saying that". The Boss was referring to his own 'case' vis-a-vis Press Trust of India. Boss also had a pet line - "You are alone at top".

But to my utter surprise that day and even next morning - I did not find the story on wire. I asked Kirti Patil (our E-20, Jungpura PTI guest house mate). 

His response was quite interesting and I hope -- he can remember today what he had said: "Mrinal was supposed to file it. JR (Jagannath Rao - Editor, Sports, PTI) had instructed Mrinal to show the copy to Srikant (PTI colleague in Sports Bureau)... and then something happened". 

I was little taken aback. Can a story be 'killed' or not filed at all on such silly reason. 

Mrinal Dey was a Kolkata boy. He did not like the very idea that the copy should be shown to his batchmate Srikant. Our colleague Srikant was a Telugu Bidda. 

But later I realised, something else had happened in the hall itself. And perhaps that was the principal reason that the story did not run on PTI wires. Nevertheless, I could be wrong too about the 'reason'.

 

Just before the interaction with journalists started; Krishnamachari Srikant started talking to Ananthnarayan (NAN) in Tamil. They knew each other pretty well because NAN was a senior reporter with the PTI Sports section covering Cricket regularly and religiously. 

Even players like Saurav Ganguly knew NAN personally. This two-minutes Tamil chit-chat might have displeased people in the room. 

Possibly !!

NAN was even asked by the Boss : "Is he (Krishnamachari) asking you; are you happy here with us?". NAN simply laughed. 

    

Talking about Indian media -- often it is asked -- "Is the Indian press really ailing". 

The 'soul' of journalism is actually lost when it is seen as a mere job. 

"Naukri karni hae" - a phrase we heard often in PTI and later in many other organisations. 

It's a cliche for a 'sarkari job wallahs'. -- From clerks to IAS - I am Sorry club babus. 

But should not be for journalists - 'half rebels' by temperament.

Well, it could be on a different plane but relevant that many newspapers at one point of time failed because of 'bad business' despite 'good reporting/journalism'. In the past in many parts of the country; for many a good and well-produced newspaper have languished and died in the printing hall for lack of an efficient machinery to lift the bundles and distribute the copies. 

PTI has certain 'notable stories' and anecdotes. One relates to the 'promotion' system or the major faultline in it. 

It's linked to Delhi's "jugadu style".

One Deputy Editor promoted to the position remained in the same position even after 20 years and a trainee of mid 1990s also became 'deputy editor'.  Efficiency at the backyards. 

Many ex-PTI club members would openly and privately discuss the stories and intros of modern times. Sometime, people are surprised. I was 'dangerously shocked' to see one Vinod Raghavan made News Editor or something in Mumbai office. I have seen Raghavan from close range in the 'Free Press Journal' and he was a classic misfit to be in that role with PTI.

Another senior colleague, Sir Pattabhi -- also echoed my sentiment. Pattabhi was more specific: "When people will see Vinod Raghavan (an import from Free Press Journal) in PTI senior position; they will laugh at us".   

My 'Ahmedabad temporary blues' in 2002 made me jump into the sea and as I quit PTI - I had found myself a job in FPJ. 

Standard has gone down, many senior admit. 

Well, a tsunami is never caused by the wave itself. It is caused by an earthquake beneath and most often far from where the devastation eventually occurs. 

My frustration leaves me crazy.  

In the E-20 Jungpura extension, Kirti and me used to debate and argue a lot. One thing - we both readily agreed.

When we started with - Journalism and reporting ... and the running, hard work -- he in Pune and me in Nagaland - we used to feel "happy" about journalism.

PTI actually knew how to make us 'unhappy'.

The atmosphere was pathetically toxic. 

A soft spoken R C Rajamani felt 'depressed' on a number of occasions. Bullying worked. 

After we quit - one news was heard - someone was bashed up in the hall. 

Both Kirti and me never wished the protagonist such an experience. We knew the man in question was 'workaholic'. But .....

Toxicity had come a full circle. 

