Vir Sanghvi
 |
Vir Sanghvi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 July 1956 Mumbai |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Writer |
| Website | http://www.virsanghvi.com/ |
Vir Sanghvi (born 5 July 1956)[1] is an Indian print and television journalist, columnist, and talk show host. Currently, he is Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times, and Advisory Editor of HT Media Ltd, for which he writes the "Counterpoint" and "Rude Food" columns.
At 23, he was the founder-editor of Bombay magazine, before moving on to edit Imprint, and finally editing Sunday magazine, which he did for over 12 years.
Early life and education
Vir Sanghvi was born in London and brought up in Mumbai and London.
He was educated at Mayo College, Ajmer, and Mill Hill School, London. He won the Inlaks scholarship[2] to study politics, philosophy and economics at Brasenose College, Oxford.[3]
Niira Radia tapes
In November 2010, OPEN magazine carried a story which reported transcripts of some of the telephone conversations of Nira Radia with senior journalists, politicians, and corporate houses, many of whom have denied the allegations. The Central Bureau of Investigation has announced that they have 5,851 recordings of phone conversations by Radia, some of which outline Radia's attempts to broker deals in relation to the 2G spectrum sale. The tapes appear to demonstrate how Radia attempted to use some media persons (including Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi) to influence the decision to appoint A.Raja as telecom minister.
In a related audio tape Sanghvi offers to tailor a story, asking "What kind of story do you want?"[4] He offers to stage a scripted and rehearsed interview to show Niira Radia's client Mukesh Ambani in favorable light.[4] Vir Sanghvi denied the allegations.
On the assumption that the dates and times with which the tapes have been marked, are those at which the conversations took place, a constructed sequence of events is as follows:
On June 20, 2009, at 1209 IST, Niira Radia is purported to have had a conversation with Mr. Sanghvi, in which the line, 'what kind of story do you want?' were among those spoken by Mr. Sanghvi. Radia says the points she wishes him to make are: 'that if the high Court ruling is implemented then Anil Ambani shall get the benefit of cheap gas without spending any money' and 'that a family MoU has taken precedence over national interest'[4] Sanghvi is heard to propose to do the article the next day in his column "Counterpoint" [5]
On the same day, at 2129 IST, an article titled 'Time for some transparency'[6] was published under Mr. Sanghvi's column "Counterpoint" where the following lines appeared:
- Few of us laypeople understand what the recent court battle — which ended in a victory for Anil — is about but from what I can tell it relates to the purchase of gas from the government. Mukesh had paid for the gas and Anil argued that he deserved to also get it at a lower price because of some agreement with his brother.
and
- I have great respect for the courts and little understanding of the law but as far as I can tell, the judge basically said that the MoU between the two Ambani brothers had precedence over everything else because this was a special case. They should go back to Mummy who would decide how to divide our gas between her two children.
Without context, the emphasized lines appear to state points made by Ms. Radia during the previously mentioned conversation, and this has been the rallying point for critics.
At 2253 IST, Ms. Radia had a conversation with Mr.Manoj Modi[7] in which they discuss what is supposedly the same article in their possession, with Mr. Modi mentioning repeatedly that points were taken 'verbatim'. He said that 'obviously the other people whom you (Nira) have spoken to will realise that you are behind this article'. [8]
On August 15, 2009, an article was published by Mr. Sanghvi on his website under the column 'Counterpoint', titled 'Why is Anil Ambani headline news day after day, week after week?' in which he mentions the lines mentioned in his clarifications - “My friend, Tony Jesudasan, who represents Anil, took me out to lunch and made out a case for Anil. I was totally convinced till my friend, Niira Radia, who represents Mukesh, gave me the other side which frankly seemed just as convincing to my inexpert ears”.[9][10][4]
Books By Vir Sanghvi
- Men of Steel - Indias business leaders in candid conversation with Vir Sanghvi, Roli Books Pvt Ltd, India (Jan 2007) ISBN 8-17-436474-7
- Rude Food: The Collected Food Writings of Vir Sanghvi, Penguin Putnam (2004) ISBN 0-14-303139-2
- India Then and Now : Now/Vir Sanghvi. New Delhi, Roli, 2006, 274 p., $120. ISBN 81-7436-397-1.
- 26/11:The Attack on Mumbai, Penguin, 2009, ISBN 9780143067054
- Madhavrao Scindia: A life, Penguin, 2009, ISBN 9780670082544
Further reading
- Vir Sangvi columns Rediff.com
- Vir Sangvi columns Mint
- Vir Sangvi columns Hindustan Times
- Rude Food - The Collected Food Writings of Vir Sanghvi Hindustan Times
- Counterpoint Hindustan Times
References
- ^ Face Off with Vir Sanghavi Indian Express, June 24, 1997.
- ^ http://www.inlaksfoundation.org/Inlaks-Alumni-List.asp?currpage=2&sort=alph&al=V&sb=&yr=&stat=old
- ^ Vir Sangvi profile - HT Leadership Summit Hindustan Times.
- ^ a b c d ""What kind of story do you want?"". openthemagazine.com. 2010-11-20.
- ^ http://business.outlookindia.com/view.aspx?vname=Vir-his%20letter-MDA%20interview-20090620-120959.wav
- ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/viewsvirsanghvi/Time-for-some-transparency/Article1-423644.aspx
- ^ http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?226256
- ^ http://business.outlookindia.com/view.aspx?vname=Manoj%20onVir%27s%20Article20090620-225323.wav
- ^ http://www.virsanghvi.com/CounterPoint-ArticleDetail.aspx?ID=342
- ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/viewsvirsanghvi/Time-for-some-transparency/Article1-423644.aspx