http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7552715/Former-BBC-correspondent-Sir-Mark-Tully-attacked-in-novel.html
Former BBC correspondent Sir Mark Tully attacked in novel As a celebrated BBC correspondent for thirty years, Sir Mark Tully was loved and respected both in Britain and India. By Dean Nelson in New Delhi Published: 7:30AM BST 05 Apr 2010 But his reputation has come under extraordinary attack in a thinly-disguised novel which portrays him as a heartless philanderer and supporter of fanatics. Hindutva Sex and Adventure, written by an unidentified author and released by one of India's leading publishers, centres on a veteran foreign correspondent clearly identifiable as Tully, who was knighted for his journalism in 2002. He also becomes a supporter of Hindutva, the Hindu fundamentalist philosophy which provoked communal riots throughout India in the early 1990s in which several thousand people were killed. The central character, Andrew Luyt, was, like Sir Mark, born in Calcutta, and returned to India as a correspondent after toying with the idea of becoming an Anglican priest – Sir Mark once said he could not have trusted his sexuality to keep the vows. Like the veteran broadcaster, the character lives with his partner in a smart South Delhi neighbourhood, suffers "bad legs" and leaves his employer citing "interference" from management – as Sir Mark resigned from the BBC with an attack on John Birt. Luyt, a crude anagram of Tully, is also the author of No Commas in South Asia – painfully close to Sir Mark's No Full-Stops in India – and the lifts lines directly from the broadcaster's books. The release has angered friends of the broadcaster and brought a firm response from Sir Mark himself. In a statement released through a friend, he denounced the novel as "disgraceful". "I am amazed that Roli Books should publish such thinly disguised plagiarism, and allow the author to hide in a cavalier manner behind a nom-de-plume," he said. "The book is clearly modelled on my career, even down to the name of the main character. That character's journalism is abysmal, and his views on Hindutva and Hinduism do not in any way reflect mine. I would disagree with them profoundly." It has led to a 'whodunnit' to identify the author who has maligned one of journalism's most recognised and respected figures. Sir Mark, who reported the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Bhopal gas tragedy and the destruction of the Babri Mosque by Hindu fanatics at Ayodhya, was awarded one India's highest honours, the Padma Bhushan. Despite his age and infirmity, he remains one of Britain's most popular broadcasters – his Radio Four show 'Something Understood', which focuses on matters of faith, has more than one million listeners. In Delhi last night, one veteran French correspondent, Francois Gautier, suspected of being the author issued a statement denying he had written the book. John Elliott, also a veteran Delhi correspondent and a long-standing friend of Sir Mark, last night said the book is an "outrageous misrepresentation" of his life and work. "Mark Tully is well-known as a thoroughly decent gentleman and one of the finest journalists ever posted to India. This is a badly-written book which should never have passed a lawyer or a publisher. It totally misrepresents his personal life and his work," he said. ------------------------------------ -- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTMedia mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [email protected], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ PARTICIPATE Share media news, discuss journalism issues and network with media professionals across South Asia on this mailing list. Just write to [email protected] TELL FRIENDS TO SIGN UP If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTMedia by sending a blank mail to [email protected] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ Also have a look at our sister list, ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
