Lucknow Boy: A Memoir by Vinod MehtaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A very readable book. I picked it up after reading many a reviews. I have not really been an Outlook reader and so was not very aware of Vinod Mehta and his style of journalism. This book got me hooked from page 1. The good thing about the book is that it is a very easy read. it's not full of jargon and Vinod Mehta doesn't come across as self righteous and self appreciative, at least not overtly.
The initial years he recounts about Lucknow, family and his student days are quiet interesting and fun to read. once he starts working, i think the book skews more towards opening many a secrets about people he has interacted with professionally. Then it starts sounding like a gossip column, nonetheless quiet informative. halfway through i felt, it was not a memoir anymore as there was nothing much personal other than professional events and professional encounters that he narrates. He moves from Mumbai to Delhi from His Debonair days to Pioneer and Outlook. He seems more human or maybe on second thoughts, he is a very good journalist who knows exactly how to get people to accept his point of view without hating him.
While the book has lots of anecdotes to offer, the one thing that kept gnawing me, particularly when i was reading his time with Outlook days was his anti BJP and pro congress stand. While he justifies it by saying that even though people call him Sonia sucker, as a journalist you can't hate every politician. That's in order to stay sane. Hence Sonia Gandhi and Congress are his obvious choice. Where i think its a biased layout is when all his anecdotes and stories throughout his Outlook and Delhi experience are pretty much about the NDA government. Considering he is a dinosaur in the Journalism business and has seen decades of politically upheaval, he chooses to comment only on the the few initial years of the Nehru government and straight out to the NDA government. That to me is a little short cited for a memoir of a journalist. Also the entire account about the Income Tax raids on Raheja, his proprietor for Outlook is a bit too good to be true. Raheja being an owner of such a big business empire seems to be pure as honey and seems to have absolutely no illegal income. Which to me seems a little far fetched for a business house that size.
so my final verdict by the time i finished the book was take this man with a pinch of salt. He obviously does not tell all the truth and chooses which one to. But whatever little he does tell is worth reading as it does give you some perspective about people and events.
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