M A I L B A G

Goodbye, my lords!

So you are leaving The Tribune! Hard to reconcile. Because in my mind The Tribune and you were so completely identified that it is difficult to disjoin that picture. And there must be many more like me, in lakhs, surely.

Whenever I read your front-page editorial, I spontaneously and involuntarily uttered Shakespeare's words "we have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise".

But change is the changeless law of life, inexorable, immutable. You have won many laurels, but, surely, you are not going to rest on them because no woods however disquieting, dark and deep can frighten you, nor the long miles tire you.

Too ise paimana-e-roz-o-farda se n naap

Tawidan, paiham dawan, hardam jawan hai zindgi.

(Do not fathom the situation by day-to-day standards, those who can read the writing on the wall are certain that you are full of fire and life).

RAM SARAN BHATIA, District & Sessions Judge (retd), Faridabad

TEJ BAHADUR PURI, Advocate, Kapurthala

Tribune at its zenith I began reading this paper some time in 1966 when I arrived in Chandigarh to take up some employment. Madhavan Nair was then the Editor. It used to be published from Ambala. Nair's contribution to the body of knowledge was immense. Then, The Tribune was essentially a regional daily in the sense that its reportage was confined more or less to the region; but its editorials were more than national even during those days. Nair was followed by Prem Bhatia, who maintained the tempo and took the daily to still higher planes. Then came V.N. Narayanan followed by Hari Jaisingh. All along, the editorials were a special attraction to me. All his predecessors were eminent journalists, no doubt, but Hari Jaisingh was the one who took courage to expose corruption and social aberrations. The daily is at this zenith now despite the severe competition being faced by it. One of the earlier path-breaking editorials, I still remember, was "Her Waterloo", but then it appeared after the leader was routed in the elections. The other dailies are supplied almost free of cost, but it is my assessment that The Tribune continues to be No 1 in Chandigarh and in the region. I would like to be enlightened whether Hari Jaisingh is paying a price for his boldness and for locking horns with the highups! In any case, I wish The Tribune the best of luck and hope Hari Jaisingh will continue to feed the knowledge-hungry. ARVIND, Chandigarh

Value of written word

Hari Jaisingh's Goodbye, my lords!" speaks volumes without having said many things about himself. The unsaid is perhaps much more than the said things. As long as the written word is valued, such editors will be able to change the shape of things.

AWTAR SINGH, Principal, Shimla Public School, Shimla

Phenomenal growth

I was moved, like many of the ardent readers of The Tribune, by your front-page farewell note last Sunday. It was a well-articulated, yet poignant note recording your nine-year-long association with the paper. You have not, apparently due to your innate desire not to boast, referred to the phenomenal growth of The Tribune, including the Delhi NCR edition, under your leadership.

T.V. RAJESHWAR, former Governor, Assam, New Delhi

Online edition

I was a bit saddened by the news of Hari Jaisingh's tenure as the Editor coming to an end. For someone who hails from Chandigarh but lives outside India, Jaisingh brought the news and feel of the "City Beautiful" to our doorstep by creating and promoting the Tribune website. That alone has affected the life of thousands of people like myself who have been able to keep in touch with the developments in the area and relate to what goes on in the region without being present there physically.

On a personal note, Hari Jaisingh's editorials and reporting were exemplary, precise and succinct. As a human being and as someone from the media, he has set the bar of competency and integrity very high for others who have been designated to follow his role.

HARVINDER S. MALHOTRA, Manchester, UK

Pursuit of truth

The news of your moving out really unsettled me for a moment. And, immediately I remembered how, during these days of your stewardship, The Tribune had become synonymous with the pursuit of truth and love for justice.

You have rightly said people looked up to The Tribune as we used to look up to the judiciary. You have made this paper immortal by espousing social causes and shown how a newspaper can beat in the hearts of its readers.

If my words can carry the weight of the feelings of thousands of readers, I bid you farewell but at the same time wish you a life of satisfaction and joy.

J.S. ANAND, Sr. Lecturer, DAV College, Bathinda

Only the truth

Few editors have got the moral courage to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Sometimes this bitter truth is not relished by the powers that be.

All editors cannot claim themselves to be opinion makers. Some of your editorials have brought about serious ripples in the vast sea of your readers. You command great respect in the hearts of most of your readers. Only a few (whose misdeeds you expose) look at you with scornful eyes.

TARUSHA, Hoshiarpur

A bolt from the blue

Hari Jaisingh's revelation that he is vacating the "sacred chair" of The Tribune Editor at the end of this month must have sent shock waves to millions of his readers, especially those of North India. Having been a regular reader of the newspaper for over half a century, it was for me like a bolt from the blue.

