Oxford Bookstore, Bangalore and Roli Books today celebrated the publication of ‘Prism Me a Lie, Tell Me a Truth -Tehelka as Metaphor’ by Madhu Trehan. The celebration included a panel discussion on defining moments of investigative journalism and understanding modern India and society through the episode with author and eminent media personality Gauri Lankesh. The session saw the author providing some startling home truths, stirring the audience out of its complacency to seek answers. The audience also had a unique opportunity of engaging with the author, who has used the Tehelka case to understand how the Indian media and perhaps even Indian society functions.
The book elaborates on a recent media initiative, the Tehelka story that shook the government of the time and made each one of us recognize the strengths and weaknesses in our democratic processes, systems and institutions. In a rigorously researched and searing authentic account of the Tehelka exposé and its aftermath, Madhu Trehan does a forensic study of the imperatives at the root of it, the characters and heroes and villains of the story, and of how the system got back by obfuscating, and attempting to destroy Tehelka and its investors. Trehan shows how the government used instruments of democracy to destroy the investors without leaving any footprints.
About the book
In March 2001, the website Tehelka broke Operation West End, the biggest undercover news story in Indian journalism. Using spycams and masquerading as arms dealers, Tehelka’s reporters infiltrated the Indian government, bribed army officers, gave money to the president of the ruling party and the Defence Minister’s close colleague right in the his residence. This eventually forced both the ministers’ resignations. In a rigorously researched and searing authentic account of the Tehelka exposé and its aftermath, Madhu Trehan does a forensic study of the imperatives at the root of it, the characters and heroes and villians of the story, and of how the system got back: by obfuscating, by attempting to destroy Tehelka and its investors. Trehan shows how the government used instruments of democracy to destroy the investors without leaving any footprints. In the style of Rashomon, the story is related by numerous participants of the same incidents and, of course, none of the stories tally. With exhaustive personal interviews, this is a must-read for anybody who wants to understand modern India – or even better, modern international journalism.
About the Author
Madhu Trehan studied journalistic photography at Harrow Technical College & School of Arts in 1968. She received her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, New York, in 1972. Trehan worked in the Press Section in the United Nations in New York and then as editor in India Abroad, New York. In 1975 she returned to India to start India’s leading news magazine India Today with her father V.V. Purie. Trehan became known for creating the first news magazine in India. She returned to New York to start her family and her brother Aroon Purie took over India Today to make it the success it became. When she returned to India in 1986, Trehan produced and anchored a path-breaking, controversial television news magazine programme Newstrack for TV Today, when the Indian government had complete control of the airwaves. Newstrack became famous for incredible journalistic scoops. Trehan became known as a pioneer in investigative journalism. In 2000, Trehan left TV Today to launch wahindia.com, a website and print magazine. Trehan’s hopes for a sabbatical were dashed when, in 2002, Roli Books commissioned Trehan to write a book on Tehelka’s Operation West End. What she thought would be a three-month bang-off book turned out to be six years of heavy research and over forty interviews.
About Oxford Bookstore:
Oxford Bookstore is a near iconic institution on Park Street, Kolkata. This 80-year-old, 6000 sq. ft, store in its new avatar offers a contemporary, multidimensional interactive experience in keeping with global trends. In January 2002 Oxford Bookstore opened its door in Mumbai, on the ground floor of Apeejay House in Churchgate with a unique product mix of books, music, gifts; internet, CHA BAR and Gallery. May 2003 saw the launch of Oxford Bookstore in Bangalore, at the Leela Galleria. The fourth store was opened in December 11, 2003 at Goa at the heart of popular Calangute area, opposite the St. Anthony’s chapel. In September 2004, Oxford Bookstore, New Delhi’s largest bookstore, opened its doors in the capital. Oxford Junior, the first dedicated bookstore for children in India, opened in Kolkata in August 2006. The other key stores of the chain across the country are in Goa, Shillong, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Chennai and Bhubaneswar. Oxford Bookstore is the only completely integrated online offline bookstore in the country with access to 6 million titles worldwide. www.oxfordbookstore.com provides special online shopping benefits and is the only one of its kind, hosted out of India. Computer world Smithsonian Honors Archives & Academic Council recognized the path breaking work done by Oxford Bookstore by nominating it in the Business and Services category of the 2003 Computer world Honors Collection. Oxford Bookstore is a part of the Apeejay Surrendra Group
