Crossing the 200 Mark

I wrote this piece to mark my 200th column for the Blade. The Blade is the daily newspaper in northwestern Ohio and southern Michigan and boasts a readership of 250,000.

For over eight years I have stood on my little soapbox in the small corner of the ‘Hyde Park’ otherwise called op-ed page and have talked about issues and events that are important to me. It has been an arduous but exciting journey.

I beg your indulgence as I look back at the distance this column has traveled and the changes it has undergone these past eight years. In a way the changing nature of my topics reflect the changes that I too have undergone as a person and a writer. Writing a column has given me an unprecedented opportunity to explore not only the world around me but also the world within.

I am often asked the inevitable question as to how I landed on the op-ed pages of a daily newspaper. The answer is rather simple but needs a bit of explanation. Since 1976 I had been a frequent contributor to Toledo Magazine, a one time Sunday magazine of the Blade, and occasionally to Behind the News section. By the time the magazine ceased publication in early 90’s I had written in excess of 40 pieces, including 14 cover stories for the magazine. When the magazine folded I lost my favorite and comfortable perch. Soon thereafter in 1994 John Robinson Block, the publisher and editor in chief of the Blade (and of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette), offered me an alternate perch on the op-ed page.

My first encounter with John Block was in 1976 when I called him to complain about the obstinacy of one of the editors at the Blade about a piece I had submitted. Somehow we got on to discussing, of all things, Indian and Pakistani cooking. While working for his newspaper in London in the early seventies Mr. Black was introduced to Indian cooking and since then he has become a connoisseur of that cuisine. The friendship conceived over the nuances of curry spices and garam masala has endured all these past years.

The transition from a slow and laid back pace of a newspaper magazine to under-the-microscope scrutiny of an opinion column was not easy but made easy and enjoyable by the diligence of the late Tom Wellman, the then editor of op-ed page and Tom Walton the editor. To them I remain grateful for their guidance and smoothing out the rough edges of some of my pieces.

There is one other person to whom I remain indebted for his support and his friendship. Mr. Mohsin Ali had served as diplomatic editor of Reuters with such distinction that upon his retirement in the seventies he was awarded the prestigious Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth. He is a great nephew of the famous Indian Muslim leader Sir Ross Masood and is also related to Sir Seyyed Ahmad Khan. Mr. Ali has been a mentor and a ‘guru’ to me and his critique of my columns, always polite, always incisive and always enlightening has helped me in more ways than I can imagine.

I took the plunge on December 11, 994 with a piece on Bosnia. Since then my column has addressed as varied a subject as geopolitical issues, religion, science and occasionally topics that are mundane and ordinary. Unlike seasoned (and wise) columnists who concentrate on one area and excel at it, my literary claustrophobia prevents me from climbing into a neat pigeonhole.

Strong opinions always invoke strong responses and I have received my due share of criticism and condemnation as well as some praise from my readers. Over the years I have earned the wrath of just about every interest group.

I have been labeled anti-Hindu for condemning the wanton killings of Muslims by Hindu fascists in Gujrat, India, anti-India for pleading the cause of Kashmiris, anti-Pakistan for condemning the rise of militant Islamic fundamentalism and brutal killings of Christians in Pakistan, anti-Semitic for supporting Palestinians rights and anti-American for pointing out the fallacy of our flawed and failed foreign policy in the Third World.

The most interesting anti label however came from some ultra-orthodox Muslims who thought I had betrayed my religion when in the wake of 9/11 attacks I pleaded for ijtehad or interpretation of the Muslim sacred texts according to present times. They called me a disgrace to my religion. It is hard to rationalize with people who distort the religion to suit their narrow objectives and insist on living in the fossilized world of the 7th century Arabia.

Then there are some who are not willing to look at history as a continuum and with blatant disregard for accepted facts try to re-invent and re-write history. Many contemporary issues of the world have deep roots in historic events long past. Unless we are willing and able to look at the continuum, we are liable to be carried away by a single snapshot. A snippet reveals only one part, albeit a miniscule one, of the whole. One can apply this to any of the outstanding and intractable problems facing the world today including Palestine and Kashmir.

To appear on the op-ed page of a daily newspaper is a privilege and privilege brings in its wake responsibility to be honest, fair and truthful. One has to recognize and tread the fine line between issues and personalities, between faith and the faithful and between genuine patriotism and misplaced nationalism that sometimes borders on jingoism. I try my best to act responsible while enjoying the privilege. On occasions I have faltered.

To borrow a phrase from my favorite game of cricket it has been an exciting inning. The umpires, in this case my editors, have overlooked my occasional slips and strong opinions and have allowed me to be myself. So as I continue to bat (200 runs, not out) I look forward to playing the wicket, sticky at that, until I am clean bowled or am called back to the pavilion.

For now it is on to the next inning.