The man, the magazine that questions authority

The man, the magazine that questions authority
B KOLAPPAN

CHENNAI, AUG 7: Nakkeeran -- the Tamil bard who dared Lord Siva. And R Gopal, who named his weekly after the bard, relentlessly haunting the powers-that-be.

The editor who has rushed in where others fear to tread started as lay-out artist in Tamil journals and still designs the cover of his bi-weekly. A journalist he became by accident.

Son of a retired peon, hailing from Aruppukottai near Madurai, Gopal was more popular among the masses for his moustache, which has a striking resemblance to that of forest brigand Veerappan. Men with Kattabomman moustache, are a common sight in southern Tamil Nadu.

Nakkeeran was launched in 1988 after Gopal left a magazine he was working for with some of his friends. He was first the publisher and later became the editor of Nakkeeran.

The magazine shot to fame when it carried exclusive pictures of the free-for-all battle between the members of the two factions (Janaki-Jayalalitha) of the AIADMK at the party headquarters immediately after the death of MGR. In fact, Jayalalitha used the cover picture of the magazine as evidence and won the case in the court to take over the party and office property of the AIADMK.

But that is all Jayalalitha can thank the magazine for. Nakkeeran single-handedly took on the AIADMK regime. Just one cover story with the headline Shadow Chief Minister Sasikala catapulted the magazine's circulation to lakhs. But the magazine had to pay a heavy price for the success. Its reporters and photographers were attacked. The printer of the magazine, Ganesan, died in police custody.

Nakkeeran with a reputation for investigative stories achieved its next milestone when assistant editor A Kamaraj managed to get a series of startling revelations from Auto Sankar, the feared gangster who was subsequently hanged to death. The government stopped the publication of the article, but Nakkeeran managed to get an order from the Supreme Court permitting it to publish the article.

Again, the weekly published exclusive pictures of the deaths and rapes that took place in Premananda's Tiruchi ashram. Rising circulation spurred Gopal to convert it into a bi-weekly.

Above all, reporter Sivasubramaniam interview with Veerappan gave the magazine an incredible boost, which it has managed to sustain till date.

However, Nakkeeran's unabashed self-promotion and brashness, besides its tendency towards sensationalism have come in for criticism. However, Nakkeeran has been able to tell the news of the masses in a language they can understand.

When the news of Veerappan's latest strategy came out, it was well-known that Gopal would be selected to be the Government's emissary. But 39-year-old Gopal was unsure. Nakkeeran had of late been highly critical of the DMK Government. Yet Gopal was chosen and he went. His indefatigable efforts to get Veerappan to surrender are part of Nakkeeran's history.