Homage: Veteran PTI journalist Walter Alfred passes away at 103 !!

 The news that he had crossed 100 and three years more ....gives a feeling that PTI training, working atmosphere, work pressure and 'friendly comradeship' made him a tough guy !!

Sir, Walter Alfred, passed away on Sept 13, 2023. I never met him; nevertheless homage. Tributes to a journalist of that era counts a lot by itself.  

Alfred on his birthday, 2022: Photo: (from a friend) 

Not many of us will touch 100.

When some cross 100 or so, not many youngsters would bother to even remember us as former journos. And much less number of them will think of an obit... even on Twitter or X or even in their hurried chats ! 

It gives a great feeling that I have also worked for an organisation called 'Press Trust of India' -- PTI -- 'we bring the world to you' tagline !!

Sir Alfred was a resident of Srishti complex in Mira Road (Mumbai) since the last several years. That's really a different corner of Mumbai-- much away from Juhu. 

I stayed in Thane between 2001 and 2008.

A veteran journalist who traversed the globe as a 'PTI correspondent' Alfred was witness to some of the most historic moments of the 20th century.

Of course as I copy/paste and pen a few words for this blog; a question coming at the back of mind is -- at the fag end of his tenure how did Alfred 'feel' about the state of Indian journalism. The transition from a respectable 'work' to ... whatever it has turned out today. 

How would a veteran like him 'feel' when it is amply clear that the journalists as a tribe is losing out on respect both within the fraternity and outside! 

On this occasion, may be it will be relevant to refer to some of the observations made about 'journalism and PTI' by another legendary M V Kamath.

Kamath's famous book 'A Reporter At Large' is worth reading by all print journalists, by all agency journalists and especially all present and ex-PTI journalists.

I am not aware whether Alfred had met Kamath or not. Essentially a 'newspaper man', Kamath had a very short stint with PTI. 

(Notably, I had four years stint as a regular employee (some months as Kohima man in Nagaland as an 'unconfirmed' PTC) -- courted 'pangas' more than once -- right from insults hurled, "he is a trainee" phrase from a below average joker (he or she) to 'where were you, five people were killed and you went for lunch' (2002 - Gujarat riots). 

To our ego satisfaction there is a line in Kamath's book (page 327) --- "I was psychologically the wrong man for a PTI job". 

I could not agree more !! (well this phrase is also borrowed from 5 Paliament Street... who could have said it -- ....my batch mates and those who joined a few years before us can "guess"). Any way that's not a complain.

Kamath also described PTI in a unique manner -- "one organisation described as a partially owned and fully subsidized organisation known as the Govt of India".  No wonder -- babudom thrived. So did Delhi's mix of jugadu and sycophancy !! and hence non journalists were often given all liberty to decide the fate of journalists. 

(last few lines are strictly mine!!)

Kamath also wrote -- "We are not masters of our fate. The longer I live, the more confirmed is my belief that whatever we say, or do is pre-destined". 

So in the end, we should not complain !

I am sure Walter Alfred has also seen some of it. I should not go off track and let us take a recap of whatever mega events that Alfred covered.  

Kamath 

There are a few thrilling episodes from his life. 

From covering India’s Independence and the days of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, to reporting on the India-Pakistan and Vietnam wars, to rubbing shoulders with leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani General Ayub Khan to former Indonesian premier Sukarno, Alfred had seen it all.

"Born and brought up in Mangalore, Alfred had a penchant for news from a very young age. For his undergraduate course, he studied History at the then Government College in Mangalore. He moved to Khalsa College in Mumbai," says the PTI story filed (Sept 13, 2023)

Now comes the mother of all excitement for a journalist --- "Three days after the 1971 India-Pakistan war broke out, Alfred was jailed for a month in Rawalpindi on espionage charges". 

Alfred : 2022

On these, may I take the liberty of going back to M V Kamath's book yet again. At one point, he wrote :

'It is a mystery that I have never been able to resolve. Foreign correspondents play on a very sticky wicket. If they write critically of the country they are assigned to, they will be accused of bias and distortion. If they write with some understanding and warmth, they are in the danger of being charged with  bought-over".

 

On 'espionage' charge etc, Kamath's remarks again make sense. 

He reflected well on western news agencies and their staffers. 

"There are three main charges against the western news agencies. one - they do not tell the whole truth. Two, they deliberately mislead and three, they do no report news of INTEREST and SIGNIFICANCE of developing countries," Kamath wrote. 

One would like to know whether Alfred also agreed on these, or at least some of it.  

Extract of a news report was passed on to me by Pune-based Kirti Patil, also a room mate at Junpura Extension E-20 (PTI Guest House). That's right, the house belonged to Dharam Shourie, who went to New York on posting.

Alfred told 'The Telegraph' over telephone from Thane: “I used to go to their (RSS) office in Nagpur on official work. The leaders of the RSS were very bitter and had a kind of animosity or dislike towards Mahatma Gandhi. They did not show it in any big way after his assassination... They did not speak about it openly...

....We spoke about Gandhi once or twice. One or two of them were not in agreement with my praise for Gandhi....”

Well, all deaths are sad news. And hence there is always a sense in paying homage to old and respected ones.

But life goes on; does it stop somewhere? Should it stop somewhere?

Lines from Gulzar's song in film 'Aandhi' always enchanted me --  

"ik dur se aati hai paas aake palat ti hai 

..... ik raah akeli si; rukti hai na chalti hai". 

--- the 'mystery' behind each road. One of them comes so near you and then takes a turn to take altogether a new path, never to return again.

Then again, some roads would appear motionless for a while....I fail to understand, why?

Just to end this piece -- as encouragement to all of us ... wrong side of 50 and 60 ...

it may be worthwhile sharing what KPS Menon reportedly told M V Kamath... "... the sixties and seventies of my life were the most productive period from a literary point of view and I hope that will be the case with you".

- warm regards !

Blogger with some Naga friends 

ends