Vinod Mehta
{{Short description|Indian journalist, editor and political commentator (1941 – 2015)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Vinod Mehta
| image = Vinod_Mehta.jpg
| caption =
| occupation = Journalist
| education = Bachelor of Arts
| alma_mater = University of Lucknow
| employer = Outlook India
| organization =
| years_active = 1974–2012
| birth_date = 31 May 1941
| birth_place = Rawalpindi, Punjab, British India
| death_date = {{Death date|df=yes|2015|3|8}} (aged 73)
| death_place = Delhi, India
| nationality = Indian
| spouse = Sumita Paul
}}
Vinod Mehta (31 May 1941 – 8 March 2015) was an Indian journalist, editor and political commentator. He was also the founder editor-in-chief of Outlook from 1995 to 2012 and had been editor of publications such as The Pioneer, The Sunday Observer, The Independent and The Indian Post. He was also the author of several books.{{cite web|title=Eminent journalist and Editorial Chairman of Outlook Magazine Vinod Mehta dies|work=CNN-IBN|url = http://ibnlive.in.com/news/eminent-journalist-and-editorial-chairman-of-outlook-magazine-vinod-mehta-dies/532677-3.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150310005108/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/eminent-journalist-and-editorial-chairman-of-outlook-magazine-vinod-mehta-dies/532677-3.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 10 March 2015 |date=8 March 2015|access-date = 9 March 2015}}
Life
On 31 May 1941, Mehta was born{{Cite book|last=Mehta|first=Vinod|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cTInAgAAQBAJ&dq=talwar+rawalpindi&pg=PT14|title=Lucknow Boy: A Memoir|date=2013-11-15|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-93-5118-396-9|language=en}}{{cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/khushwantsingh/of-the-grumbling-lucknow-boy-and-john-keats/article1-803484.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714120840/http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/khushwantsingh/of-the-grumbling-lucknow-boy-and-john-keats/article1-803484.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 July 2014 |title=Of the grumbling Lucknow boy and John Keats |last=Singh |first=Kushwant |newspaper=Hindustan Times |date=28 January 2012 |access-date=22 August 2014}} in Rawalpindi, in Punjab, British India. His family became refugees in 1945. He grew up as an army boy in Lucknow, an experience that turned him into a determined secularist. He attended La Martinere school and the university there.
Mehta lived in New Delhi. He was married to Sumita Paul, a journalist who has worked for The Pioneer and the Sunday edition of The Times of India. He had a daughter from a prior relationship, the existence of whom he revealed in a memoir after encouragement from his wife.{{cite news|url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/lucknow-boy-comes-to-chennai-albeit-late-196453.html |title=Lucknow boy comes to Chennai, albeit late |newspaper=Firstpost |date=28 January 2012 |access-date=22 August 2014}}
Mehta died of multi-organ failure in New Delhi on 8 March 2015, after a prolonged illness.{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150308/nation-current-affairs/article/veteran-journalist-vinod-mehta-passes-away-delhi|title=Veteran journalist Vinod Mehta passes away in Delhi|work=Deccan Chronicle|date=8 March 2015 |access-date=8 March 2015}}
Career
Leaving home with a third-class BA degree, Mehta experimented with a string of jobs, including that of a factory-hand in suburban Britain, before accepting an offer to edit Debonair in 1974, a men's magazine.{{cite news |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/vinod-mehta-an-editor-people-loved-to-hate_1558415.html |title=Vinod Mehta – an editor people loved to hate |work=Zee News}}
Mehta became one of India's most influential editors by launching a number of successful publications such as the Sunday Observer in 1981, The Indian Post in 1987, The Independent in 1989, The Pioneer (Delhi edition) in 1990 and, finally, Outlook in 1995.{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/vinod-mehta-unedited/article2680714.ece|title=Vinod Mehta, unedited|last=Alikhan|first=Anwar|date=3 December 2011|work=The Hindu|access-date=2014-08-22}} He was editorial chairman of the Outlook Group.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}
Mehta was forced to resign from the editorship of The Independent newspaper in 1989, 29 days after launching it, because of a story based on a dubious RAW{{clarify|date=June 2015}} report, calling the Maharashtrian politician Y. B. Chavan a spy, which Mehta ran with an eight-column banner headline.{{cite web|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/obit-vinod-mehta-the-man-who-had-editorial-chemistry-115030800226_1.html|title=Obit – Vinod Mehta: The man who had editorial chemistry|first=Anjali |last=Puri|date=9 March 2015|work=Business Standard|access-date=2015-06-11}}
