Raring to go

Five shots. The life of the veteran journalist from MiD Day J Dey came to a violent end on Saturday. Now every newspaper reader knows how the unarmed man was shot down in broad daylight by four assailants.

The incident has sent shock waves in journalism circles and throughout the country. The Mumbai police has set up special teams to investigate the killing. The politicians are making their usual speeches and promising to bring the culprits to book. There is talk of providing security to crime reporters if they request for it. Behind all the talk and actions there is FEAR.

One of my mentors in journalism when asked about the incident said, "This is part of the job as an investigative journalist and J Dey proved it." In crime reporters' circles, high calibre is adjudged by a reporter's exclusive stories and the number of threats s/he receives or dangers s/he encounters.u00a0

"Recently, tumhe kitne dhamki mili ya koi kuch aisa interesting hua tumhare saath?" (Have you been threatened or has anything interesting happened to you recently?) he quipped. When I replied in the negative, he said, "Dekha, tum abhi kuch kaam ke nahi ho!" (See, you are of no use now)he said.

Sharing his views on J Dey and his work, my mentor's usual question was what big stories I was working on. He asked in his usual style, "Kiske peeche pade ho?"(Who are you pursuing now?) When I told him about the story I was working on, he snapped "Kab tak ye chote mote logon ke peeche pado ge, kuch bada dhamaka karo."(How long will you go after small fries, create a big blast).

What I'm trying to say here is that of course J Dey's killing has created a big ripple of fear. But there is also that crazy spirit called journalism that had infused J Dey and that infuses so many of his peers. J Dey's death has made this spirit all the stronger among his fellow journalists.

This is not surprising to those in journalism circles, they will understand. A scribe's success is measured by how many stories he "breaks", how many threat calls he gets, how many attempts have been made. So, J Dey's killing proves that his pen has seriously shaken up someone; it had the power to expose. Now the rest of us are raring to go more than ever.