BOOKWATCH
Reporter's notebook
JOURNALISTS churning out books on major events they cover in the line of duty is commonplace; more so now than ever before when Indian publishing has become hyper-active. The Kargil war was a case in point with many a journalist putting into book format what they could not despatch in their reports for want of time and space.
So, it was probably only natural that Satish Jacob should also come out with a book on his ringside view of the "Second Gulf War". After all, he was the only Indian journalist in Baghdad right through the days when the U.S. unleashed its military might on Iraq along with the U.K.
In Baghdad to report the war for Doordarshan, Jacob's book is really what it claims to be: A "war diary" without the trappings of a routine narrative. And, herein lies the strength of the book. Bombarded as the world was with round-the-clock reportage from "embedded" journalists working for broadcasters — often serving as "his master's voice" — here is a detailed report of what it was like in Baghdad as the city awaited the inevitable.
Essentially what Jacob has set out to do is open his "reporter's notebook" to the world. So, one gets more than just the fireworks! There is a day-by-day account of the misery untold, the chaos, the problems faced by journalists covering the war from inside, and some revealing tid-bits on the heavily armed marines out to essay in blood an agenda drafted elsewhere.
From Hotel Palestine, Baghdad: Pages from a War Diary, Satish Jacob, Roli Books, Rs. 295.
ANITA JOSHUA
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