‘In Ravish Tiwari passing, I have lost a friend’

For me the loss is also personal. I had known Ravish for over a decade. In fact, I knew him since his days at The Economic Times and India Today. Despite our professions, we developed a bond of friendship because of our regular interactions. Ravish wasn’t one to hold back his views. It was this quality that I came to admire so much.

He was as straightforward as he was humble and polite. He excelled as a journalist and part of the reason lies in the fact that for Ravish, journalism was never a profession. It was a passion. Why else would an IIT Bombay graduate enter journalism?

It was Ravish’s passion for the profession that motivated him to criss-cross the length and breadth of Bihar and Jharkhand on a motorcycle several times. During his travels, Ravish picked up a deep and unmatched understanding of the ground situation, one that reflected in his work. He would not report what even veteran politicians would say. Instead, he made it a practice to verify their statements by visiting the ground and learning first-hand. He came to command respect automatically.

Every time Ravish would complete a long tour of Bihar and Jharkhand, we would sit down to talk about his findings on the ground. If you wanted someone to say what you wanted to hear, Ravish wasn’t your man. He spoke the truth always. Of course, he always tempered it with his politeness. He didn’t just report politics in terms of cold numbers and electoral arithmetic. Ravish understood social equations and that is what provided him an edge over others writing on politics. In India, politics is deeply intertwined with social equations. His works reflected a fine understanding of this fact. Ravish’s political analysis never discounted those social equations.

Even when he rose to become a political editor, he did not cut himself off from the ground. He left no opportunity to visit the ground, verify claims and counter-claims, understand the changing ground situation and study the social churning.

Unfortunately, about two years back he was detected with cancer. A true fighter, Ravish never allowed his cancer to get the better of his spirits. Given his treatment, we couldn’t meet. But we compensated with long phone calls. Ravish always sounded in high spirits. I remember talking to him right after his chemo sessions at times and Ravish surprised me with the strength of his spirits even when he sounded weak. Every time I told him that I would come visit him, he reassured that he was fit enough to come see me. Such was his determination to beat his cancer. I know he fought his cancer hard.

As I undertook the task of writing a book on BJP’s history around the same time Ravish’s cancer was detected, he was forthcoming with very useful ideas, insights and opinions. He did not shy away from being critical at some points. I remain indebted to him for it. In Ravish’s passing, India has lost a great journalist and I have lost a trusted friend. I will miss him.

Bhupender Yadav is Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change; & Labour and Employment