Herald
Cafe: You are here for this festival, what is your assessment of it?
Hartosh Singh Bal: It is always interesting
to come and interact with an audience and understand what is going on here. It
was interesting to meet so many people from all over the country as well as expats
from all over the world. It would have been nice though to meet some Goans and
talk to them. There are so many such festivals around the country and it is
nice to come to Goa for something similar.
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HC:
You left the magazine ‘Open’ not under ideal circumstances. What is the status
right now of your fight for justice?
HSB: Well I was sacked, so yes it was not
ideal. I am currently in a legal battle with ‘Open’. They had initially offered
me a settlement of Rs 20 lakhs but I turned it down because I wanted to see
what their reason for sacking me was. I was aware that there were murmurings in
the office that calls had been received by the senior management following an
article I had filed. I refused the payout and was sacked. I had signed a
contract with the company but that contract cannot violate the working
journalists act. I was told there was a difference of vision which is crazy
because no vision was shared with us anytime during my tenure. I filed a
complaint and we went to court. We shall see how it goes.
HC: What
do you make of the current government’s relationship with the media?
HSB: Well, it is the culmination of a
process which began with the Congress. The selection of certain journalists who
were then given exclusives and access to senior politicians was started by the
Congress. The BJP with Modi at the helm are much more effective. The behaviour
of the media has been appalling; look at the way they have covered the visit to
the USA. It has been a visit where nothing has been achieved but you would not
think that reading the accounts. The ideology of this government which
demonises the Muslim and the Christian is appalling but how many media houses
have questioned it since this government has come to power?
