Freedom vs Security
TRIBUTE TO SURESH K. PRAMAR
“The interest of property, the
hours of labour, are nothing compared with the struggle for life and honour,
for right and freedom, to which we have vowed ourselves.”
-
Winston
Churchill
“There is no security on this
earth. There is only opportunity.”
-
General
Douglas MacArthur
June 1983 was a crucial month for me. I made two
important decisions in the first fortnight of the month, which changed the
course of my life. I decided to become a journalist, join the press and work
for the Eastern Express, an English
weekly published from Gangtok. Another important decision, which was to have a
far reaching affect on my journalistic career, was to bring out my own monthly
magazine – Spotlight on Sikkim.
By the first week of June, I was
quite sure that I would get into government service. The Labour Department
needed a labour officer and I was qualified for the job. I was not only a local
Sikkimese possessing the Sikkim Subjects Certificate – a necessary document for
government jobs in Sikkim – but also belonged to a community designated as
scheduled tribe and hailed from the backward tribal-dominated region of Lachen
in north Sikkim. Furthermore, I had done labour law for my LL.B. (G) and was
fit for the job. Moreover, I had applied for the post a year in mid-1982 while
I was still in college. My job application was backed by the Lachen Pipon, who
personally recommended my case to the government.
The post of a Labour Officer in
the Labour Department had been vacant for over a year now. The delay in my case
seemed unnecessary. I felt the only way to put pressure on the government for
speedy disposal of my case was to approach the government through public
representatives. The representation to the Chief Minister in my case was made
by the “people of Lachen” through its elected representative, the Lachen Pipon.
In his letter to the Chief Minister, dated May 1, 1983, the Lachen Pipon, Anung
Lachenpa, stated:
“The people of Lachen have
been deprived from every facilities and aids provided by the government for the
all-round development of our people. Thus, our people are still far from being
even called a backward class. In the realm of education, we still lag far
behind our own neighbouring areas which are considered backward regions in
Sikkim. So far, we have been able to produce only two graduates from our
village and that also with great difficulties. Apart from getting our youngsters
educated, we face the problem of job security and other employment problems.
Mr. J.N. Kazi comes from a good
and well-respected family in Lachen. In school, he was awarded the Bishop
Fisher Cup for Leadership, Character and Sportsmanship. In his training
college, he was the first student to receive the Principal’s Award for
all-round development. Apart from his excellent and outstanding performance in
games and other sporting activities, he has been a distinguished student leader
and magazine editor in both the school and college. All these achievements and
many others have made us feel proud of him and we do not hesitate to give him
further support and help which he requires in any field.”
I soon discovered that the main
factor which delayed the process of my appointment in government service was
because of our college magazine, Lukshyama. I came to know this from the
authorities at the Tashiling Secretariat. I didn’t quite see why the State
Government was against me on this. Was the State Government directed by the
Centre not to give me employment in government service or was Bhandari not
happy over certain aspects of the magazine? Perhaps my references to “fleshy
cars” and “three-piece suits” in my article in the magazine may have annoyed
Bhandari.
While pursuing my case with the
government, I came to know that there were two more candidates who were trying
for the post I had applied for. There was also another vacancy at the High
Court for law graduates. One of these candidates was qualified but the other
one was not. I was told that the other applicant, a woman, though not qualified
for the job had the backing of the higher-ups. My case may have been considered
if the government rejected the woman candidate’s application. Realising how the
government functioned, particularly regarding employment in government service,
I had some doubts about my case but still remained hopeful.
 |
| UNI (United News of India) men in Sikkim: Pramar (centre), Ranjit Devraj and myself. |
“Why don’t you take a khada and meet the CM personally over
your appointment,” advised the Labour Department Secretary, who was keen on
having me join his department. He wanted me to get the job but the final
approval was to come from the top, particularly in dealing with controversial
cases. By now I was quite sure that I would get the job and meeting Bhandari
was just a matter of formality. I didn’t respond to the Secretary’s suggestion,
but just listened to him and kept quiet. I had already decided not to see
Bhandari. If I got the job, it was well and good; if not, so be it. That was my
attitude and I firmly stuck to it.
It was only a matter of time now
and a visit to Bhandari would have expedited the process of my appointment. The
Establishment Department Secretary, Tashi Chopel, who was in-charge of
employment in government service and with whom I was in touch, asked me to make
a fresh application. I was told that my earlier application had been ‘lost’,
something not very unusual in our government departments. Meanwhile, the
government would issue a public notice inviting applications for vacancies in
various government departments, including the post that I had applied for. The
notice was to come out any day.
