Foreign correspondent Stephen Sackur is set for some ‘hard talking’ with Indian policy makers.
As the second plane rammed into the towers on 9/11, all Stephen Sackur could think about was ‘What was happening with the world?’ and ‘Why am I not there?’
As the BBC foreign correspondent for 14 years, he was our window to Clinton’s impeachment, the discovery of the mass graves in Iraq and a night when America couldn’t decide who their President was between Gore and Bush.
It’s a slight shift in career as he anchors BBC’s series of ‘Hardtalk - The Emerging Giants’, with four special editions directed at India - civil aviation minister Praful Patel, Mumbai slum dwellers’ association head Joakim Arputham, environmental activist Dr Vandana Shiva and industrialist Rahul Bajaj.
Hardtalk in India
“India is a great place to do ‘Hardtalk’. Indians enjoy an argument - they have very strong opinions and they’re not shy. My job is to ask tough questions. I think people here enjoy that - they like to fight back. There is an awful lot of talk about India’s future. There is a great sense of possibility, but very different views on how you should exploit that possibility. That’s precisely the reason we’ve chosen this panorama of Indians for this session. Each one has a unique perspective, equally valid.”
Tim Sebastian
“I don’t mind the inevitable comparison. I myself associate ‘Hardtalk’ with Tim. I used to love watching it. Our personal styles are completely different. As long as I enjoy doing it and people tell me its going ok, I’m happy. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
Breaking news to interviews
“I’ve been a foreign correspondent for 14 years. It was time to do something different. I was ready for a change of style and rhythm, develop a new skill. As a consumer of news, I used to say ‘I wish they would ask him this’ and now I can!”
Highlights so far
“I’ve interviewed Prime Ministers and Presidents, but they’re not necessarily the most striking. I’ve interviewed an AIDS doctor in the middle of the African bush talking about the challenges and problems he faces. That was memorable because he was a fascinating character in an amazing location. So was the first black archbishop of York. He was a judge in Idi Amin’s regime. He fell out with him and now he’s number two in the Church of England.”
‘The Emerging Giants’ will run from May 22-28 on BBC World.
s_rituparna@dnaindia.net
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