DEVADAS-AN UNNURTURED REPORTER PAR EXCELLENCE

Journalism has been a favourite subject to me and journalists are the most favourite lot of prfessionals to me. My aptitude and infatuation to journalism date back to a couple of decades ago when, as a youngster after my graduation, I worked as a stringer for Indian Express in my home town. It was in 1986 when, out of my intense love and passion  to write and to become a journalist, I wrote a letter to S.K.Anantaraman, Resident Editor of Indian Express, Cochin to appoint me as their local correspondent in my home-town. To my great astonishment, after a few days, I received a reply from the great and veteran journalist asking me to send news of topical and local interest to them for publication. I vividly recall with gratitude the encouragement given by the eminent journalist and Resident Editor of a leading national newspaper to a cub reporter like me.

Greatness and humility are found only in great people is the apt description I can say about the versatile journalist Anantaraman.I still keep the letter received from him as the greatest and the most valuable treasure in my life. I used to send stories on the local events and developments to the newspaper and they published most of them. Technology was not developed much in those days. I had to post my reports in the first clearance itself at 9 am from the head post office. Then only, it would reach the Cochin office the next day and the news would find the light of the day on the third day. My journalistic stint was there for a few years till I got some other appointment. I kept my journalistic talent and urge alive by regularly contributing articles to magazines published from Hyderabad and Delhi for long.

With my little background in journalism like this, I keenly observe journalists and their stories. I personally analyse all the news reports and articles and arrive at all the positive angles and the lacunae of each write-up I come across or read.

After joining in the University of Calicut in 1988, I have been seeing a peculiar and extra-ordinary local correspondent of the most popular Malayalam daily with the largest circulation, Malayala Manorama, based at Thenhipalam  and observing his news reports. He is Mr.Devadas, a simple and hard-working person, down to earth, from humble background who made his dent in journalism by his own immaculate ways. Why he is peculiar is that he does not have any professional degree in journalism to his credit. Yet, Devadas writes more eloquently and coherently on any subject than any other well-qualified or senior Malayalam journalists . He is well-informed and adept at any subject; be it politics , society , education, literature, sports etc. The readers of Manorama have witnessed many instances of his having unravelled the stories of glaring corruption and other social taboos through his reports in Manorama.Having proved his mettle in the world of letters, Devadas still remains as a local reporter of the Malayala Manorama or is he content with the role of a local vernacular press reporter?

While he continues to be a local reporter within the confines of a town , I always wonder why the potentials of this talented reporter with long innings of more than 20 years in the field remain untapped and unnurtured.He can contribute more in the arena of journalism. He is a marvellous journalist par excellence.

Pramod

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Pramod