M J Akbar, the founder editor of the Asian Age, India's first global paper has been thrown out of his own newspaper. The way he has been ousted is certainly one of the worst treatment that one can expect from a business partner. Akbar, a rare species of the editors who write, learnt about his ignominious exit through his friends and colleagues in the morning of March 1. They found that the Asian Age of that day did not carry his name. Many who had seen the dummy of the edition of Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle had seen his name. Certainly, it was a nocturnal mission that his partner turned rival had performed after the senior staff had cleared the pages of Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle. Akbar was editor in chief of both Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle.

From March 1, the masthead of the newspapers carried the name of T Venkattram Reddy as the editor in chief. However, Deccan Chronicle holding which has business partnership with Akbar clarifies that Akbar still had stake in the company. No doubt the relations are on paper, but in practice they are over. Recently MD of the Deccan Chronicle told a newspaper that a new relationship with Akbar was being worked out. If one goes by the letter Akbar has written to the senior staff it is very clear that the relations between the two were strained and the ouster of Akbar was writ large on the editorial walls of the Asian Age. But, Akbar had no idea that it would come so hard ,so soon.

Talent of Akbar has won him a clan of fans in India and abroad. The man with many innovations in Indian journalism is regarded as a genius by both friends and foes. His friends and followers are trying to make the ouster of Akbar a case treacherous assault on editorial independence. They are dubbing it as a case of flexing of money muscle to chop off powerful grey cells. Most of them see  the episode a political tyranny . But the story has all elements of power play and passion of politics that can make a hit bollywood production. It is a story of two partners in a company sharing the common goal of media power with different political hues.

On the net and in print medium there are some articles making Akbar a martyr. Great Kushwant Singh in his characteristic sex energised vocabulary see in Akbar's ouster a new editor"fucking" trend in journalism. He talks about four F dominating Indian journalism.He tells how he was given a kick from the Illustrated weekly by the market forces playing into the hands of political bosses. He has an article in Outlook.An article in Dawn by Rahul Singh former editor of Readers Digest also talks about Four F dominating Indian journalism on the line of the article of Khushwant Singh. The only difference between the two is of one F. In the Rahul Singh's article it is frolic and not fucking. Certainly he can not talk all this in Dawn. Three Fs are common in both, film, fashion and food ! These articles can be read on the blog of M J Akbar. However to read the story of power play in the  major newspaper and the plot that ended with the ouster of Akbar click here.

This month Jagadish Thakkar got further extention as the PRO to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. This is the sixth year of the extended service of Jagdishbhai in the CM office which he began in 1985. During these 23 years, Jagdishbhai has seen almost a dozen Chief Ministers and witnessed most turbulent times from 1985 anti-reservation to post Godhra riots of 2002. He has worked with Chief Ministers with different nature and working style. And he has survived.

He has become a shadow of Gujarat Chief Minister in these 26 years.His copies of the functions of Chief Minister are perfect with the right mix of news. In Gujarat, probably he is the only officer of the state owned information department whose copy can go straight into the print. Probably that is the strongest ground of his survival in the office where political intrigues are routine and treachery a common practice.

 Beauty of the style of functioning of Jagdishbhai is that you cannot make him speak on anything else than his agenda-His Master's Voice-the Chief Minister. In a world where people change tone and tenor of their expression once one is out of office, Jagdishbhai is always positive about all with whom he has worked. This may irritate story hunting journalists, but for Jagdishbhai it is a great asset that has helped him survive in the corridors of power of Block one in Gandhinagar.

He has very methodically developed his pen pusher image who is mostly seen writing. Sometime it can be preparing for the speech of the Chief Minister and sometime reporting extempore speech of the Chief Minister. Here is a full lenth article on Jagdishbhai.