Review By Harsimran Kaur
Rating: 4.5/5
Vir Sanghvi and Prince Charles have one thing in common—both were delivered by the same doctor in the UK. So, giving Vir Sanghvi a sobriquet of a “Prince” would not be a bad idea! Our very utterly-butterly Prince charming, with his ineluctable charm and passion managed to heap of loaf of interrogative set of tools to dissect the condescension of the who’s who, captivating his readers and viewers for eons.
The book is about Vir and his professional journey though would prefer to call it a trek, validating every step scurrying ahead the rough terrain to reach the mountain of his perfections and audacity. He seems to me a destiny’s child—life’s vicissitudes colliding with a perfect present, calling for a future meticulously etched by fate leading him to where he belongs. Aficionados of journalism, he assiduously went on to make a mark in both T.V and print journalism, pouring in a cornucopia of highly accomplished ideas leaving his admirers awe-struck.
His repertoire of intellectual capacity to give fodder to be talked and analysed filled the barn withtucked-up eyebrows, calibrations and unprecedented banters. He started with India Today, travelling to and fro from his university in UK to India, to start his career in journalism. He worked with the Bombay magazine, thus acquiring the relevant experience to finally forge ahead editing “Imprint” and “Sunday.” He courageously dug the foxhole to invasively understand the sclerotic journalism swathes.
His success is unparralled!! We know the Vir with his punctilious tet-a-tet during the “Hard Talk” show, putting his guest at ease. His tenure as an editor of Hindustan Times put back the newspaper on stands, outstripping its competitors. More than his share of exclusive portfolios, his understanding of political and entertainment gamut went a long way in filling his cauldron with incorruptible and tendentious discretions of events looming over the headgear of kleptocratic politics and convoluted minds. Witnessing the success of Vajpayee regime to be then toppled over by the reticent Manmohan Singh, Vir Sanghvi punches holes in the barrel to proffer the truth as it is. Conducting interviews of big shots like Bachchan, Ambani, Narsimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, and other popular celebrities brought to the viewers the exclusivity of their lives hidden behind the cameras.
Known for his epicurean taste locks, he took over the role of a food critique in the “Sunday Brunch” writing extensively on food and wine, making the dining experience a delight for the hoi-polloi. The book talks about friendships Vir made and unmade during his prodigious career, the lofty turf of his unexpected aggrandizements and cracking a whip at the issues he strongly felt needed a debate.