While I was waiting for the
notice to appear in the local papers, I came across Norden Gyalpo, former
editor of The Encounter and presently
the editor of Lurnyuk, on June 6. We
knew each other well. In the course of our discussion, we showed keen interest
in helping me out with the publication of a monthly magazine on Sikkim. By
then, I had already decided to take out the paper even if I was employed in
government service. Gyalpo, former chief minister L.D. Kazi’s nephew, was an
intelligent and enterprising young man who not only had the knack of convincing
people to his way of thinking but was also concerned about what was happening
in Sikkim. We both wanted to contribute something to the people instead of
letting things go by. If I had been employed in the government, he would be the
editor of the paper and we would run the paper together. We decided to meet
again on June 12 for further discussion. It was agreed that he would come up
with his proposals and we would chalk out a plan of action for the new paper.
The idea of starting a newspaper
of my own first struck me during a trip to west Sikkim in early 1983. I felt
very strongly about it and the thought never left me. Past experience convinced
me that such intense feeling on a given subject should not be neglected but
acted upon and carried to its logical conclusion.
The next day, I was on my way to
the office of the Eastern Express to
meet its editor, Suresh Pramar, when I spotted him near his office below Tibet
Road at the Enchay compound. Pramar saw me coming down and I yelled, “I was
just coming down to see you.”
“I was also looking for you. Why
don’t you come down right now?”, he shouted back and went into his press office.
I didn’t know Pramar well, much
less his paper, which was quite popular. I got to know him on the playground
where we played a few cricket matches together on the same side, which also had
some ex-students of schools in Darjeeling, including Mount Hermon. Pramar had
been in Sikkim for several years before I returned home at the end of 1982.
Some of his friends in Gangtok were close friends of mine. He was around 40 and
seemed to be a nice person.
Eastern Express editor Suresh Pramar
Pramar was sitting in the front
room near the window when I got down to his press. He seemed happy to see me.
We chatted for about ten minutes and arrived at a deal. My main purpose of
seeing him was to get his printing quotation for the magazine I was to publish.
He had his own reasons for wanting to see me. He wanted me to work for him in
the press. This was something I had not expected and it was difficult to decide
anything at that point of time. My work was to help him with the paper, which
basically meant reporting for the paper and also doing sub-editing and
proof-reading. Except for Pramar, there was nobody permanently employed in the
editorial section.
I was not at all prepared for
this and this proposal caught me off guard. However, I was quite excited over
his offer. I told him frankly that I had applied for a government job and was
about to get it. However, seeking a government job was mainly because of
financial constraints and if I got at least Rs 1,000 per month from the press
to start with I would consider working for him.
His offer seemed quite
attractive. He would pay me a monthly salary of Rs 800 and would make sure that
I got the stringership of a Calcutta-based paper, which would fetch me at least
a minimum of Rs. 200 per month. Moreover, he would print my paper and the cost
would be around Rs. 250 for printing and binding, excluding the cost of paper.
This was indeed a very tempting proposal. I told Pramar that I needed some time
to think it over but I would let him know of my decision within a week. Pramar
was supposed to leave for Calcutta on June 14 and he wanted my decision by
then. I agreed to his suggestion and then left the office. All of a sudden
things started happening. I was excited and knew that I would make the right
decision by the weekend. By and large, I had decided to join the Express. However, I didn’t want to take
any hasty decision and so I had asked for one week’s time.
For the first time in my life I
made up my mind not to let anyone know what was in my mind. I wanted to take
the decision myself without anyone’s help and guidance. I was, once again, at
the crossroads and wanted to apply my mind to the new and challenging
situation. This actually meant taking it easy, looking inward into my feelings
and letting situations take its natural course.
I spent the week quietly and let
things happen naturally instead of making any effort to come to the right
decision. I depended more on feelings and inner promptings rather than on logic
and reasoning. I wanted situations and circumstances to lead and guide me and
show me the way. This has always been my way of making decisions. However,
there was a vast difference in my decision-making process this time and I was
deeply aware of it. Earlier, I had faith in God but now it was only me. I had
faith in myself and made a point to apply it in action. Practice, to me, seemed
to be the only way of verifying truth, and I wanted to put into test my new
approach to life, which was then gradually becoming a part of me. I was aware
of the fact that I was witnessing a revolutionary change in me and was
determined to make it a real and genuine experience.
There were, however, some
guidelines which I wanted to follow in the situation. I was aware of the fact
that the choice that I was making was between being a government servant (even
though a temporary one) and a journalist. It was just plain common sense to
realise this. The government job offered security and status but less freedom
and personal independence. An enterprising person would easily make more money
than a government servant if one was prepared to take risks and work hard, particularly
at the initial stage. Being in the press meant that I was free to engage myself
in literary and other ventures, besides being involved in publication of
newspapers and periodicals.
