While the rest of the mainstream media folded like a pack of cards and toed the party line, one man refused to do so. Yes, I’m referring to Ravish Kumar and his prime time show on NDTV. His resignation from the news channel is the end of an era.
Call him the posterboy of liberal politics on TV or an outdated Gandhian if you will, but you have to respect the man for swimming against the tide in hostile and choppy waters.
His primetime show always had space for the marginalised, be it workers fighting against the privatisation of certain public sector industries, or students demanding better educational infrastructure and job opportunities.
The anchor’s command over the Hindi language, erudition and sarcasm-laced quips deserve a separate blog of their own. But I will try my best to do justice to his journalistic genius and screen presence.
As the Adani takeover of the news channel got confirmed, Ravish resigned given that he is a man with a conscience. And, as someone who had questioned crony capitalism many-a-times, he couldn’t have continued working at the news channel while staying true to his beliefs.
No wonder he has been conferred with the Ramon Magsaysay, given to people across the globe who have set an “example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society.”