Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(1898-1994)
In 1928, just at the age of thirty, he became the editor of Amrita Bazar
Patrika and continued to hold that post till his death in 1994. For his
writing an inflammatory editorial on the working of Judiciary and
Administrative departments, he landed himself in a British jail in 1935.
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Tusharbabu was very clear in his mind as he never mixed up politics
with persons. He used to criticize Jyotibabus Marxist policies but not
him as a person. It was a matter of principle.
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his uncle Shri Motilal Ghosh took over the editorial The Ghoshes were a family with a progressive outlook.
responsibility. As was the practice in the Patrika In fact, Sisir Kumar and his brothers had embraced
groups those days, Tushar Kanti joined the Brahmoism at an early stage. Later, they became
organization as a clerk in the Advertisement Vaishnavas and Tushar Kanti and his family turned
department. Thereafter, he started serving his into ardent followers of Shri Chaitanya. Tushar Kantis
apprenticeship in many of the departments of the interest spanned a variety of subjects like history,
paper and gathered all-round experience of newspaper philosophy and literature.
journalism from composing, proof-reading onwards. Married in the year 1920 to Shrimati Bibha Rani,
When Shri Motilal Ghosh died in 1922, his other daughter of Shri A. K. Dutta of Midnapore, Tushar
uncle, Shri Golaplal Ghosh became the Editor of the Kanti had two children. His son, Tarun Kanti Ghosh
paper. After some time and at the behest of Shri was a Minister of the West Bengal Government for
Golaplal, who was in indifferent health, Shri Tushar about twentyone years. His daughter, Srilekha was
Kanti took over the editorial responsibility in 1928 till married to a chemist entrepreneur. She lives in
his death in 1994. Shri Tushar Kantis stewardship of Mumbai.
the paper covers well over half-a-century of eventful For the first time in 1935, the P a t r i k a
years during which he steered the paper high to make organization was in an expanding mood. One of the
it one of the leading newspapers of the country. first thing Tushar Kanti did was to launch a Bengali
While writing about Shri Tushar Kanti Ghosh, daily, Jugantar with Shri Jatin Bhattacharya as
Shri P. K. Roy, who served the Patrika house as a Editor. There is an interesting story about how
managerial head for a long time, mentioned that the Tushar Kanti acquired the name Jugantar for his
Ghosh family loved music as a matter of tradition. Bengali daily newspaper as there was already a
Tushar Kantis father as well as uncles were singers newspaper named Jugantar run by the
and musicians in their own way. Tushar Kanti himself revolutionaries of Bengal. In fact, this newspaper
inherited the musical talent and loved classical music was the mouthpiece of the revolutionary
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organization. By the time President of Indian and Eastern
Tushar Kanti intended to Newspaper Society (1948),
publish a Bengali daily, almost Chairman of Audit Bureau of
all the revolutionaries Circulation (1964), President of
including the Editor of
the All India Newspaper Editors
Jugantar, Upendra Nath
Conference for two terms (1946
Bandyopadhyay were arrested
and 1948), and also Chairman of
and Sivaram Chakravorty, a
Press Trust of India (1956) of
humorist writer of the time was
entrusted with the job of which he was a Founder-Director.
running the newspaper The President of India conferred
including its editing. But on him the title PADMA
Sivaram found it very difficult BHUSHAN in recognition of his
to publish the newspaper. valuable service to journalism.
Tushar Kanti came to know the
Tushar Kanti was a widely
situation and took advantage.
travelled man. He had travelled
He offered Rs. 500 to buy the
title of the newspaper which almost every part of the world. He
Sivaram readily accepted and sold the title to took his first trip to Europe soon after the World War
Tushar Kanti. Some years later however, he II was over.
himself took over the editorship of Jugantar. Tushar Kanti was a person with humorous
mind. Apart from writing in English, he shared his
He reached another milestone in newspaper
humor through writings in Bengali. In this
publication by starting an edition of Amrita Bazar
connection, the names of three Bengali books
Patrika from Allahabad in 1943 and also a Hindi
written by him should be mentioned here (i)
daily Amrita Patrika from the same centre in 1950.
BICHITRA KAHINI, (ii) AARO BICHITRA
He was the Chief Editor of Northern India Patrika
KAHINI, (iii) CHITRA-BICHITRA etc. They are
and Hindi, Amrit Prabhat brought out from
all light-hearted anecdotal books reflecting his
Allahabad and Lucknow simultaneously. He also
strong sense of humor.
brought out a Bengali weekly magazine Amrita
Having been brought up in liberal traditions and
from Calcutta.
to satisfy his own wide reading interest, he built up a
Internationally known editor collection of rare books printed in India and abroad.
Tushar Kanti held an eminent position in the Tushar Kanti was a man of simple habits and was a
professional world both in India and abroad and was teetotaller. He was a deeply religious man and an
an internationally known Editor. He was an Executive excellent raconteur and highly amiable in his
Council member of the London - based disposition.
Commonwealth Press Union and had been the The writer is an eminent journalist.
Chairman of the Indian Section since 1959. He was (e mail ID : mitraasimkumar@rediffmail.com)
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