For me, business and service
went hand-in-hand. You could make money and get financial security while
contributing something to society. This would indeed be a rewarding and an
enriching experience. The press seemed to be the ideal place where business and
service merged together harmoniously. My own little experience in the field of
writing has been a very rewarding experience. Furthermore, I had done a course
in journalism and had also worked for a paper briefly while in Bombay. I also
had tremendous faith in the role of the media in a democracy. However, until Pramar
offered me the job I never seriously contemplated on being a journalist and
making journalism my profession.
Finally, the issue boiled down
to choosing between security and status, and life and liberty. And I chose the
latter. It was to me more challenging and would be more rewarding in the long
run.
On June 13, I went to meet
Pramar in his office in the morning and told him that his offer was acceptable
and I would be willing to join him straightaway. I could have waited a little
longer to see if the government had issued the notice for the job. But my
decision was final and there was no point waiting for anything. Pramar said I
could join him the very next day when he was to leave for Calcutta. Thereafter,
I got in touch with Gyalpo and told him of my decision to join the Express. I also told him about the
arrangement I had made with Pramar for printing my magazine. We planned to look
for a separate place for our office in the town.
My first day at the Express was the very next day – June 14.
I went to the press at 7.15 a.m., came back for lunch at around 10.30 a.m., and
went back at 11.30 a.m. My residence was located just above the press at Kazi
Road and it wasn’t much of a problem going out for lunch. I took charge of the press
after Pramar left for Calcutta at 1 p.m. on June 14. I did some reporting and
editing during the day and by the end of the day I was quite exhausted. I felt
a quiet sense of satisfaction throughout the day – a sure indication that I had
chosen the right line. I was very happy with myself.
I saw the government notice
concerning the vacancies in government departments in the Sikkim Herald, the official organ of the government, on June 15.
The issue was dated June 14. Of the seven posts vacant in various departments
of the government, two were meant for law graduates. I did not respond to the
notice. I did not need the government job anymore. I had given my word to
Pramar and wanted to keep it what way. I had found my place in Sikkim. The time
for waiting in the winds was over. I was on the move again.
By the first week of July, I got
my own room and furniture at the press. I was convinced that I had come to the
right place and felt a sense of belonging. I worked the whole day at the press,
starting from 7 a.m. to 5 in the evening. At times, I came back to the press
after dinner to spend more time reading and writing. During those days, the Express establishment was divided into
four rooms and was located on the ground floor of a building belonging to a
Tibetan. The paper had its own letter printing press which belonged to Pramar.
The biggest room was kept for the compositors, which also housed the demi-size
printing machine. The room adjacent to this was divided into three rooms of
which the middle one was kept for the cutting machine. Pramar kept the front
room while I got settled in the back room, which later turned out to be the
better one.
Within three weeks of my stay in
the Express, we decided to go daily
as soon as possible and also to have a special issue of the paper on Sundays. We
also planned to bring out a Nepali edition of the paper to serve the large
rural populace. Although this took some time, we eventually went daily and was
also able to bring out Lokmat, the
Nepali edition of the Express.
On July 6, 1983, a month after I
met Pramar, I wrote in my diary: “I don’t know how long I’ll be in this line.
Considering the changes that I have made in the past, I won’t be surprised if I
find something other than working in the press. But this I can say to myself at
this very moment – I want to stay here for eternity. I feel that I have chosen
to be a journalist. I may have been a teacher or worked elsewhere in different
capacities. But they were merely all preparations for this line. Even if I do
shift on to some other profession, I can genuinely say that the first
profession that I have especially chosen is to be a journalist. Therefore, I am
happy and feel good that I have at least found myself.”
Pramar came back from Calcutta
within a few days. While he was there he made sure that I was made the
correspondent of The Telegraph. The paper was only about a
year old but was very informative and attractive. I sent my first despatch to The Telegraph
on June 22. It was a political story concerning the new-formed Sikkim Himali
Congress (SHC) party and was meant for the weekly ‘Regional Round-up’ column of
the paper, which came out every Thursday.
Pramar was excited as I was
about my first report carried in The
Telegraph. “Jigs! Jigs!”, he yelled from my friend’s shop in the town when
he saw me from a distance. He had just got a copy of The Telegraph carrying my article. It was prominently placed in the
op-ed page under the ‘Regional Round-up’ column. The caption was “Sikkim: No
unity, no opposition” and my by-line – Jigme N. Kazi – appeared below the article. I was naturally thrilled to
see my article and name in the paper and felt good and proud of myself.
(Ref: Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, Jigme N. Kazi, Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, 1993.)
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