Today is the veteran scribe’s 3rd death anniversary: Ch Rajeshwar Rao -A Raja among journalists of his days

I am happy to write a few words of appreciation in connection with the 3rd anniversary (March 6) of the senior journalist Late Sri Ch.Rajeshwar Rao. Sri Ch. Rajeshwar Rao belonged to the times when we called a journalist a senior, measuring his seniority in terms of his coverage of growth and development contributing to welfare with reference to governance.

We had stalwarts in journalism like Chalapati Rao, Kasa Subba Rao, Ramalingeshwar Rao and the like, whom prominent men who belonged to many fields treated with great respect for their stature and views. They were visionaries and scholars whose views were taken as the most valuable to be valued for many purposes in politics, economics and many other.

They were treated as equal to the most eminent to discuss, consult on many important matters. In fact very many policies in government were formulated and enunciated on the basis of their views. Even men like Jawaharlal Nehru respected and invited them for discussion. That is for reason of their being very well versed not only in journalism but also in language, literature, music and art.

But as the time passed, journalism came to be known more for sensationalism and popularism than for intellectualism. News dominated the views, politricks dominated politics and views only counted than the visions. Advertisements and sensation news took more space than the normal. Men below a desirable standard got elected or nominated. They, who had money or muscle or both. Noise came to dominate more than the voice. Cast became the primary qualification than the qualification. Regionalism became the primary consideration than nationalism.

The decline of standards in educational institutions was so much glaring that men who not to speak of literature art and music but even of language and culture became scarcer. Journalism could not help depending upon men who were more ordinary than the extraordinary. Populism became as much the forte of the journalists as it became the forte of politicians. Advertisements covered more space in newspapers than all other. Paid news covered more space than any other.

Even the language in journalism in general started deteriorating so much that in the name of common man’s language, common language became very common. The captions became more prominent than all other. In general journalism declined as much as all other. Junior-Journalism replaced senior-journalism and junior journalists very much the senior journalists.

Many senior journalists like Ch. Rajeshwar Rao were either tired or retired and replacements became very difficult. Men like Raghavachary and Rajeshwar Rao who were well read and well connected became very rare.

If the standards of newspapers declined we can’t attribute the reasons to journalism alone but to all other fields particularly for decline in education and in particular to decline in learning the languages.

To come back to Rajeshwar Rao, he was so fond of good language and good views that unlike many journalists of the past and the present he spent much of his time in reading books and in calling the attention of people whom he met to the books that he read. That was his strength wherever he moved and whomever he met.

Rajeshwar was a student when I was the principal of SRR Government College, Karimnagar. I always found him with a book in one hand and a dictionary in another. It was really very amusing to see a student like that in those days. I was really amazed to see that even when he left the college and joined journalism.

It was his up-to-date knowledge in politics as well as in many other fields which was very much respected, recognised and valued in all circles where he moved. In fact he was more appreciated because he knew so much, remembered so much, and could share so much on so many matters of life and living. He meticulously made note of the most important to be remembered and quoted.

The dairies which he kept of the notes that he took from the books he read if only could be published would go a long way to enrich and empower any book lovers and journalists. I still wish that they are published by the press council for the benefit of many journalists.

Raghavachary, who himself was a very prominent journalist was related to him and both of them spent a lot of time in exchanging views. When Raghavachary died Rajeshwar Rao became so forlorn and depressed. That was a great setback to him from which he could never recover.

He was a great source of inspiration to me. I have lost a good friend and a good reference point. He was a rare journalist who was not only well read, well versed but also well equipped in communication and conversation in Telugu, English and Urdu also.

His death left a very big gap not only in journalism but also in intellectualism as he was a good company to meet and to talk to and to even to seek an advice whenever it was wanted as he had a very rich experience as he worked with very many Chief Ministers of AP and was very much respected by the senior officers for creating cordial relationship with the senior politicians as he also worked as a PRO.

(The writer is a senior freedom fighter)