Power, Pen & Patronage

Tikekar has always been a voice of sanity. As editor of Loksatta for over a decade, he reached the Marathi newspaper to a new high and left an indelible mark in journalism. By his advocacy of uncompromising ethics in public and personal life, his promotion of liberal values, and denunciation of media activism, he left behind a legacy of healthy and robust journalism for future generations of journalists and writers. In this selection of his occasional addresses and articles, he unravels with unambiguous clarity the malaise that has struck the society and media. He censures media for its doubletalk, its hysterical demeanor and denounces media persons’ hobnobbing with the high and mighty. He specifies causes for its growing conflict with judiciary. He faults the political and cultural forces for turning the Marathi society insular and retrograde. The book provides a rock-steady guide to classical journalism.