Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

On Karanjia

This refers to the obituary “R.K. Karanjia: Living through the Blitz” (Feb. 6). The statement that K.A. Abbas ran his legendary Last Page column unbroken for more than 40 years deserves a correction. When KAA, as Abbas was affectionately known, in 1959 blasted Boris Pasternak for Doctor Zivago, I sent a piece to RKK accusing Khruschev, Abbas and the Kremlin of intolerance, and a jaundiced view of literature. Russy yielded the Last Page to me, with KAA’s compliments, and the weekly carried the full-page article without any change whatsoever.

R.K. Karanjia was a great newspaperman, a humanist and a fine editor. And a humble man to boot. Economic reforms of the early 1990s confused him; there was the legacy of Nehru and Blitz. I suggested a meeting and an interview with Manmohan Singh, the Finance Minister. The transformation was rapid, and powerful.

R.V. Pandit,

Chennai

The author paid the highest tribute saying “to know this man was to love him.” I was a regular reader of Blitz for decades. The supplements on specific topics on special occasions were a treat to the eye and the mind. The Last Page by Abbas was a great attraction, week after week for decades. India lost a visionary in Karanjia’s demise.

Mohan Rao,

Chennai

In the early 1960s, we were crazy about Blitz. True to its name, Karanjia led a fierce campaign through his lead essays against maladministration and corruption. Beneath the blithe surface of his writings ran his revolutionary thoughts tinged with a sense of social reform.

R. Soundararajan,

Nagapattinam

The obituary on the doyen of Indian journalism was one of the best I have seen in the recent past. It showed a mirror on the genius.

C.V. Rajagopalan,

Bellary

Our society has progressed mainly because of unconventional, unorthodox and daring persons like Karanjia.

K. Baskar,

Chennai

I was reminded of my days in King George’s School, Belgaum, in the 1960s when we used to read Blitz regularly. It was juicy, spicy, and different. Blitz and Karanjia were synonymous. Some people might not have agreed with him but no one could ignore him. Such was the power of his writing.

Colonel R.D. Singh,

Jammu

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