Rana Ayyub
Rana Ayyub | |
|---|---|
 Rana Ayyub in 2016 | |
| Born | 1 May 1984 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, Author, Columnist |
Rana Ayyub is a Indian journalist. She previously worked as a journalist for Tehelka, and is now an independent columnist.[1][2][3]
Rana Ayyub resigned from Tehelka in November 2013, to protest against the organization's handling of a sexual assault charge against its editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal.[4][5] She has been critical of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.[4]
Ayyub's investigation of the Gujarat fake encounters has been listed by Outlook magazine as one of the twenty greatest magazine stories of all time across the world [6]She is the author of Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up.[7]
Awards and recognition
In October 2011, Rana Ayyub received the Sanskriti award for excellence in journalism.[8]
Actress Richa Chada claimed to have been inspired by Rana Ayyub, who is also her friend, in 2016 film Chalk n Duster, where she plays a journalist.[9]
Dispute
Tarun Tejpal and Shoma Chaudhury have disputed Ayyub's claim that her story on fake encounters in Gujarat, which was the result of an eight month long undercover investigation, was dropped by them. According to Tejpal, Ayyub's story was "incomplete". [10]According to Chaudhury, Ayyub's story "did not meet the necessary editorial standards."[10]Ayyub has responded to Tejpal and Chaudhury's assertions by noting that:
I must say I am not the only one to complain about dropped stories in Tehelka, the list is fairly big...Shoma Choudhury and Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka cited editorial decisions and gaps. The book is a bestseller and is getting rave reviews for its content. Let the reader be the judge.[10][11]
Book
In her book Gujarat Files:Anatomy of a Cover Up, Ayyub documented the verbatim transcripts of recordings, made using a concealed recording device, of many bureaucrats and police officers of Gujarat. The recordings were made in the course of an undercover investigation to reveal the views of bureaucrats and police officers on the post-2002 Gujarat riots and Police encounter killings. Ayyub had been posing as Maithili Tyagi, a student of the American Film Institute, having an ideological affinity for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's beliefs, to enable her to make the recordings. [12][13][14][11][15][16][17][18]
Criticism
In July 2016, Rana Ayyub was slammed on social media for spreading lies about Kashmir violence by Indian Army.[19] Rana was criticised by Tarun Tejpal and Shoma Chowdhary for telling lies against Tehelka for not publishing her book, Gujarat Files: The Anatomy of A Cover Up.[20] Rana Ayyub has been criticized for her unwillingness to take on Islamists and calling it Islamophoia instead of Islamofascism.[21]
In 2017, Shah Rukh Khan apparently criticised Rana Ayybb for creating a point of view for doing three back-to-back Muslim characters in Hindi films.[22][23]
Appreciation
Ramachandra Guha has called Ayyub's Gujarat Files "a brave book."[24]Jyoti Malhotra has noted that many journalists have privately applauded Ayyub's courage in authoring Gujarat Files.[25]Priya Ramani has commented: "The abuses from the paid foot soldiers on Twitter bounce off her spiral curls smoothly."[26]Reflecting on the procedure used by Ayyub in composing Gujarat Files, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay has observed: "Going undercover and interviewing many who had been in the thick of gruesome extra-constitutional operations required bravado and this must be appreciated."[16]
References
- ^ http://www.ndtv.com/author/rana-ayyub
- ^ http://www.firstpost.com/politics/tehelka-didnt-run-rana-ayyubs-gujarat-riots-story-because-it-was-incomplete-tarun-tejpal-2808414.html
- ^ http://www.dnaindia.com/authors/rana-ayyub
- ^ a b "DNA takes down article critical of Amit Shah". Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Tehelka scandal: Senior editor Rana Ayyub quits in protest". Firstpost]].
- ^ http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/the-20-greatest-magazine-stories/295660
- ^ http://www.caravanmagazine.in/vantage/lone-soldier-excerpt-rana-ayyub-gujarat-files
- ^ "Sanskriti awards to Kashmiri writer, sarangi maestro". Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c "We didn't run Rana Ayyub's Gujarat riots story because it was incomplete: Tarun Tejpal".
- ^ a b "On the trail of the real culprits". Frontline. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ "How Rana Ayyub had to become Maithili Tyagi for her investigations in Gujarat".
- ^ "Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up".
- ^ "Gujarat Gazetteer, By Maithili Tyagi". Outlook. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ^ "Book review: Gujarat Files". Mint. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Gujarat Files: Rana Ayyub and stinging truths". Business Standard. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "Gujarat Files: Sting claims political pressure in Gujarat riots". Indian Express. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ^ "What the Silence Over Rana Ayyub's 'Gujarat Files' Tells Us". The Wire. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "Rana Ayyub slammed on social media for spreading lies about Kashmir violence".
- ^ "We didn't run Rana Ayyub's Gujarat riots story because it was incomplete: Tarun Tejpal".
- ^ "An open letter to Rana Ayyub in response to her piece".
- ^ "You may write a piece from the point of view that I am doing three back-to-back Muslim characters. With due respect to my professionalism as an actor, I did not even know what my name was in Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. I just went for two hours, did some shots and had fun with my friends, Karan, Ranbir (Kapoor) and Aishwarya (Rai Bachchan). I wrapped up around 2 am and partied till 6 am before flying back to Lisbon".
- ^ "With 3 Muslim Characters, Shah Rukh Khan's Big, Brave Message".
- ^ "Divide and win-The Sanjay Gandhi of this age". The Telegraph. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "Mainstream media turns away from "Gujarat Files"". The Hoot. 3 June 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "The self-publishing story of dust and dreams". Mint. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
External links
- Rana Ayyub at NDTV