Vijay Dutt, former Sunday magazine editor of Hindustan Times and London correspondent, is no more. An extremely dignified gentlemen, Vijay ji joined HT in 1988. He came from now defunct Probe. Those were the days when Maya and Probe office was in Ansal Bhawan.
It was life long friend and cricket commentator Ravi Chaturvedi who introduced me with Vijay Dutt. And he became very friendly with me. I also started writing for Probe . I still remember once he asked me to do some story on Pamela Bordes . Though it was not easy to write something on her while in Delhi, but thanks to some friends I interviewed her tennis coach.
I think his name was Aslam Dulara. He was impressed with my efforts. Later he had joined HT as a Sunday magazine editor . Then he started giving me important assignments. And one story of my that he really liked was on betting, bookies and match fixing in cricket . He published that story as a cover story in HT magazine . He was brave enough to publish it. That was in 1991. I Will miss him.
विजय दत्त नफासत के शहर लखनऊ से थे और दिल्ली के अस्सी ते तुस्सी वाले समाज के कभी हिस्सा नहीं बने। वे मित्रता निभाना जानते थे। वे अपने साथियों के साथ खड़े होते थे। उनके पास नए नए आइडियास की भरमार होती थी। अब नहीं मिलते हैं उनके जैसे एडिटर। मेरे जैसे अदने से पत्रकार को उनकी सर परस्ती में कुछ ठीक काम करने का मौका मिला।
मैंने एक बार उनसे क्रिकेट में सट्टेबाजीऔर मैच फिक्सिंग के घालमेल पर बड़ी स्टोरी लिखने की इच्छा जाहिर की। मेरे पास सट्टेबाजी के फैलते जाल की पुख्ता जानकारी थी। ये 1991की बात है । मेरे आइडिया को सुनकर विजय जी कहने लगे,लिखो।मैने स्टोरी दी तो विजय जी ने पढ़ते ही कहा,I will use it as cover story.
वरिष्ठ पत्रकार विवेक शुक्ल की एफबी वॉल से।
