Bric a Brac : No criticisms here, please

IMAGINE this: A Nobel Laureate agrees to an interview with a reputed newspaper of India; the scribe does it faithfully but interview never appears. Sources disclosed that Nobel laureate Dr Amartya Sen is unwell and has come to reside and recuperate at his daughter’s home in Kolkata. Hearing this, a senior scribe hailing from Bengal from one of the biggest media houses approached Sen for an interview. Dr Sen agreed and spoke his mind on a range of subjects, from demonetisation to the economic policies of the Modi Sarkar. Dr Sen apparently said that in countries where socio-­economic disparities peak, a frustrated populace tends to elect an ultra ­rightist government, which is the case in India with the Modi government and Donald Trump’s triumph in the US. Buoyed by such a hard-hitting interview from such an eminent economist, the reporter flew back to the Capital and filed the report. To his utter surprise, the next day the interview was nowhere in the paper. The scribe waited for a few days and finally talked to the editor. He was informed that it would not appear because it was critical of the country’s top leadership, and the management had decided not to carry the interview. So what if it was a Noble Laureate!