Vinod Mehta has authored a biography of Meena Kumari and Sanjay Gandhi, and published (in 2001) a collection of his articles under the title Mr Editor, How Close Are You to the PM? His memoir, Lucknow Boy, was published in 2011. Mehta is infamous for his comment praising Pakistan's military dictator Pervez Musharraf at Agra Summit held in 2001 where he said to Musharraf that "I support you so much that in India, they call me your man."{{cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/forgive-me-if-im-not-crying-for-musharraf-3763661|title=Opinion: Forgive Me If I'm Not Crying For Musharraf|first=Vir|last=Sanghvi|date=8 February 2023|work=Indian Express|access-date=2023-02-21}}
Mehta was a TV panellist and frequently appeared on TV shows like Newshour on Times Now and India at 9 at CNN-IBN. He was called upon by news anchors as a senior journalist and was sought after for his analysis of major issues and scenarios. He remained editor-in-chief of Outlook till February 2012.{{cite news |title=Renowned journalist Vinod Mehta dies of multi-organ failure |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Renowned-journalist-Vinod-Mehta-dies-of-multi-organ-failure/articleshow/46491557.cms
|date=8 March 2015 |access-date=2015-03-09 |work=The Times of India}}
He was president of the Editors Guild of India and was, briefly, the writer and presenter of "Letter from India" on the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4.{{cite news |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/outlook-magazines-founder-editor-vinod-mehta-dies/20150308.htm |title=Outlook magazine's founder editor Vinod Mehta dies |date=8 March 2015 |work=rediff.com |access-date=2015-06-11}}
On 9 February 2015 he was awarded the Yash Bharti Award by the Government of Uttar Pradesh for his work in the field of journalism.{{cite news |url=http://m.ibnlive.com/news/vinod-mehta-one-of-indias-most-fearless-and-independent-editors/532680-3.html |title=Vinod Mehta, one of India's most fearless and independent editors |work=IBNLive |date=8 March 2015 |access-date=2015-06-11}}
Lawsuit
In 2012 the Indian Express attempted to sue Mehta for defamation after he had hinted that a story it had run was planted.{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/indian-express-journos-seek-rs-100-cr-in-damages-from-vinod-mehta-open-magazine/20120516.htm|title=Shekhar Gupta sues Vinod Mehta for Rs 100 cr damages|date=16 May 2012|work=Rediff|access-date=11 June 2015}}
Praise
In her column in The Indian Express, Coomi Kapoor, who worked under Mehta for many years, said {{blockquote|As an editor Vinod Mehta never pulled rank, giving correspondents a free hand if he felt they had a valid story to tell, no matter the consequences...He had an unconventional approach towards editing newspapers, brimming with ideas he was shorn of any pomposity.{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/remembering-vinod-mehta-the-boy-from-lucknow-had-unconventional-approach-towards-editing-newspapers |title=Remembering Vinod Mehta: The boy from Lucknow had an unconventional approach towards editing newspapers |date=9 March 2015 |work=The Indian Express |access-date=11 June 2015 |first=Coomi |last=Kapoor}}}}
Major works
- Bombay: A Private View (1971){{Cite book|last=Mehta|first=Vinod|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqEXMJgTo_8C&q=Bombay:+A+Private+View+mehta|title=Bombay: A Private View|date=1971|publisher=sole distributors: Thacker|language=en}}
- Meena Kumari (1972) [Re-launched in May 2013], {{ISBN|978-9350296257}}
- Mr Editor, how close are you to the PM? (1999), {{ISBN|978-8122005332}}
- Lucknow Boy: A Memoir (2010), {{ISBN|978-0670085293}}
- The Sanjay Story (2012), {{ISBN|978-9350295816}}
- Editor Unplugged (2014)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.theothernews.in/reviews/books/8712-lucknow-boy-a-memoir.html A review of Lucknow Boy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622012550/http://www.theothernews.in/reviews/books/8712-lucknow-boy-a-memoir.html |date=22 June 2012 }}
- [http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/review-book-review-editor-unplugged-media-magnates-netas-me-2068841 A review of Editor Unplugged]
- [http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?268214 Transcripts : The Radia Tapes] contains all the leaked audio transcripts between Nira Radia and other high-profile people
- [http://m.huffpost.com/in/entry/6825998 Arnab Goswami's Tribute to Mr Mehta - The Editor I never had]
{{Portalbar|Biography}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:20th-century Indian journalists
Category:Indian newspaper editors
Category:Indian magazine editors
Category:Indian male journalists
Category:La Martinière College, Lucknow alumni
Category:University of Lucknow alumni
Category:20th-century Indian biographers
Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure
Category:Journalists from Uttar Pradesh
Category:20th-century Indian male writers