'India Was Right To Go Nuclear'

A.M. Rosenthal, New York Times India correspondent from 1954 to 1958, was executive editor of the daily for 18 years. In 1960, he won the Pulitzer for his reporting from Poland. Rosenthal, who retired from the NYT in 1988, continues to be a columnist for the paper. He and his wife, Shirley Lord Rosenthal, former beauty editor of Vogue, were in India recently for the international seminar to mark the golden jubilee of the Press Trust of India. During the visit, he also investigated the attacks on Christians. Excerpts from an interview:

What are your impressions about today's India?
I worked in India from 1954 to 1958. I returned in 1962 to cover the war with China. Since then, I've been here six or seven times. The first impression this time was: the place has become so big, so many people, so many cars!

After World War II, every newly independent country became either militarist, fascist or communist. I don't like any of them. India was the only nation that chose democracy and stayed with it, except for a brief period during the Emergency. Whether we like the government or not, it's still a democratic system. In that basic sense, India has not changed. Had it become a dictatorship like China, the entire picture of Asia, in fact of the world, would have changed.

How do you see India's nuclear tests?
I am probably the only American journalist who defended India's right to conduct nuclear tests. Because China was becoming stronger. Pakistan was with China. The US was moving closer to China. I didn't write like an American but like an Indian. You have to show strength to try to get the world to pay attention. India was successful in shaking up the US and Pakistan. But I don't think India's become a huge nuclear power nor can it afford to be, as it involves hundreds of billions of dollars. India has shown it will develop the strengths it has. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Does the rise of fundamentalism in India bother you?
That's what I am trying to explore. When theBJP came to power, I was very depressed. I saw it as a fundamentalist government. I was in New York with two Indians when the post-Babri Masjid demolition riots happened in Bombay. That Bal Thackeray is a nut case. I was very upset. Two days later I flew to Bombay, I wrote what I saw. I don't understand how you can kill somebody. India's well-being hinges on communal peace. I am here to find out whether theBJP has changed as a party as a whole or whether only the leadership in power has changed.

Why is the US obsessed with Lewinsky? Aren't there other issues?
There are. But it wasn't because of her, but because it involved the stability of the US Presidency that the media was so interested in the case. It was an important issue in American life.

Why doesn't India attract much space in the American media?
The US media pays little attention to India. But that's not true of the NYT. We've had correspondents here since World War II. It isn't that Americans don't think highly of India. It's that they don't think enough.

Who is the loser in the bargain?
I think India's loss is greater. Many US businessmen are not able to invest in India due to problems pertaining to legal matters, partnerships... The world is moving much faster towards semi-free trade than India.

What are your impressions about Indian journalism?
I can only speak of Indian English journalism. It is better than British journalism except for one or two papers. It does not follow government orders.

After being an active reporter for years, how's life as a columnist?
I have enjoyed them both. I had three careers. First as reporter, then as the chief editor of the paper for more than 18 years. Now I am a columnist. As a reporter I wrote with objectivity. Now I express my opinion.

Will the print media have to reinvent itself to survive TV and the Internet?
Newspapers have to come up with investigative reports and analyses. The Internet will never have the kind of professionalism we have. Anybody can write anything on theInternet. There's no responsibility.

Any interesting memories of India?
During Portuguese rule in Goa, I visited a prison. An officer took me to the central hall of the prison and asked me to turn right along with him. But as I turned left, I saw tortured prisoners who showed me cigarette burns on their arms. They (authorities) don't really understand how we think.

Why has the common man been relegated to the inside pages?
It is not hard to write on disasters or wars. The reputation of a paper is made by what goes on the inside pages. Sadly, it is hard these days to find insightful stories of real people, their lives, religions, lifestyles.