Over his illustrious career, George has worked as a journalist, political columnist and biographer of several books.
Published Dec 14, 2022 | 6:11 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 14, 2022 | 9:59 PM
In 2011, George received the Padma Bhushan in the field of literature and education. (TJS George/Facebook)
In what can only be considered a well-deserved recognition, veteran journalist, political columnist and biographer TJS George has been conferred the RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement in the field of Indian journalism.
Over his illustrious career, George (94) has brought his journalistic prowess to institutions such as the International Press Institute, The Searchlight, and the Far Eastern Economic Review. In 1975, he set up Asiaweek — an English-language news magazine focusing on Asia — in Hong Kong, as its founding editor.
Six years later, he returned to India where he settled in Bengaluru with his family. Thereafter, his popular weekly column in The New Indian Express, Point of View, became a space for him to continue to raise his voice against corruption, social injustice, and religious intolerance.
He remained a columnist for 25 years, till June 2022. A person who was handling the opinion section in The New Indian Express from 2016 till June 2022 told South First that during that period, TJS George did not miss a single Sunday column.
He would always send the weekly piece on time, stick to the word count, and even the headline character count, rare for columnists of such stature who would often bail out at the last moment. “TJS George made my life much easier,” the person added.
In his several-decades-long career, George has written a number of books, including Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore, The Life and Times of Nargis, Krishna Menon: A Biography and his most recent opus The Dismantling of India: In 35 Portraits — an irreverent compilation of essays about politicians, movie stars, criminals, musicians, industrialists, and activists.
First Edition of Asiaweek. (TJS George/Facebook)
It comes as no surprise that TJS George is the recipient of the prestigious Padma Bhushan (in 2011) and the Rajyotsava Prashasti (in 2008).
It also doesn’t come as a surprise that the man who never minces his words to please others spent three weeks in Hazaribagh Central Jail. He become the first editor to be charged with sedition in free India for striving to expose the corruption in Bihar’s then KB Sahay-led government.
TJS George’s son Jeet Thayil is also a well-known novelist. His debut novel Narcopolis was in the 2012 Man Booker Prize shortlist.
RedInk Awards for Excellence in Indian Journalism are a set of annual awards given by the Mumbai Press Club to recognise excellence in journalistic achievements.
TJS George received the RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement this year. Past winners of the award include Prannoy Roy, TN Ninan, and Mark Tully.
