Manjula Lal has been a journalist for over three decades and
been associated with Economic Times, Pioneer, Times Of India and The Indian
Express. Currently the Deputy Editor with Tehelka, Manjula has found time to
write her debut book the story of a newswallah appropriately titled That’s News To Me.
The back cover of her book reads- Dogs can be trained to
fetch newspapers for their masters. Should a journalist be treated as a
retriever of news by his masters? Lal tells the story of Manush, an idealistic
journalist who tries to survive in the jungle of publishing. Manush enjoys the
adrenaline rush of chasing scoops and solving mysteries but finds the office
politics and demanding bosses difficult to cope. There is equal focus on the
personal life of Manush at home – his marriage and his disappointments.
Divided in three sections the book travels from a magazine
in Noida to a newspaper office in Delhi and finally a website in Gurgaon.
The book is earnest and frank and has a lot of spice for
those chasing the same profession, I would say That’s News To Me is as much about ambitions as about relationships and
balancing the two for harmony and survival. It is not the story of Manush and
his wife but about all urban nuclear couples struggling to survive a job and
marriage.
That’s News To Me is witty, gutsy, reflective and
insightful, a must read for all who belong to journalism and particularly those
who don’t to understand that getting news is not an easy job.
@bhawanasomaaya
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