She was the icon of every young journalist in the 1980-90s. Young men and women stepping out of journalism schools have always wanted to do exclusive interviews like her: she interviewed Tamil Tiger V Prabhakaran in the Sri Lankan jungles, and her interview with Bal Thackeray for the Time magazine in which he talked about throwing Muslims out of India, became controversial. She has also witnessed earth-shaking events such as the destruction of Babri Masjid.
“But I consider myself as a failed journalist,” Anita Pratap startles you. “Journalism is no longer an instrument of transformation.”
Now an Aam Aadmi Party candidate in Kerala’s Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, Pratap, who has worked for a string of international media organisations such as CNN and
“I had wanted to use my journalism as a tool of change in the country, I could achieve nothing,” she tells you while waiting to hear if her nomination paper has been accepted by the Ernakulam Returning Officer.
Politics — of the AAP variety — is the agent of change in India, not the media, she believes. After working for newspapers, magazines and television channels for over two decades, she left mainstream media, made documentary films and wrote a best-selling book on Sri Lanka’s bloody years, Island of Blood .
It is now time for political activism. As the AAP candidate, she is taking on Union Minister of State for Food KV Thomas and Left-backed Christy Fernandez.
Pratap lived outside India with her Norwegian husband for more than a decade. He is a diplomat and the couple had to move from country to country.
“But I used to visit India frequently, mainly Kochi.” She hails from Kerala. These visits helped her keep tabs on Indian affairs.
Corrupt media Why the media is unable to act as an instrument of socio-economic-political changes in India?
“A large section of the Indian media is corrupt and is controlled by corporates,” Pratap says.
Media outlets were acting as propaganda instruments of companies and their interests.
“Take for instance how the media projects Narendra Modi as the future prime minister. Some corporate groups desperately want him be the Prime Minister and they are bankrolling the media campaigns,” she alleges.