The Reporters: Neeta Kolhatkar, India Legal

Current Bureau Chief at India Legal, Neeta Kolhatkar has been in the news industry for more than two decades. In this interview with Bar & Bench’s Anuj Agrawal, she talks about what it takes to be a good reporter, the fear of offending people, and much more..(Excerpts below).Anuj Agrawal: Its been a long journey, where did you start?.Neeta Kolhatkar: I graduated from Xavier’s college, with a foundation from Elphinstone. They were two of the best colleges in the city, and Xavier’s was very to my personality – rebellious. We were not deprived like today’s kids. There were no codes, [no one told us] “You can’t wear this, you can’t do this.” .Anuj Agrawal: And you ended up with a degree in anthropology. .Neeta Kolhatkar: (Smiles) I wanted to go to the mountains, to the North Eastern Hill University. I wanted to do documentaries, to study people. The seeds of a rebel were sown in me from day one, and I decided that I will never get sucked into the system..Anuj Agrawal: So did you go to NEHU?.Neeta Kolhatkar: No, I was not allowed to. Then I walked into Times of India because there was a walk-in interview. Many of us from college just walked in, and got into space selling. Mr. Pradeep Guha gave me opportunity of being in the editorial..Anuj Agrawal: So you are 25 years old and working at ToI, what was the beat?.Neeta Kolhatkar: I was in response editorial, which comes out with all the supplements. But I was always academically oriented. I mean I studied a lot, but only when I felt I should. So I went through a huge internal conflict because I knew that I wanted to study further. And everyone was going to America. Eventually, I decided to stay back. .Once I decided to stay back, I wondered whether I really knew my country. Did I know the issues of my country, and how things function at different levels? So I applied for TISS and Nirmala Niketan and I got into Nirmala Niketan. And I am glad because through that I learnt a lot, did field work, read so much etc..Anuj Agrawal: An MSW from Nirmala Niketan. Then?.Neeta Kolhatkar: In 1993, I got into a concept involving five of us: Vivek Pandit, Ulka Mahajan, Pradnya Sawargaonkar, Sangeeta Koparde, and me. Started by Vivek Pandit, Samarthan was an advocacy organisation and became the foundation for my mainstream journalism. .I used to handle advocacy at the bureaucratic level; we used to go to the legislative assembly, provide ready made pointers to the legislators during zero hour, pointers on how to raise the issue of tribals etc. .That’s when I got an exposure to the bureaucracy, the politicians. Many years later, when renowned journalists tried to introduce me to legislators and ministers (pauses).Anuj Agrawal: How was the response to Samarthan by the legislators?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Excellent! The bureaucracy was so supportive. I worked on the first rehabilitation policy in this country, the earthquake rehabilitation policy of Maharashtra. I think the policy brought out the best in me – I used to go visit earthquake affected areas of Marathwada, Latur, Parbani, Beed, Nanded, Osmanabad every three months. I knew people at the ground level. I also got an opportunity to interact with people like the renowned architect Laurie Baker. .Anuj Agrawal: But how did you land up as a journalist?.Neeta Kolhatkar: My friend Sangeeta and I, we would work all week. Then on Friday night, we would leave for the villages of Vasai Virar to shoot documentaries. The next stop was the media, the only question was where. I got into UTV, which used to make programmes for Star World when it first came..Anuj Agrawal: What kind of work did you do there?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Stories. One of the bigger ones I did was related to the pollution in Vapi. My big coup was that I got a man working in the lab to reveal how sick and nauseous he felt, how there were no safety norms etc..The Vapi industrial association got scared, threatened me with a lawsuit. But I told them that I had spoken to them; they were the first people I spoke to. Anyway, we aired the piece and it was all fine. Then some issues cropped up, and I decided to walk out. I went to Bastar to document watershed management. .Anuj Agrawal: And back to making independent documentaries?