REMEMBERING AN EDITOR

BASUDHA CHAKRAVARTY

When the present writer, then in his early youth, sent his first contribution–translation of a Bengali folk-song–to Triveni, he did not much hope for its publication. Yet published it was and the editor used a line from the song–“I do not see the end of the river” –to underline the difficulties he was then experiencing. So doing he not only admitted an unknown, obscure, young writer from a distant part of the country into the Triveni brotherhood, but he established communion with the world of ideas prevalent in folk life in a distant part of the country. If this was not work for national integration, one would wonder what else such work could be. It was all the more real because absolutely spontaneous–not planned or loudly proclaimed. It was work from the roots and absorbing the fundamentals of national life.

These were the thoughts that arose in my mind as I read in the papers on May 21, 1970; the news of the passing of Shri K. Ramakotiswara Rau and also the news that Shri Brahmananda Reddy had described the illustrious deceased as a “Rare kind of editor”. That remark from the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh was not difficult to understand. Shri Ramakotiswara Rau was in the grand line of the great political and journalist thinkers who had dedicated their lives to the building up of a new India. He was thus far distant from and above the political and journalist workers of the present day who are constantly getting lost in the mess of perversities and uncertainties–if also duplicities–caused by trivial, temporary controversies. Perhaps they cannot help that: they have their problems to face. Yet it should be expected of them not only always to remember the broad national perspective but to relate every matter to the task of building up Free India in the grand tradition of old. However, that is a digression.

A prominent feature of Shri Ramakotiswara Rau’s editorial approach, so far as it lay within my experience to understand, was that he left contributions sent to him, generally untouched. That showed his respect for and confidence in his contributors. It was, I believe, Mr. Pothan Joseph who once said that editors had a habit of displaying their superior wisdom by breaking up the structure of an article into paragraphs with the help of the conjunction “However”. Let it be acknowledged that the editor has not only the right to revise a piece of writing: quite often it benefits by his intervention. But cases of unintelligent intervention are also many. Shri Ramakotiswara Rau was the kind of editor who depended upon the writer to determine what to write and how to write it. I gratefully remember that none of my contributions were refused publication though I feel in retrospect that some of the scrappy things I produced, might have been reasonably rejected. Such was Shri Ramakotiswara Rau’s rather unusual consideration for the writer.

Shri Ramakotiswara Rau built Triveni with such co-operation as he spontaneously received, into a forum for acquaintance and understanding between the constituents of the Indian nation. It behoves us all who belong to the paper to maintain it as such and to develop it further. Even at the risk of sounding expansive, I would say that even that would not be enough. Those who have been initiated into the spirit of Triveni, would look forward to the emergence of a band of writers from all parts of the country who will pursue the task of making the thoughts, feelings and experiences of their respective groups known to others and of knowing others not merely as a part of their professional careers but in a crusading spirit of revival of the urge that was among our forerunners, of rebuilding and reawakening India to an equal place among the nations of the world. Concomitant of this task would be active and organized efforts to inspire and enable literary workers among the rising generation to pursue this task as a national and personal duty. But then this is no hackneyed advice. National life is now in doldrums and unless it can be brought again on an even keel, we shall find ourselves up against regional, linguistic or communal barriers and circumscribed within our narrow bounds. That will reduce our usefulness, even harm us materially. The situation is more complicated by the studied effort at downgrading the English language which has so long been the ready medium of our mutual self-expression. It should be worthwhile for us now to learn one or two regional languages in addition to our own and attempt direct introduction of ourselves there through. For, the essence of existence, Shri Ramakotiswara Rau would have told us, lies in communication: an incessant dialogue which removes uncertainties, solves perplexities, clears obscurities and ushers us into the bliss of an enlarged life. Without joining life to life, said Tagore, even an offering of songs is in vain.

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