Complete Editorials written by Manoj Das in The Heritage

About the Book

Besides a storyteller, novelist, poet and a travel writer, Manoj Das’s contributions as a columnist to India’s major journals were much appreciated. His regular column in The Hindustan Times, called ‘The Banyan Tree’ and in The Hindu called ‘The Tides of Time’ were a highly popular feature. Manoj Das was an amazing editor too. It was in 1985 that the last serious English literary magazine of India in the twentieth century, The Heritage, was launched by the Chandamama Group of Chennai, with Manoj Das as Editor and B. Viswanatha Reddi as Managing Editor. It was a ‘complete magazine’ – barring film and politics – and it had a book feature in every issue. As Manoj Das said, it was launched out of anguish, because by then there was no mass-circulation magazine that carried articles on India’s cultural varieties as well as creative writing. While encouraging budding talents, the monthly published veterans such as Mulk Raj Anand, Raja Rao, Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Bhisham Sahani, among others. It was rich with authentic translations from the Indian languages. The magazine was acknowledged as India’s most prestigious English monthly. Its editorials were highly commended. This book contains the Editorials for The Heritage written by Manoj Das between 1985 and 1989. It is rightly felt that these Editorials are relevant today and will be relevant tomorrow as well. These timeless Editorials have a natural ingredient of light and solace and reflect Manoj Das’s deep concern for Indian culture and society. Let’s enjoy reading this collection and get enlightened.