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Yes. The water movement was very interesting way back in 1995. Today, in 2016 we are struggling with water and the signs were so visible at that time. At that time Aaj Tak was looking for people. It had just started and I had heard of this person called SP Singh.. We had a telephonic interview (by the way I didn’t know it was an interview at that time) and I was upfront. I think he liked that..Anuj Agrawal: What were you doing in Aaj Tak?.Neeta Kolhatkar: I started doing everything and after a few episodes and run-ins with the big stars I said this is not what I am going to do. People who don’t respect my time don’t respect their own. I am not a part of any coterie, I don’t give a (pauses) for who the individual is, the story is what matters to me. .Anuj Agrawal: What were the big stories? .Neeta Kolhatkar: The Sheela Kini interview, Mr. Bhujbal gave it to me. She spoke to me. Then in the Gulshan Kumar case, I traced Nadeem in London on the day [Police Commissioner] Mendonca declared his name. We got him on the phone. .One of the finest interviews I do believe is that of Pamela Bordes who rocked the House of Commons in Britain. I don’t think there are many journalists in the world who can say that they have met and interviewed Pamela Bordes..Anuj Agrawal: What do you think makes a good interviewer?.Neeta Kolhatkar: I don’t believe that you have to be very aggressive, you have to go with the flow. The person should feel comfortable..But I think when you go higher, there is no scope for a senior person who just wants to enjoy reporting. Unfortunately, the higher you go, apart from journalism you need to do other things and to have other skills. And I am not interested in that. .Anuj Agrawal: That must have made you unpopular?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Of course! I am very unpopular and I am happy to be so. I don’t think you join journalism to make lovers and friends. If anyone says I am aggressive I am very proud [about it]. .I have not come here to win friends. This is a very cut-throat, competitive field. And if you have come to make friends in journalism, then best wishes. I have not come here to win friends. .This is a very cut-throat, competitive field. And if you have come to make friends in journalism, then best wishes..Anuj Agrawal: You re-joined ToI in Bombay after a couple of years in Bangalore. .Neeta Kolhatkar: Yes. I was back in the Times of India, and once again in the supplements. One of my favourite stories was about a balloon vendor who was injured in the bomb blast at the Gateway of India. I helped reconnect the vendor to her German husband. .See I was in the supplements, but I am a reporter to begin and end with. My boss at that time was Carol Andrade and she was very happy that I followed the story which finally took me to the Anchorage shelter home. Kasab had landed in the vicinity of that shelter home. .One man saw me there and he told me that very rarely do journalists follow a street vendor. He handed me a chit with a number written on it, it was the number of the German husband. So I called him, and he gave me the details. They were married for 7 years but the love for the streets, love for the freedom took her back to the streets..Anuj Agrawal: And then India Legal? .Neeta Kolhatkar: (Smiles) No after that it was DNA; I was one of the founder team members. It was very exciting because you don’t always get to work for a new paper..We had backing in terms of resources and people. Gautam Adhikari, Mr. Guha – they really supported us. Till the end I never had anyone telling me, “This is something you will not do”.Imagine, I was allowed six Sunday specials on just power; I had fun. And then I moved back into TV, that was (pauses).Anuj Agrawal: Not so much fun?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Well you see you have weird ideas as an individual. Why did I opt for this particular company? Because it was at walking distance from my house. But I think I had the best story ever that any journalist can only dream of and that is I had bundled up Anna’s fast forever..Anuj Agrawal: What did you do?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Nothing. I was just naughty. There was a fight going on in the management and the editor had brought nearly half the Delhi bureau to town. The world’s media was there and I was genuinely so annoyed with Anna’s voice. .The same ratto that he has been speaking for years. Anyway, I managed to get the mike, and all I said was,.“You were let down by BJP last night in Parliament for the Lokpal Bill. Your strategy in Bombay has failed?”.He had not put in his hearing aid, so he asked Kejriwal to repeat the question. So while Kejriwal was repeating it, I once again said, “Sorry, but your strategy flopped?”.And he, for the first time ever, admitted to being anti-Congress. For the first time he admitted to being pro-BJP and he stormed off the stage. That was the last that you heard of Anna’s fast. That was big, that was me. .But like I said there was a huge difference of opinion between the management and me..Anuj Agrawal: So polite..Neeta Kolhatkar: See I am not going to do anything to stay back in an organisation. I don’t report on any agendas; I was not going to toe the line. I decided to quit and stay away from the mainstream. But I missed having fun. I miss that we lost having fun in journalism which is what I was doing earlier..Anuj Agrawal: What was the difference you saw in the newsrooms?