Vohra’s column, ‘Between the Lines’, rings a familiar bell with many an expatriate who’s lived and worked in Dubai and the Gulf region. A collection of 101 humorous pieces from his column over the past three decades have found their way in his book by the same name, Between the Lines.
The suave gentleman has been the editor of the two big-brand Dubai newspapers Khaleej Times and Gulf News. He’s also been the editor of Emirates Evening Post, Bahrain Tribune and ME Aviation Journal. Before moving to Dubai, he was editor at The Indian Express. For the past few years, he’s been writing humorous pieces for The Times of India and several of his pieces have appeared on the Edit page of the publication.
As for his sojourn in the Gulf region, no other Indian journalist can match him and he’s seen as a trendsetter – he has worked in leadership positions or launched so many publications. When this writer asked him what this journey has been like, he posited: “It has its ups and downs but no real regrets. Over 35 years we did get closer to the water while trying not to get our feet wet. It is a huge learning experience when the whole editorial staff are foreigners each with a different version of journalism. After a fashion we were pioneers and set the stage. You have to see it as a privilege that you were permitted to work in these sensitive positions.”
The ever-optimistic man that he’s always been, Vohra refuses to write obit of the Print media yet. “I believe it [Print media] still has a lifespan because the intimacy can never be achieved in digital. So far as content is king and you have the right content it will still have a place.”
In an exclusive interview for The News Porter, Vohra shared his opinion on a wide range of topics, including his time as editor in the times of humongous changes. Excerpts of the interview:
Meraj Rizvi: Since the time you first came to the UAE to launch/relaunch Gulf News and brought a team of Indian journalists with you, the media landscape has undergone massive changes, especially in terms of technology and trend etc. How were those initial years compared to the present?
Bikram Vohra: It was fun, more a community approach to editorial policy, working on typewriters, sending copy to be set, getting galleys for proofreading, pasting up the page with artworks, using one or two pix per page, getting headlines to fit according to the number of characters, computers and instant gratification as it is now was not even on the cards. There was so much trust. Obaid Al Tayer [of Gulf News] never asked who were the 22 Indians and nine Brits who all arrived in the same week. Trust was the HR.
MR: You have also been a witness to the massive changes that have come about in the region since the time you came here. Could you briefly comment on these changes?
BV: In one sentence, writing has dropped, far too much reworking of search engines. In the nineties there were far better writers and many more. Off the top of my head, I can name a few that people wanted to read: Maher Ali, Maruf Khwaja, Nicholas Coates, Almas Alam, Neena Gopal, Tahir Mirza, Gary Jones, Francis Mathews, Fiona Dobson, Roger Sargent, Ravi Shankar, Ramesh Prabhu. in a moment of hubris, I would add my name. Everyone had distinctive styles. Now you have a sort of sameness so no one stands out. Manual research was a learning experience, now it is copy and paste. Far more inputs though and greater options on graphics and photographs but little evidence of specialization, no one becomes an authority on a discipline, you can be repositioned like a pawn on a chessboard. Also, news is old, the papers have to become ‘viewspapers’ with expert opinion, otherwise the news is often 36 hours old.
MR: In the Gulf region, newspaper editors are often accused of bringing in their own team and often blamed for showing heavy inclination towards those they bring along. Do you think this is a valid accusation?
BV: If you let down the others then yes, it is. If you are augmenting the old team and strengthening it then nothing like bringing your own team. It is just that they should not be like an invasion but an addition. We have done that many times, it works. When we launched Bahrain Tribune, we took a dozen people and they fitted right in. it is only an accusation if you do it for the wrong reasons.
MR: Where do you see the state of media in the GCC region, including the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar etc.?
BV: Obviously flourishing as social platforms and website compete for the elusive revenue. I wish there were more individuals like Obaid Al Tayer, the Galadaris, the Taryams who invested in the glory and the guts and vision needed to go into media.
MR: The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a paradigm shift as most publishers are now promoting the work-from-home model. Is this model here to stay considering that it’s quite cost effective?
BV: No clue about the cost but long-distance newspapering is pathetic as an option. You are lazy, indolent, casual and careless. The hum of a newsroom, the tension, the scoop, the breaking story, the add ons, you don’t get that hot wire sitting at home in your mental pajamas.
MR: Is the print media about to die sometime soon?
BV: I hope not. I believe it still has a lifespan because the intimacy can never be achieved in digital. So far as content is king and you have the right content it will still have a place.
MR: Is the digital media a viable alternative to Print?
BV: I imagine it is natural progression. But the feel of the paper in the morning, the written word has a permanence you do not get electronically. The long read is dead, no one has the stamina.
MR: Where do you see the state of the international media five years from now?
BV: A different kind of journalism, more peeping tom, more invasive and hostile yet subservient to survive, we do not have too many pictures to look up to in our hall of fame, no Harold Evans and Ben Bradleys, Khushwant Singhs and Iranis, not many you can look up to and say I want to be like him or her.
MR: How important it is for a journalist to maintain objectivity at all times?
BV: In today’s world objectivity is up for grabs. We have too much opinion being given as news and that is dangerous. News reporting and analysis cannot be interchanged.
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