Freedom vs Security
TRIBUTE TO SURESH K. PRAMAR
“The interest of property, the hours of labour, are nothing compared with the struggle for life and honour, for right and freedom, to which we have vowed ourselves.”
- Winston Churchill
“There is no security on this earth. There is only opportunity.”
- General Douglas MacArthur
June 1983 was a crucial month for me. I made two important decisions in the first fortnight of the month, which changed the course of my life. I decided to become a journalist, join the press and work for the Eastern Express, an English weekly published from Gangtok. Another important decision, which was to have a far reaching affect on my journalistic career, was to bring out my own monthly magazine – Spotlight on Sikkim.
By the first week of June, I was quite sure that I would get into government service. The Labour Department needed a labour officer and I was qualified for the job. I was not only a local Sikkimese possessing the Sikkim Subjects Certificate – a necessary document for government jobs in Sikkim – but also belonged to a community designated as scheduled tribe and hailed from the backward tribal-dominated region of Lachen in north Sikkim. Furthermore, I had done labour law for my LL.B. (G) and was fit for the job. Moreover, I had applied for the post a year in mid-1982 while I was still in college. My job application was backed by the Lachen Pipon, who personally recommended my case to the government.
The post of a Labour Officer in the Labour Department had been vacant for over a year now. The delay in my case seemed unnecessary. I felt the only way to put pressure on the government for speedy disposal of my case was to approach the government through public representatives. The representation to the Chief Minister in my case was made by the “people of Lachen” through its elected representative, the Lachen Pipon. In his letter to the Chief Minister, dated May 1, 1983, the Lachen Pipon, Anung Lachenpa, stated:
“The people of Lachen have been deprived from every facilities and aids provided by the government for the all-round development of our people. Thus, our people are still far from being even called a backward class. In the realm of education, we still lag far behind our own neighbouring areas which are considered backward regions in Sikkim. So far, we have been able to produce only two graduates from our village and that also with great difficulties. Apart from getting our youngsters educated, we face the problem of job security and other employment problems.
Mr. J.N. Kazi comes from a good and well-respected family in Lachen. In school, he was awarded the Bishop Fisher Cup for Leadership, Character and Sportsmanship. In his training college, he was the first student to receive the Principal’s Award for all-round development. Apart from his excellent and outstanding performance in games and other sporting activities, he has been a distinguished student leader and magazine editor in both the school and college. All these achievements and many others have made us feel proud of him and we do not hesitate to give him further support and help which he requires in any field.”
I soon discovered that the main factor which delayed the process of my appointment in government service was because of our college magazine, Lukshyama. I came to know this from the authorities at the Tashiling Secretariat. I didn’t quite see why the State Government was against me on this. Was the State Government directed by the Centre not to give me employment in government service or was Bhandari not happy over certain aspects of the magazine? Perhaps my references to “fleshy cars” and “three-piece suits” in my article in the magazine may have annoyed Bhandari.
While pursuing my case with the government, I came to know that there were two more candidates who were trying for the post I had applied for. There was also another vacancy at the High Court for law graduates. One of these candidates was qualified but the other one was not. I was told that the other applicant, a woman, though not qualified for the job had the backing of the higher-ups. My case may have been considered if the government rejected the woman candidate’s application. Realising how the government functioned, particularly regarding employment in government service, I had some doubts about my case but still remained hopeful.
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| UNI (United News of India) men in Sikkim: Pramar (centre), Ranjit Devraj and myself. |
“Why don’t you take a khada and meet the CM personally over your appointment,” advised the Labour Department Secretary, who was keen on having me join his department. He wanted me to get the job but the final approval was to come from the top, particularly in dealing with controversial cases. By now I was quite sure that I would get the job and meeting Bhandari was just a matter of formality. I didn’t respond to the Secretary’s suggestion, but just listened to him and kept quiet. I had already decided not to see Bhandari. If I got the job, it was well and good; if not, so be it. That was my attitude and I firmly stuck to it.
It was only a matter of time now and a visit to Bhandari would have expedited the process of my appointment. The Establishment Department Secretary, Tashi Chopel, who was in-charge of employment in government service and with whom I was in touch, asked me to make a fresh application. I was told that my earlier application had been ‘lost’, something not very unusual in our government departments. Meanwhile, the government would issue a public notice inviting applications for vacancies in various government departments, including the post that I had applied for. The notice was to come out any day.
