People
NDTV exclusive with Farooq Abdullah
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MUMBAI: In an exclusive interview on NDTV’s One on One, Farooq Abdullah talks to Vir Sanghvi about his desire to be the next President of India, about how he was betrayed by A.B. Vajpayee and the NDA government, about the complex relationship between the Abdullahs and the Nehru-Gandhi family, about his conviction that the Pakistan government is actively involved in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and about his reputation as a ladies man.
Watch Vir Sanghvi host ‘One on One’ with the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, on Saturday, December 2, 2006, at 9.30 pm on NDTV 24X7.  Farooq Abdullah says he would like to be President when the post falls vacant. However, he says he will not lobby for the post or `run after it’, but if it was offered to him then he would `love it’. He says that he was offered the post by A.B. Vajpayee the last time around and believed that he would be the NDA’s candidate for President. But not only did this not happen, nobody told him that he would not be the candidate. He only discovered this, he said, “When the nomination of the other person was filed. That is when I found out that I was not there.” It was because he believed that he would be the next President, he says, that he did not campaign fully in the last assembly elections in Kashmir. “If I had canvassed in the election, then my party would have won,” he declared. Instead, he explained, he went off to South Africa at a crucial time in the campaign. Should he be President of India now, Dr Abdullah said, “I would like to speak my mind to the government of the day.” He claimed that there were many issues that even Dr Abdul Kalam was not able to express a view on. When asked what these issues were, he declined to explain.
Asked about his own reputation as a man who is incapable of concentration, Farooq Abdullah denied that he had `an attention span of 30 seconds’ or ‘ants in his pants’. In his defence, he argued, “If that was true, I would not have lasted so long.”
About the perception that he is a ladies man, Dr Abdullah was categorical. “I am not a gay person. I am not a homosexual,” he said. “I do not do anything under the carpet because God sees everything you do.”
Speaking about how Pakistan is playing host and fuelling terrorist activities, Mr Abdullah said, “I think we would be making our own weapons, we would be having all those grenades, and there would be an advanced state in the country. Unfortunately we are not that advanced to make all these weapons. They are coming across the border. The training camps they have there and have had in the past in many parts of Pakistan. Many of them are still active. In Pakistan, no movement can take place unless the Government allows them. Camps are there, people are trained there. And unless, literally, you come to some sort of a settlement with Pakistan, don’t be under any illusion that you are going to get peace in Kashmir or in the rest of the country.”
Asked whom he would blame for the Kashmir fiasco, Farooq Abdullah said, “Oh, I would blame a number of them. There’s Jagmohan, who was the prime mover of the things. He killed people…He ordered the crackdown on the people there. And I’m sure he’s the one who is responsible for supplying trucks when the Hindus were moved. He may deny it.” |
People
Senior exec Madhu Soman reflects on stepping away from Indian TV news
Sometimes the toughest story in a newsroom is the one about the newsroom itself.
MUMBAI: For Madhu Soman, a media executive whose career spans more than two decades at global news organisations including Reuters and Bloomberg, the decision to step away from India’s television news industry followed conversations with several leading networks.
Soman returned to India in 2022 to take up a senior leadership role in television news.
He transitioned to the business side of the industry in 2014, joining Bloomberg in Hong Kong to lead broadcast sales, news syndication and strategic partnerships across Asia-Pacific. He held the role for nearly eight years before returning to India.
“WION and Zee Business were the reason I chose to return to India after long years with Reuters and Bloomberg, transitioning from telling stories to selling them,” Soman said.
“The landing strip back home was always narrow, but it was one I was happy to take.”
The stint at Zee Media Corporation Ltd., however, proved shorter than expected.
“It didn’t take very long to realise that my runway within Zee (Media) was going to be rather short,” Soman said.
“Let’s just say I was a cultural misfit.”
Even so, he says the experience had its rewards, including exceptional colleagues and a few good friends.
After stepping away from the organisation, Soman was in discussions about potential roles.
“I spent the better part of the last two years in conversations with a few leading networks, long enough to realise the difference between being unemployed and being unemployable.”
Some of the feedback, he says, was unusually candid.
“Two of them informally told me I’m perhaps one of the best media executives in the television news business. But someone like me fronting a television news network would be considered a business risk,” Soman said in conversation with IndianTelevision.com.
For Soman, the implication was clear.
“A news network fronted by someone whose instincts were formed in journalism rooted in independence, accuracy and editorial distance from power was unlikely to find much favour with the powers that be.”
Beyond the personal dimension of his decision, Soman says the experience reflects broader pressures shaping the news industry today.
“Journalism’s job is simple: ask hard questions and hold power accountable. Keep it honest,” he said.
Quoting former Washington Post editor Marty Baron, he added: “We’re not at war with the government. We’re at work.”
“That principle applies to anyone in a position of influence, whether in government, business, sport or entertainment.”
At the same time, he says the industry faces growing pressures.
“Authoritarian regimes that resist scrutiny, along with rapid technological change including AI, are reshaping and often undermining journalism’s traditional business model.”
“There’s also a growing credibility deficit, as the race for eyeballs rewards whoever delivers the news first rather than whoever confirms it best.”
Having worked on both the editorial and commercial sides of the industry, Soman says he is acutely aware of the economic realities media organisations face.
“Running a media organisation today means being a pragmatic P&L owner. The challenge is to keep investing in strong journalism while making the economics work at a time when a growing share of the industry’s revenue is increasingly being captured by technology platforms.”
“If we drop the ball on accuracy and trust, we do a grave disservice to the democracy we’re meant to serve.”
His experience straddling both content and commerce has shaped his view of how the industry must evolve.
“Good journalism and good business strategy are not opposites,” he said.
“The best media businesses are built when editorial integrity, audience trust and sustainable economics reinforce each other.”
“And ultimately, none of it works without strong teams. Leadership in media is as much about building people and institutions as it is about building products.”
Soman is now preparing to return to his hometown of Trivandrum, barely four years after returning to India.
“Delhi NCR has a way of testing your patience, your stamina and occasionally your sanity,” he says. “But it also leaves you with stories that will last a lifetime.”
“So as I pack up and head home to Trivandrum, I do so with no complaints and no regrets.”
“I didn’t sell my soul. Some things, after all, aren’t for sale.”
Soman’s reflections underscore the tensions between editorial independence, commercial realities and political pressures shaping television news today. His experience offers a window into the challenges facing media leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry. For him, the decision marks a moment to step back after decades spent across global newsrooms and media businesses.
