In 100 years, I am the third generation of my family to be in charge of the work in progress that is Hindustan Times.
I say work in progress because it is just that — just like India is a country on the move, a civilisation seeking to live up to its storied past as it strives to make its place in the world.
When Hindustan Times was founded, in 1924, by the Akalis — my grandfather would soon get involved with the enterprise and then take it over a few years later — it was meant to be the uniquely Indian voice of the freedom movement, in English. There was none then, not in the northern markets at least, and not in English. It was vacuum felt deeply enough for Mahatma Gandhi himself to inaugurate the paper. And then, when the venture ran into trouble, he called on his loyal associate, my grandfather, GD Birla, to take charge.
In the decades following Independence, especially though the turbulent 1960s and 1970s — by then, my father, KK Birla, was involved in Hindustan Times — we were an equal and interested partner in the effort of nation building.
And now, as India hurtles down the fast track, the standing of the world’s third largest economy within its reach — and already the most populous nation in the world, and with a huge population in the working age — I am the editorial director of a newsroom engaged in both capturing the transformation, and in its own way, also guiding it.
{{/usCountry}}And now, as India hurtles down the fast track, the standing of the world’s third largest economy within its reach — and already the most populous nation in the world, and with a huge population in the working age — I am the editorial director of a newsroom engaged in both capturing the transformation, and in its own way, also guiding it.
{{/usCountry}}I am neither my grandfather nor my father in how I manage Hindustan Times — nor were they, me — and there have been changes, some radical, over the years, in our approach to Hindustan Times but there’s also been constancy about how my family has viewed it, one that I hope the coming generations will follow. Our centenary is perhaps occasion to revisit these.
The first is that Hindustan Times is a cause, as is only to be expected of a newsroom forged in the heat of the freedom movement. The second is our role — even when Hindustan Times was privately held, my family never considered ourselves owners but as trustees.
The third one is our approach to news management. At a time when it is almost unfashionable to be so, Hindustan Times is centrist — and is perhaps the country’s last remaining centrist newsroom. This means a focus on nuance, detail, depth, context, and perspective. All of these are in short supply at a time when news is transmitted real-time and opinions are often shaped instantly, yet, these are aspects we continue to focus on in our journalism, across platforms. To be sure, this doesn’t mean we do not recognise the relevance and salience of a vibrant digital platform; the hindustantimes.com website is a preferred destination for news in the country.
The last and most important constant is our focus. As can be expected of a newsroom that emerged during the independence movement, for Hindustan Times, the nation, India, always comes first. I have been told that in the early years of the paper, decisions on what to play up, and when, were often driven by national imperatives. After all, Hindustan Times and some other Indian newspapers were very much a part of our freedom struggle, one reason why the British often reacted to events by clamping down on the Press. For instance, following the Quit India movement, HT wasn’t published for almost four months.
But the prioritisation of India and Indian interests does not translate into blind cheerleading, and never has. We are often critical of governments, but constructively, reminding them of where their priorities should lie. This was evident during the once-in-a-lifetime Covid pandemic, where we strove to be the voice of reason at a time when little was known about the enemy. And it has also been evident in our ongoing coverage of the climate crisis.
Through the past 100 years, it is these tenets that have shaped Hindustan Times.
They have been backed by a focus on the best processes, the finest printing and other technologies, and an understanding of evolving market needs. We went in for an IPO in 2005, have been professionally run, both on the editorial side and the business one, for decades, and have been at the vanguard of the transformation in Indian newsrooms (both Mint and HT were the first newsrooms to have dedicated data journalism teams; Mint was set up in the late 2000s as the first integrated newsroom in the country), but we remain an organisation keenly aware of our social and national responsibilities.
Over the decades we have restructured our operations, with an eye on the best practices in the world. From equipment to newsprint to the technologies that have enabled our digital transformation, our benchmarks have always been global. But it is important to remember that while our technologies and processes are contemporary, our values and principles draw from the truths that have shaped, and continue to shape, the best newsrooms around the world.
I have grown up surrounded by news (and newsmakers), closely following what people today term micro- and macrotrends. I have been shaped by the news, and I’d like to think that our newsroom, in its own way, has helped shape opinions and influence people.
I have been actively involved in Hindustan Times for almost four decades. These have been decades of change and transformation — not just for the country, but also the newsroom. In the chapters that follow, we have tried to capture the journey, of India and Hindustan Times, over the past century, through crisp narratives, memorable photographs (many taken by Hindustan Times’s own photographers), and iconic front pages.
It’s a century with many highs, and some lows — which is just the nature of news.
It’s a century that has seen us come a long way, but we are not done yet.
Not India.
And not Hindustan Times.