Page 90 - EW February 2026

Postscript

Hardball media mogul waters of the River Nile, Egypt’s GDP growth has been
averaging a commendable 4.5 percent for the past quin-
O CELEBRATE ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE (50 years), quennium. As a result, its per capita income at $3,190 is
India Today — undoubtedly the country’s premier higher than India’s $2,600. Notably, although Egypt is
Tprint newsmagazine — has gone to town with a 514 an Islamic country, it comfortably acknowledges, even
page ads-stuffed mega issue (January 12). The celebration embraces, its pre-Islamic history (which orthodox Islam
was also supplemented with self-attesting ads on its India prohibits). It celebrates its ancient civilization and phara-
Today television news channel in which publisher Aroon onic past which it has developed into a thriving tourism
Purie (aka AP) and his current and former crew traced the industry. In 2025, Egypt hosted 19 million tourists cf.
growth of IT into the country’s premier newsmagazine, India’s 6 million.
and showered praise on Purie’s leadership. Typically, Despite its mistake — in common with India — of tak-
other media moguls and houses have maintained an envi- ing the socialist road in the 1950s, now liberalised Egypt
ous silence about IT’s landmark milestone. In the petty is developing high quality infrastructure at fast clip. Its
world of Indian media, other publications don’t exist. GEM (Grand Egyptian Museum) inaugurated last Novem-
Be that as it may, there’s no denying that over the past ber eclipses France’s Louvre in scale and grandeur; and
half century India Today, launched as a puff magazine for Alexandria’s new age Bibliotheque designed by two Nor-
the Congress party’s Emergency regime, and especially wegian architects aged 26-28 selected by global tender,
at the behest of the infamous Sanjay Gandhi who was sprawled over 11 floors and housing 8 million volumes
thick as thieves with promoter-editor Purie, has come a and 3,000 computer terminals is the most iconic and cul-
long way. Immediately after the end of the Emergency turally significant library constructed in the 21st century.
and defeat of the Congress in the historic General Elec- A lesson in humility.
tion of 1977, Purie, aka AP, quickly changed tack and
India Today became a fearless, independent truth-to-
power weekly. It also took the cue from Business India Legal loquacity
and Businessworld of which your correspondent was
founding-editor and wholly supported liberalisation and HIEF JUSTICE SURYA KANT’S RECENT directive
deregulation of private sector industry championed by BI to India’s 2 million-strong lawyers’ community
and BW. Unsurprisingly, there was considerable bonho- Cto limit the length of their oral arguments in the
mie between AP and your correspondent. country’s over-burdened courts has been long overdue.
However after this publication was launched with the A defining feature of the legal system which deters
laudable mission of liberating and universalising quality foreign investment, draws wry smiles from domestic
education for all, when your genuflecting correspondent businessmen and terrifies lay citizens, is the law’s excru-
reached out to this media mogul for help with newsstand ciating delay. Learned counsel, especially in the high and
distribution of this then struggling publication, not only Supreme Courts, go on for hours reiterating facts and
did Purie show up two hours late for a fixed-time ap- explaining and re-explaining points of law to indulgent
pointment, he also dictated crippling terms for bundling judges. For litigants who pay for learned counsels’ aid
distribution of EW with his flagship weekly. and advice by the hour, it’s a mystery why points of law
Alas, the plain truth is that India Today — indeed all have to be drilled into judges who by definition are well-
IT enterprises — are by the middle class, for the middle qualified and quick on the uptake. That’s why they are
class and of the middle class. The wellbeing or welfare singled out from the multitude of lawyers and elevated to
of the remaining 1 billion citizens doesn’t matter a jot to the bench.
AP, a hard-ball, bean-counter (accountant by qualifica- Although not new to your editor, a former barrister
tion) media tycoon. If it did, he would have lent a helping of the Bombay high court who quit the legal profession
hand to your editors struggling to impact QEFA (quality many decades ago (too much law, too little justice), the
education for all) as the non-negotiable precondition of verbosity and loquacity of the law has struck home with
national development. Little wonder words of praise for some force as a consequence of a duffer dressed up as
the landmark 50th anniversary have emerged only from educationist who filed a suit to prevent the inclusion of
in-house. his school in the elaborate annual EducationWorld India
School Rankings (EWISR). This suit which should be
summarily dismissed on the short point that Article 19
Them & us (1) (a) confers a fundamental right of freedom of speech
and expression upon all citizens, especially the press, has
BRIEF RECENT VACATION IN EGYPT (pop.16 generated much back and forth expense and mountain
million) exposed the insularity of Indian media of paperwork. This in a legal system equipped with only
A and politics. While mainstream media is awash 21 judges per million population cf. America’s 107. Even
with news and developments of the Anglosphere, Indian communist China has a judges-population ratio of 160
media and politicians report little about nations in our per million. According to one calculation, it’ll take 324
neighbourhood, except disasters, elections and army years at the present speed of case disposal for India to
coups. clear its judicial backlog.
Yet the uncomfortable truth is that putting its long Doyens of bench and bar fancy themselves as intel-
tradition of building the ancient cities of Cairo, Alexan- ligentsia. Time they applied themselves to clean up their
dria and Luxor along with awe-inspiring pyramids and mess. It’s earning them societal hatred, ridicule and
temples, and despite being heavily dependent upon the contempt.

90 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2026