Cho’s pen made both friends & foes squirm

There would be none to replace his kind of versatility, even in a land where involvement in fields like politics, cinema, religion and journalism are undertaken by many celebrities. Having been a notable presence in whatever he took up a satirist kind of a comedian in Tamil cinema in his youth and middle age, a humorous attacker of political shenanigans by Dravidian politicians in his news magazine over four decades, and a strong, right-leaning politician as a BJP Rajya Sabha MP (1999-2005), Cho Ramaswamy, 82, had no match.

Limiting his iconic personality to merely one of the aforementioned identities would be doing injustice to his status for sure. Still, as the movie world moved into a different direction of its own, Cho increasingly stuck to his role as an editor of a publication which was eagerly awaited and devoured by his loyal fans. His annual interaction with the readers in a well-attended public meeting conducted at some of the bigger venues of Chennai was an eagerly awaited event, coinciding with the magazine’s anniversary, every Pongal.

As a weekly political newsmagazine, the 46-year-old Tughlak edited by the redoubtable maverick is said to enjoy a circulation of 75,000 copies. Compared to the top ones, among whom the least circulated was around 4,00,000 copies per week, it is not impressive enough. Still, it has no peers. The reasons are many.

First, it is printed on coarse newsprint with a self-cover which is in colour and its cover price remained steadily at 10 rupees/week, even as the others doubled theirs over the past five years. While the peers dazzled their readers with glossy and attractive display and layouts, a rudimentary, even house journal kind of a display characterised Cho’s venture.

Secondly, it was the only go-to magazine in the state where the readers could understand in a niche manner issues related to national lives and times, with the others confined to the local market, through and through. Cho’s whacky humour, sarcastic and unsparing of anyone (with an honourable exception of Jayalalithaa, once a while) regaled its loyal readership who counted on his no-holds-barred assessments to shape up their opinions about the rest of the country and the world, in a way.

There were many things in the magazine which represented all that Cho stood for, in the world outside which included his uncompromising stand on issues that affected the state and the way its governments were serving the people. The popular Q&A section in which Cho fielded questions from the readers was popular enough to be brought out as a separate book by local publishing houses, appealing as it was for the wide variety of subjects it tackled. More than his repartees, what made his answers stand out were his clear, uncluttered responses to even complex questions posed by the readers.

A media favourite and a repository of data for English media, both print publications and satellite channels included, Cho had for years been an authority on Dravidian politics, though newer names had been added to the marquee in recent times. For his trademark courtesy, his easy-going-yet assertive dispensation and an impish sense of humour, he was famous over years. This image would be the one he would enjoy universally, with his friends and foes, who loved and hated him in equal measure.

By K Naresh Kumar