While I was waiting for the notice to appear in the local papers, I came across Norden Gyalpo, former editor of The Encounter and presently the editor of Lurnyuk, on June 6. We knew each other well. In the course of our discussion, we showed keen interest in helping me out with the publication of a monthly magazine on Sikkim. By then, I had already decided to take out the paper even if I was employed in government service. Gyalpo, former chief minister L.D. Kazi’s nephew, was an intelligent and enterprising young man who not only had the knack of convincing people to his way of thinking but was also concerned about what was happening in Sikkim. We both wanted to contribute something to the people instead of letting things go by. If I had been employed in the government, he would be the editor of the paper and we would run the paper together. We decided to meet again on June 12 for further discussion. It was agreed that he would come up with his proposals and we would chalk out a plan of action for the new paper.
The idea of starting a newspaper of my own first struck me during a trip to west Sikkim in early 1983. I felt very strongly about it and the thought never left me. Past experience convinced me that such intense feeling on a given subject should not be neglected but acted upon and carried to its logical conclusion.
The next day, I was on my way to the office of the Eastern Express to meet its editor, Suresh Pramar, when I spotted him near his office below Tibet Road at the Enchay compound. Pramar saw me coming down and I yelled, “I was just coming down to see you.”
“I was also looking for you. Why don’t you come down right now?”, he shouted back and went into his press office.
I didn’t know Pramar well, much less his paper, which was quite popular. I got to know him on the playground where we played a few cricket matches together on the same side, which also had some ex-students of schools in Darjeeling, including Mount Hermon. Pramar had been in Sikkim for several years before I returned home at the end of 1982. Some of his friends in Gangtok were close friends of mine. He was around 40 and seemed to be a nice person.
Eastern Express editor Suresh Pramar
Pramar was sitting in the front room near the window when I got down to his press. He seemed happy to see me. We chatted for about ten minutes and arrived at a deal. My main purpose of seeing him was to get his printing quotation for the magazine I was to publish. He had his own reasons for wanting to see me. He wanted me to work for him in the press. This was something I had not expected and it was difficult to decide anything at that point of time. My work was to help him with the paper, which basically meant reporting for the paper and also doing sub-editing and proof-reading. Except for Pramar, there was nobody permanently employed in the editorial section.
I was not at all prepared for this and this proposal caught me off guard. However, I was quite excited over his offer. I told him frankly that I had applied for a government job and was about to get it. However, seeking a government job was mainly because of financial constraints and if I got at least Rs 1,000 per month from the press to start with I would consider working for him.
His offer seemed quite attractive. He would pay me a monthly salary of Rs 800 and would make sure that I got the stringership of a Calcutta-based paper, which would fetch me at least a minimum of Rs. 200 per month. Moreover, he would print my paper and the cost would be around Rs. 250 for printing and binding, excluding the cost of paper. This was indeed a very tempting proposal. I told Pramar that I needed some time to think it over but I would let him know of my decision within a week. Pramar was supposed to leave for Calcutta on June 14 and he wanted my decision by then. I agreed to his suggestion and then left the office. All of a sudden things started happening. I was excited and knew that I would make the right decision by the weekend. By and large, I had decided to join the Express. However, I didn’t want to take any hasty decision and so I had asked for one week’s time.
For the first time in my life I made up my mind not to let anyone know what was in my mind. I wanted to take the decision myself without anyone’s help and guidance. I was, once again, at the crossroads and wanted to apply my mind to the new and challenging situation. This actually meant taking it easy, looking inward into my feelings and letting situations take its natural course.
I spent the week quietly and let things happen naturally instead of making any effort to come to the right decision. I depended more on feelings and inner promptings rather than on logic and reasoning. I wanted situations and circumstances to lead and guide me and show me the way. This has always been my way of making decisions. However, there was a vast difference in my decision-making process this time and I was deeply aware of it. Earlier, I had faith in God but now it was only me. I had faith in myself and made a point to apply it in action. Practice, to me, seemed to be the only way of verifying truth, and I wanted to put into test my new approach to life, which was then gradually becoming a part of me. I was aware of the fact that I was witnessing a revolutionary change in me and was determined to make it a real and genuine experience.
There were, however, some guidelines which I wanted to follow in the situation. I was aware of the fact that the choice that I was making was between being a government servant (even though a temporary one) and a journalist. It was just plain common sense to realise this. The government job offered security and status but less freedom and personal independence. An enterprising person would easily make more money than a government servant if one was prepared to take risks and work hard, particularly at the initial stage. Being in the press meant that I was free to engage myself in literary and other ventures, besides being involved in publication of newspapers and periodicals.
