A fascinating account of the life and times of Prem Prakash, a pioneer in the field of Indian journalism.
Praise
Prem has been a key figure in Indian television since it started, so this is an important book. He and I worked together over many years, so I recognize Prem’s acute instinct for a story, which makes his autobiography such a compelling read. ― Mark Tully, former bureau chief, BBC, New Delhi
Premji has been a witness to India’s history in the making over the last seven decades or so. His career as a camera journalist has been a great adventure, as has been his role in the making of ANI, a multimedia news agency that he helped take, over the course of a lifetime, to the top of the league in all of Asia. ― B.N. Uniyal, former managing editor, Sunday Observer
Prem Prakash’s journey is a fascinating story of grit and a relentless pursuit of a vision that went beyond the demands of the viewfinder. He has looked ahead, building ANI brick by brick to give hundreds of TV channels in India and abroad their daily diet of real-time news. It has not been an easy task, but Prem Prakash has always taken the challenging route to success. ― H.K. Dua, former editor, Hindustan Times
The Book
Over the course of his long and illustrious career as a photographer, film cameraman and columnist, Prem Prakash covered major events, both in India and abroad, bearing witness to natural calamities, wars, military coups and insurgencies.
The book celebrates Prakash’s unparalleled body of work, providing a detailed account of his personal and professional life, along with his reminiscences of the most impactful stories that he covered-from the 1962 Indo-China war to the
1965 and 1971 wars against Pakistan; from the Emergency to the assassination of Indira Gandhi; from Lal Bahadur Shastri’s fateful Tashkent journey to the liberation of Bangladesh; from Jawaharlal Nehru’s demise to Narendra Modi’s rise. An intriguing read, Reporting India brings to life some of the defining moments in Indian history.
About The Author
PREM PRAKASH, a veteran Indian journalist, has reported on major events in the Indian subcontinent from the ’50s to the turn of the century. He has worked with foreign broadcasters-like Gaumont Actualités in France, Deutsche Wochenschau in Germany and Warner-Pathé News in the US-who were the pioneers of their time. In 1957, he was part of a group that launched the news agency Visnews in London.
He has covered some of the most important stories of post-Independence India, including the 1962 Indo-China war. He was at the forefront of war coverage during the 1965 war against Pakistan, climbing Haji Pir with the Indian Army and covering the tank battle in the Sialkot sector, conducted by General Rajinder Singh ‘Sparrow’ himself.
Prakash has interacted with every prime minister of India and interviewed many of them on camera. He is currently the chairman of ANI, India’s premier multimedia news agency, which he helped set up.
Nov 2020 | Ebury | Penguin Random House India
Rs 699 | 264pp
