Blogs

Saturday, November 22, 2008 14:00 IST

Let me confess: I’m not the blogging type. But if, despite this, I have fought initial inhibitions to dive headlong into it, you have my website’s marketing people to thank. They believe that if senior editors share much of what they think and do, both on and off the job, more people may log into the site and liven things up.

Well, we’ll know soon enough. I have two reasons – one professional and one personal – why I am now looking forward to this experience. The first is that writing in the newspaper is often like a one-way broadcast. You do receive some letters – and some abuses – in the mail, but as a writer one misses regular feedback and interactivity. The internet is a better medium for that. I hope this blog brings forth readers who want to argue, criticise, congratulate, and score points on the issues I write about.

Secondly, I would also like to talk about issues that are dear to my heart – justice, gender issues, men’s dilemmas, communalism, job quotas, governance, economics, business, stockmarkets, personal investing, books and ideas. In the last few years, these are the issues I have written most about.

What you won’t find here is too much literary sensitivity. I am not a lover of literature or poetry. I don’t actually puke on reading Robert Browning or WilliamWordworth, but even Shakespeare has a soporific effect on me. I read only thrillers, no classics. I can’t stand them.

When I was in college, I tried hard to read literary bilge because my beloved grandfather - who was an editor himself, and my personal hero – tried to cultivate a love for poetry in me. He failed. My wife, unfortunately, loves these things, and, I regret to say, has pre-empted significant shelf-space in my book cupboards. If I had my way, I would burn the entire bunch, but domestic harmony is not something to sniff at. So they remain with me.

I am also not much into sport. I wouldn’t spend my time watching cricket, except when I am sure our team is going to win. I like watching the day’s highlights in cricket, though. That way you get to see only the best things the day had to offer - fours and sixes, and people getting out.

So, here I am with my first blogpost, warts and all.

3 comments

I read your blog and I understand your thinking, and I like your thinking and I decided to continue reading your blogs.

I had been a regular reader of THE HINDU for more than a decade. Recently, I came across your newspaper and found it very different in terms of coverage, depth, presentation, and reader-friendliness. I will continue to read your paper from now. Kudos to the team which has worked hard to make this paper a delight to the reader.

I have been regularly reading your columns in DNA. I think you are one of the best and knowledgable writer though , at times, quite revolutionay in your ideas. But I like that. That is the way it should be. I am now looking forward to reading your blogs.