It has been taken considering the upcoming Gujarat elections. The Patels want a Patidar Gujarat CM and this has been their unfulfilled demand for a long time.Rupani’s resignation is not a sudden step. I feel that one of the prime reasons for Rupani’s resignation is the resentment of the Patidars towards him. Now 72, the managing editor of Akila says citizen journalism and public-friendly news is his forte.No wonder Gujarat regards Akila as their newspaper and Kiritbhai Ganatra as the real People’s Editor though he has no formal degree in journalism. It could be about a pothole, a leaky public tap in a neighbourhood, or street lights not working. Kiritbhai meets people on a daily basis and learns about their concerns that eventually get addressed through his publication. The other forms outside the office of the editor. One queue leads to the classifieds department. Whenever there was any latest news or updates in the pre-Internet era, Akila would soon be out with an edition.” Deven’s brother HIrenbhai who lives in New Jersey explains, “Even here, I have to read Akila.”Įvery day, two queues form outside the newspaper’s office. Devenbhai Patel of Rajkot says, “at times I have seen Akila having six editions in a day. It is nearly 43 years that Kiritbhai has been involved with his family newspaper, Akila, which was launched in 1978. “But we were, as usual, right,” explains Kiritbhai, adding that credibility and truth remains the guiding principle of Akila when it comes to news. Later on, an inquiry was instituted against Akila and Kiritbhai in that matter. Kiritbhai’s most memorable report was when he revealed the existence of a nearly silent and till then invisible agitation building up against then Gujarat finance minister and the Rajkot royal head Manoharsinhji Jadeja. ![]() He was also the first to announce that Chief Minister Narendra Modi would contest his maiden assembly election from Rajkot. Interestingly, Kiritbhai had also broken the news that Vijay Rupani would replace Anandiben Patel as resign as Gujarat Chief Minister. It became a serious issue, but I never publish any news without ascertaining its credibility.”Ī man who is genuinely passionate about journalism, Kiritbhai does not believe in “belonging “to any party,lobby or ism or ideology.”. “Very soon, there were police in our office,” recalls Kiritbhai. Akila was soon out with an edition, the first in the country probably to report the news. In the past, when the Babri Masjid was demolished, he had hired a Muslim journalist who immediately had called him up with the news that the masjid was being demolished. This is not the first time that Kiritbhai has actually “broken” exclusive news. This was nearly 85 minutes before any other journalist knew about it. That is the language Kiritbhai works, writes and thinks in.Īfter lunch, Kiritbhai called Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, whom he has known for over 40 years, and asked him, “Shu chaale chhe? Kai jaanva jevu? (What’s up? Anything worth knowing”? The CM informed him that he was leaving for Raj Bhavan to tender his resignation. So I posted it in Gujarati,” explains Kiritbhai, alluding to the breaking news. “Every journalist has sources, no? Mine told me. Unlike several journalists who don’t miss a chance to bask in glory, Kiritbhai is modest, humble and rooted. The man who has made Akila a household name is Kiritbhai Ganatra, a seasoned journalist. He does at least one Facebook Live daily. Though Kiritbhai is above 70, his Facebook presence and activities are amazing. Akila is the most popular evening newspaper of Gujarat, based in Rajkot. It means, you cannot do without tea in the morning and Akila in the evening. ‘Savaare cha, sanje Akila’, is a known phrase in Gujarat. Vijay Rupani will resign as Gujarat Chief Minister”. After confirming it, Kiritbhai posted the news to his Facebook page. Soon after 10.45 am on September 11, Kiritbhai received a call.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |