Heartfelt Tributes paid towering journalist Harish Chandola at Press Club of India !
The journalists fraternity and the family members remembered the iconic journalist Harish Chandola at Press Club of India and paid their richest tributes admiring his untiring and dedicated services to impartial and investigative journalism including covering of several international wars and being out of the country during major part of his journalistic career – finally coming back to India and retiring in 1993 to settle at Joshimath, Garhwal, Uttarakhand.
Harish Chandola who joined as editorial assistant in Hindustan Times in 1950 when Mahatma Gandhi’s son Devdas Gandhi was its editor has in 1954 visited Tibet on foot from Neeti Mana pass and was detained for two months by the then Chinese People Liberation Army which had entered and stationed itself at Tibet. He also extensively covered the clandestine departure of Dalai to India via high mountain terrains after China captured Tibet.
He was released after two months of detention when Chinese were convinced about his impeccable credentials as a journalist.
After returning back to India, Delhi at Hindustan Times when its editor and then its chief sub editor weren’t interested to publish his story on the startling revelation about Chinese Army capturing Tibet and building a road from Lhasa till Tibet, Chandola had no option but to write for Statesman and the London Observer, finally annoying his editor Devdas Gandhi who showed him the door compelling Harish Chandola to join Times of India, thereafter Indian Express , Statesmen and some foreign papers covering as a war journalist being stationed at Singapore, Cairo, Vietnam, Cambodia, London etc covering several wars like Indo China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Algeria, Iran and Iraq Kuwait wars etc till he was called by the then prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to come to Delhi and assist him and his government in resolving the very complex Naga conflict playing an extremely vital role in the formulation of Naga Accord. When Harish Chandola’s, story was published in Statesman and London Observer about China’s PLA capturing Tibet and making of the road in Tibet till India border by the Chinese govt , the then prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru took it non seriously taking it lightly saying that it is just a figment of imagination but when the truth was established his journalistic credibility was enhanced.
Chandola was close to high ups in the government and even RAW and the then PM Indira Gandhi tremendously believed in him and HN Bahuguna loved him the most as his affectionate intelligent nephew.
He married to an IAS bureaucrat’s daughter in Shillong namely Meme Chandola in 1960 who was also one of the underground Naga activist after retiring from service.
In the condolence meeting held at Press Club of India several journalists including late Harish Chandola’s wife Meme Chandola paid their tributes and thanked the participants for sparing their pivotal time and remembering him.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion were former veteran journalist of Patriot, Observer B. N. Uniyal, deputy Bureau chief of BBC Satish Jacob, senior journalist and former executive editor of HT and ex. editor of Mail Today Bharat Bhushan, former PCI chief n veteran journalist Anand Sahay , senior journo Deepak Deewan etc. The condolence meeting was ably moderated by senior journalist and Press Club of India chief Umakant Lakhera who also she’d light the the great journalists outstanding works and achievements.
All the speakers while paying their richest tributes termed Harish Chandola as a leading, rather legendary journalist who worked with various leading dailies – national and international for more than six decades and continued writing till he left for his heavenly abode.
They said despite being an investigative journalist having covered several global wars for decades including walking on foot first in 1952-54 to Tibet with local traders being in the custody of PLA in Tibet for two months and then again visiting Tibet in 2004 to see the difference of civilization and penning the stories as usual, Chandola was a non alcoholic ( teetotaler) throughout his life and during his journalistic career , an unusual thing about a hectic journalist who roamed the world till 1993 covering outstanding stories and living in multiple countries.
He was termed as a reticent journalist who would never disclose his professional secrets evening disclosing about a senior RAW officer mingled with CIA disclosing important Indian secrets who after more than a decade was allegedly labelled as CIA agent who took refuge in Nepal or some other country disclosed senior journalist Bharat Bhushan.
Chandola Ji ‘s wife Meme Chandola, elder son Prabhat, daughter Sandra, another son, n grandchildren were there to pay their tributes at Press Club of India.
