Discussion is always a very good idea. It helps build consensus and dissipate tension in the
air. This is undoubtedly the need of the hour in the country. Today, as
positions on all sides harden and people seem to be talking ‘at’ each other
instead of ‘to’ each other, a discussion is the only way forward. This
conversation can take place in the private space or a public platform.
The Patrakar Series is an initiative by
the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula (ICG) whereby senior journalists are
interviewed on their area of expertise or on some of their most famous
assignments. Dr Pushkar, the Director of ICG, is the brain behind this
initiative. He says, “In the past, diplomats, policy makers and other
intellectuals came and spoke. Many of the subjects were sometimes presented in
language that was filled with jargon of that specific field, which would go
over the heads of everyone. The purpose is to introduce ideas and generate
discussion. I wanted to initiate something that would interest a slightly larger
audience. I don’t want crowds; I want a small group of people who are
interested, who will listen and then interact. In the past, there would be a
few cursory questions and then the crowd would just whittle away.”
In this series so far, he has interviewed Sankarshan Thakur.
Thakur, who was featured in February, has covered some of the major events in
South Asia such as Indira Gandhi’s assassination and consequent violence; Rajiv
Gandhi’s 1984 election (and every general election since then); the return of
democracy to Pakistan, with Benazir Bhutto’s accession as prime minister (and
the two elections that followed); the fall of Kabul to the Mujahedin; militancy
and politics in Kashmir since 1989; and the 1999 Kargil war. Thakur’s latest
book, ‘The Brothers Bihari’ (HarperCollins, 2015), a political reckoning of
Bihar and its politics under Lalu Yadav and Nitish Kumar was discussed during
the course of the programme.
The next edition, the second, will feature famed journalist and
old India hand, Sir Mark Tully in September.
Dr Pushkar says this programme is aimed to bring accomplished
journalists to ICG and will engage both with their body of work and with
current issues. “The informal exchange between the moderator and the journalist
will be in Q&A format. At the end of the programme, the audience will be
invited to participate in the discussion. It is expected that the programme
will be of interest to journalists, students and the larger public,” he adds.
Entry to the programme is free and open to the general public, however, there
are limited seats and those interested in attending will have to collect the
complimentary entry passes from ICG Programmes Department.
Dr
Pushkar has been Director and CEO of the ICG from December 2016. Pushkar is the
author of several academic articles and the co-author of ‘Democracy, Civil
Society and Health in India’ (Palgrave, 2015). He has also published
extensively on India’s higher education. In January 2015, an article in Forbes
India listed him as one of India’s 24 thinkers “who best explain a
rapidly-changing India to the world (and the world to India)” for his writings
on higher education.