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Very obviously politicised..Anuj Agrawal: Hasn’t that always been the case?.Neeta Kolhatkar: No, no. All those years, no boss ever stopped me from reporting something. They respected my intelligence and my news sense. It was not like, “You go after this politician or go after that politician.” .Anuj Agrawal: So what got you in India Legal? What is the brief that you had?.Neeta Kolhatkar: They told me to look at the legal aspect of anything. The main thing is that it is unbiased and neutral. And I think that is important. I don’t care who the individual is, or who the party is. I have to report and report both sides which is interesting..At the same time it is not so dry because I am the eyes and ears when I am in court. So the observations are important, the interactions that take place is important. There can be some laughter, some banter – those things people don’t know. .Anuj Agrawal: Does it get a bit frustrating at times to cover courts?.Neeta Kolhatkar: What is frustrating at times it that the judiciary has not kept up with the changing times. Technology like microphones, the display boards etc that are in place but not used. .People are coming from different corners of the country, pinning their hopes on you. Yet you treat the citizen as so inconsequential that you don’t want to even let him know what are you dictating in your order?.I think that is complete disrespect to the individual. Twenty-six years ago, we used to run from one court to the other checking the causelists. You think we are not doing that today?.Twenty-six years ago, we used to run from one court to the other checking the causelists. You think we are not doing that today?.Anuj Agrawal: You think sitting judges should speak to the media?.Neeta Kolhatkar: Of course, why not? Why shouldn’t they? Anyway they are saying things in court, and then they pull you up and say that this is not on record. .But you have said those things in open court, the public has heard it. I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t even allow recording..Anuj Agrawal: How do you know what is news and what is not?.Neeta Kolhatkar: You have to be connected to what is happening around you. Be it social, criminal, political whatever. For instance I would like to interview someone from the IPL. Why is it that a private entity is to fulfil a state obligation? Why? .[This] very fine shift of focus from a CM who is unable to tackle the issue of drought to avert any other suicide of farmers. The public discussion is that IPL is the super evil that has caused the drought condition in Maharashtra..I would like to interview Justice Kanade right now. Why shouldn’t they be talking to the media?.Anuj Agrawal: Are you an optimist?.Neeta Kolhatkar: I am a hopeless optimist; that is what got me into media. See the disconnect is we shifted from an ideology to no ideology. People came to journalism because they felt that through journalism they could do something. .But that cannot happen today with so much money being pumped in and so many corporates having such strong stakes in it. Stories are being blacked out. .Anuj Agrawal: What do you think makes a good journalist?.Neeta Kolhatkar: To be shameless and bold. People are so safe today. They are. They don’t want to offend. They are encouraged not to offend. If you are going to lose a job for who you are, you should be proud of that..People are so safe today. They are. They don’t want to offend. They are encouraged not to offend. If you are going to lose a job for who you are, you should be proud of that..You are not a stenographer. You are not a robot that is reacting to some RTI application. How can you not counter question, how can you just take dictations from police officers who will tell you stories about the accused? I want to know why are you giving me this story, why are you leaking information to the media, why are you not following protocol? .Why are people complaining? Because you have editors that don’t stand with them. You have people who don’t stand for their teams. Obviously they are not going to stand, they can barely stand up for themselves..Anuj Agrawal: What plans at India legal?.Neeta Kolhatkar: I hope the team grows. We plan to have a bigger bureau, and I hope that we are able to cover all the stories that are emanating from the courts. .Like I said, people’s hopes are pinned on the judiciary. It is incredible the kind of impact the judiciary is having on our lives.