For me, business and service went hand-in-hand. You could make money and get financial security while contributing something to society. This would indeed be a rewarding and an enriching experience. The press seemed to be the ideal place where business and service merged together harmoniously. My own little experience in the field of writing has been a very rewarding experience. Furthermore, I had done a course in journalism and had also worked for a paper briefly while in Bombay. I also had tremendous faith in the role of the media in a democracy. However, until Pramar offered me the job I never seriously contemplated on being a journalist and making journalism my profession.
Finally, the issue boiled down to choosing between security and status, and life and liberty. And I chose the latter. It was to me more challenging and would be more rewarding in the long run.
On June 13, I went to meet Pramar in his office in the morning and told him that his offer was acceptable and I would be willing to join him straightaway. I could have waited a little longer to see if the government had issued the notice for the job. But my decision was final and there was no point waiting for anything. Pramar said I could join him the very next day when he was to leave for Calcutta. Thereafter, I got in touch with Gyalpo and told him of my decision to join the Express. I also told him about the arrangement I had made with Pramar for printing my magazine. We planned to look for a separate place for our office in the town.
My first day at the Express was the very next day – June 14. I went to the press at 7.15 a.m., came back for lunch at around 10.30 a.m., and went back at 11.30 a.m. My residence was located just above the press at Kazi Road and it wasn’t much of a problem going out for lunch. I took charge of the press after Pramar left for Calcutta at 1 p.m. on June 14. I did some reporting and editing during the day and by the end of the day I was quite exhausted. I felt a quiet sense of satisfaction throughout the day – a sure indication that I had chosen the right line. I was very happy with myself.
I saw the government notice concerning the vacancies in government departments in the Sikkim Herald, the official organ of the government, on June 15. The issue was dated June 14. Of the seven posts vacant in various departments of the government, two were meant for law graduates. I did not respond to the notice. I did not need the government job anymore. I had given my word to Pramar and wanted to keep it what way. I had found my place in Sikkim. The time for waiting in the winds was over. I was on the move again.
By the first week of July, I got my own room and furniture at the press. I was convinced that I had come to the right place and felt a sense of belonging. I worked the whole day at the press, starting from 7 a.m. to 5 in the evening. At times, I came back to the press after dinner to spend more time reading and writing. During those days, the Express establishment was divided into four rooms and was located on the ground floor of a building belonging to a Tibetan. The paper had its own letter printing press which belonged to Pramar. The biggest room was kept for the compositors, which also housed the demi-size printing machine. The room adjacent to this was divided into three rooms of which the middle one was kept for the cutting machine. Pramar kept the front room while I got settled in the back room, which later turned out to be the better one.
Within three weeks of my stay in the Express, we decided to go daily as soon as possible and also to have a special issue of the paper on Sundays. We also planned to bring out a Nepali edition of the paper to serve the large rural populace. Although this took some time, we eventually went daily and was also able to bring out Lokmat, the Nepali edition of the Express.
On July 6, 1983, a month after I met Pramar, I wrote in my diary: “I don’t know how long I’ll be in this line. Considering the changes that I have made in the past, I won’t be surprised if I find something other than working in the press. But this I can say to myself at this very moment – I want to stay here for eternity. I feel that I have chosen to be a journalist. I may have been a teacher or worked elsewhere in different capacities. But they were merely all preparations for this line. Even if I do shift on to some other profession, I can genuinely say that the first profession that I have especially chosen is to be a journalist. Therefore, I am happy and feel good that I have at least found myself.”
Pramar came back from Calcutta within a few days. While he was there he made sure that I was made the correspondent of TheTelegraph. The paper was only about a year old but was very informative and attractive. I sent my first despatch to TheTelegraphon June 22. It was a political story concerning the new-formed Sikkim Himali Congress (SHC) party and was meant for the weekly ‘Regional Round-up’ column of the paper, which came out every Thursday.
Pramar was excited as I was about my first report carried in The Telegraph. “Jigs! Jigs!”, he yelled from my friend’s shop in the town when he saw me from a distance. He had just got a copy of The Telegraph carrying my article. It was prominently placed in the op-ed page under the ‘Regional Round-up’ column. The caption was “Sikkim: No unity, no opposition” and my by-line – Jigme N. Kazi – appeared below the article. I was naturally thrilled to see my article and name in the paper and felt good and proud of myself.
(Ref: Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, Jigme N. Kazi, Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, 1993.)