Superheroes: The incorruptible Sainath

I respect Orwell. Almost everything about that man is compelling. I side step his works of fiction for the moment and only take up his journalism. The compassion, clarity and reflection in his writing is of high order. He faced the unpleasant facts, before he wrote about them. One has to only read Down and Out to appreciate the keen intelligence, energy, articulation and artistry in one man.

The rural reporter P Sainath belongs to that sparsely populated order. He is the voice of India. Of the real India, the poor India, the starving India. The passionate dinner talk titled "Mass Media, Mass Reality" he delivered a few years ago when I was a graduate student in JNU, remains unforgettable.

Let us celebrate the rock star of Indian journalism. A man with no fear and only loathing for the hypocrisy of the India-only-shining mirage.