PTI - First Day Cover - 1999 : Golden Jubilee 

ends 

Blogger 

'Greater Confrontation with Chanakya' ::::: NPF's "Bolero power" at play ??  ::::  Four NPP MLAs likely to be 'embraced' by Cock family on Oct 4 or 5  :::  Rio's planned missive : "When chips are down, people still willing to support me"

It's a good calculative game. 

Cornered by S C Jamir's 'Mohan Bhagwat card' and the self-inflicted widescale damage done by NPF secretary general's most unbecoming and arrogant statement; the party leadership has the set the ball rolling for "spins". 

Four NPP legislators including state unit legislative wing leader A Nyamnyei Konyak are now set to embrace the Cock family. 

Nyamnyei Konyak 

Understandably the message from the beleaguered NPF chief and state chief minister Neiphiu Rio is -- "despite some nosedive in public perception lately, there are legislators still willing to join us".  It is also seen as a diversionary tactic from the present impasse the NPF leadership has landed even in media and social media due to unwarranted utterances by its own office bearer and two senior Naga underground functionaries.  

Nyamnyei himself is a five-time MLA from the Moka Assembly constituency. Three others reportedly willing to accompany him to join the NPF bandwagon are - 

Kohima legislator - Tseilhoutuo Rhütso  (popular as Dr Ato) 

Seyochung–Sitimi - MLA -- C. Kipili Sangtam and 

Benei M. Lamthiu  - who represents 57 assembly segment - Thonoknyu.  

Understandably, Mr Nuklutoshi – representing Arkakong (Assembly Constituency No. 22) is still reluctant to jump the NPP ship as he is apparently not very keen to dump Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma yet.

Rio : Doing an Angami business-like calculation 

 

The NPP MLAs were apparently keen to merge with the NPF a year back. Rio had applied break saying - "I am too close to Sangma family .. Late P A Sangma was a bosom friend and so t would not be proper to break Conrad Sangma's party". 

The NPP Nagaland unit does not have a president now. An interim five-member panel manages routine organisational matters. They are --- Chuba Jamir, James Vizo, 

Ms. Audrey Jamir, 

Eje Wangnyu Konyak and H Khumtimong Sangtam (NPYF).

The NPP MLAs waited patiently for a while and around June-July 2026 had approached the BJP central leadership for the merger. The Lotus party was doing its own calculation and in the meantime veteran Jamir's "RSS chief meet" served as a path-breaking episode. 

Desperation set in and the resultant was frustration and use of "intemperate language". 

Reportedly, the BJP leaders wanted to keep chief minister Rio informed about the possible merger of NPP with the BJP.  But having sensed the 'change in public mood' especially after secretary general's remarks against S C Jamir; the Cock party has played up this game. 

In 2025, the Rio-led NDPP ( a party of party hoppers) not only merged with the NPF; the chief minister (a former Congressman) was also given the prestigious assignment of anchoring the regional outfit as its new president.  

Blogger and a Rooster : Mirror image - Not quite the right angle  

However, this merger may turn out as a double edged-sword as it could only make NPF-BJP relationship more complex. When the NDPP merged with the NPF (which only had two MLAs); BJP stalwart Amit Shah "did not respond" after the matter was informed to him by Rio himself.   

"The NPF was in power for 15 years and part of the opposition less government for nearly 8-9 years now. They should be ashamed to speak on Governance model development and Naga issue," remarked a pro-Hindutva force analyst and a retired army officer.  

Regionalist doyen Vizol : Also known for honesty 

In September 2025 - something was revealed by Rio himself. He told a meeting of NDPP leaders that the move for merger with the NPF was being kept 'transparent'. "We have kept Amit Shah informed ... told him during the July 19 (2025) meeting in the presence of T R Zeliang and Y Patton that we are moving ahead with that (merger) move".  

"As an ally, the BJP must know ... Tai eku reply dia nae (Shah did not respond)".  

Perhaps that hesitation still remains. It is clear; the NDPP-NPF merger and Rio taking over the Cock party has "further weakened the BJP". Moreover, the state unit chiefs of both the Congress and the BJP till recently appeared more 'loyal' to the Chief Minister than to their respective parties. 

But the outburst of BJP president endorsing S C Jamir has thrown out 'several interpretation' to talk about.

ends