What is vital is that an editor must have independence of thought and the courage of his convictions. Strict regard for truth and scrupulous avoidance of populism must be his guiding principles.

I am not aware of any occasion when the newspaper under Jaisingh's able stewardship has ever deviated from this sacred path of journalism.

K. M. VASHISHT, Mansa

Among the top

I was shocked to learn from Hari Jaisingh's editorial "Goodbye, my lords!" that he is leaving the organisation on March 31. His predecessors were illustrious and so, I am sure, will be his successor. But Mr Hari Jaisingh's name will be counted among the top few. We will miss his bold front-page editorials.

WG CDR.  C. L. SEHGAL (retd), Jalandhar

High standards

While vividly recounting the struggles and achievements of his nine-year long stint, the outgoing Editor has praised, and rightly too, his predecessors for their high standards of professionalism, the illustrious founder for his remarkable statesmanship and vision, and the Trustees for their broad-mindedness and detachment — all having contributed harmoniously towards the building up of rich traditions over the past 122 years.

N.L. BANGA, Gurgaon

Freedom of speech

As Hari Jaisingh hands over the mantle of editorship to his successor, I wish to congratulate him on the tremendous job he has done in maintaining and strengthening the honesty and independence of the newspaper. Under his leadership, The Tribune has not let go of its freedom of speech, while the same has been under attack from self-proclaimed champions of nationalism all over the country. I hope the new Editor will carry forward this tradition of independence and courage in the coming months and years when the attempts of extremist organisations to manipulate the media are likely to become all the more vicious.

AMIT SONDHI, Ludhiana

Voice of the hapless

During his tenure as Editor, Jaisingh has lived up to the high traditions of journalism and expectations of the people. He has enlightened the people with little known facts of history, the polity and the economy -- from the invasion of Kashmir to lack of austerity among highups in public life. His views have reflected the agony, distress and anguish of innocent people at the mercy of vested interests.

Dr A.K. THUKRAL, Professor, GND University, Amritsar

Among the tallest

A reader of The Tribune for the last 55 years, I feel sorry to know that our great Editor is leaving. He stands tallest as one of the best editors of The Tribune along with Prem Bhatia and V.N. Narayanan. Hari Jaisingh's bold, clear and honest writings left an impact on the intelligentsia.

B. S. ARORA, Jalandhar

Bold editorials

I have been reading The Tribune for the past four decades, and I can say with confidence that the editorials that I have read during the editorship of Prem Bhatia and especially that of Hari Jaisingh are bold, just, candid, upright and straightforward. Truly, they have met the grave challenges as the Editor of this widely read newspaper of northern India.

R. C. SHARMA, Kurukshetra

Right to information

You have very ably reinforced the fact that the dignity of the individual and his right to information is still safe in our democracy. Thanks for upholding the banner aloft. The Tribune is a living tribute to your acumen and attainments as its Editor for nine years.

P. MOHAN SACHDEV, Dehra Dun

Standing ovation

The onerous position of the Editor of The Tribune for nine years deserves our standing ovation. The dynamics of journalistic forte and quintessential spirit of veracity are not euphemistic epithets to you. The way you take simple issues of core significance to your majestic newspaper, the radical views of common people of merit and mettle, brought the institution of The Tribune to towering heights.

RAMAVTAR YADAV (HCS allied), Rewari

The golden era

The Tribune has made a remarkable and all-round improvement during your eventful editorship of nine years. This period was, indeed, the "golden era" in the history of this famous newspaper.

COL PRITAM BHULLAR (retd), Chandigarh

Mature leadership

Throughout the last nine years Hari Jaisingh provided a very mature and progressive editorial leadership to The Tribune. His write-ups were always relevant and creative. They always elicited a wide response from the vast readership of the newspaper.

SUDESH KUMAR SHARMA, Kapurthala

Outstanding leadership

This is to express my gratitude on behalf of many readers of The Tribune to Hari Jaisingh. He has provided an outstanding leadership to this great newspaper. I very much wish that one of the universities in Punjab would have him as a distinguished professor of journalism on the pattern of Harvard University Kennedy School of Journalism.

S. VED BRAT, President, Braton Biotech Inc, USA

Champion of popular causes

No doubt, Mr Jaisingh held the onerous office with remarkable distinction, steadfastly upholding the high ideals cherished by the great visionary Sardar Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, the illustrious founder of The Tribune. No wonder, he seems to have carved out a niche in the hearts of the people of North India who would fondly remember him for a long time to come as a fearless champion of popular causes.

TARA CHAND, Ambota (Una)