THE HUMAN , THE RAJAT SHARMA

Kuch hi dino key andar;

Rajat Sharma;

will become;

PADMA BHUSHAN Rajat Sharma;



He is the one who gave me a break into Television;

He is the one who took personalised efforts to send me to Mumbai;

He is the one who taught me the importance of clothes in the Screen Worlds;

He is the one who sent me on my first reporting assignment to Aligarh;

He is the one who told me about Mumbai;

He is the one who tried to transfer his old MTNL Mumbai phones to me;

He is the one who spoke to Subhash Ghai…For Me;

He is the one whom I always called first whenever I landed in Delhi;

He is the one who personally  showed  me his Amar Ujala Newspaper cuttings to encourage me on Hindi;

He is not only a National Personality;Owner of a News Organisation;

He is beyond that;

Remembering my journey with him;

I want to tell the world about the unknown Rajat Sharma;

The Real Rajat Sharma!!!!

 

Scene 1  &  The Rajat Effect

October ,1994;

During the early morning hours,Rajat Sharma at his house in Delhi receives a call on his Landline phone;

An unknown boy speaks to him in Hindi for Ten Minutes;

Explaining what he wants to do,clarifying his abilities and dreams;

Rajat Sharma was a celebrity even then;News and Current Affairs Director of Zee TV in Delhi;

He did not interrupt the boy,Just listened,Gave him his office number and asked him to call him after few days after he finishes the shoot; (He was shooting for Aap Ki Adalat during those days)

This boy had searched the Directory of Delhi MTNL and found 28 Rajat Sharma listed in it;

He tried to call all of them,and finally got the one whom he wanted to get on phone;

Rajat Sharma did not know about these efforts,about the boy

He just invested his 10 Minutes on phone for a stranger;

And a professional was born;

Myself!!

 

Rajat Effect of Scene 1

 

How many of us remain open or accessible to new talent!!!How many of us even take phone calls of not usable people!!! (Sad but the reality)

How many of us don’t even dump old relationships in the graveyards of our successes!!!

Rajat Sharma was and is an exception;

Remain Accessible to people;

Mostly Unpracticed Need of the Media and Entertainment industry;

Even Today;

He replies,He answers,He remains available!!!

He is much bigger than so many successful people around,

But;

He is also much bigger a person!!!!

 

Scene 2 & The Rajat Effect

 I was told to wait;

He was checking my Patience; (This I later realised)

After a long wait of 8 Hours at the reception of  Zee TV office at J 27,South Extention 1 in New Delhi;

Rajat Sharma appeared in a bright yellow shirt;

Haa Batao;

And I spoke at length;

Aap Ki Adalat is a great programme but I don’t like Helpline as It helps only a few people,It does not serve the larger purpose,But I want to work for Aap Ki Adalat;

Khalid;Would it not be better to work on that which you feel is not good enough,You can make it better.

I was neither sent to Aap ki Adalat not to Helpline;

He sent me to Umesh Upadhyay to work for his show “Insight”

 

Rajat Effect of Scene 2

 

He knew how to give a clean slate to a newcomer to perform without any bag and baggage;

He gave me a sentence also : I cant give you a job but an oppurtunity to proove yourself in 15 days!!

How many of us know the Science of igniting the hidden energies of newcomers!!!

Rajat Sharma allways knew it;

Later;

Most of the Biggest names of News Television today were appointed  as newcomers by Rajat Sharma in Zee TV;

Some people can forget,I can never forget;

Rajat Sharma has got an instinct to choose and appoint people;

He does not go by CV,He goes by his instinct.(He himself told me once)

How many of us can take chances with people like this!!!

Rajat Sharma takes chances with people;

And it gives us professionals!!!

Hundreds of people should be thankful to him.

 

Scene 3 & The Rajat Effect

 

I worked for him in Aap ki Adalat also; (He was noticing my notes made on Newspaper Cuttings)

Finally;

13^th March,1995 :Zee News was launched at 10 PM on Zee TV!!!

He will come at 10 AM for the Editorial meeting,He will come at 8.30 PM again for the Mastering of the News Bulletin.(Those were the different days for News)

Sometimes,He will visit the Newsroom during the daytime also;

One lazy afternoon;

The PTI Ticker gave us a news :Riots in Aligarh!!!

Aligarh me Danga ho gaya ji , Said Umesh Upadhyay.

Kisi ko bhej do,Kisko Bhejey,

He looked around,He looked at me,Isko bhej do

After sometime;

A News Researcher was travelling to Aligarh with an Ex Wedding Photographer-Cameraman to cover the Aligarh riots;

I became a News Reporter in few hours.My fellow Cameraman became a News Cameraman in few hours.

 

Rajat Effect of Scene 3

 

I have always realised that he walks slowly but he thinks very fast;

He notices minute things without letting others realise this;

He creates opinions after observations;

And he throws people in a situation;

Where they have to perform;

They have to become what they deserve to become;

How many of us learn this HR attitude of working in our daily practices!!!

Rajat Sharma does it;

He believes in First Time Efforts;

Because he himself made it that way;

Got into Television without any background in Television!!!

WOW!!!!

And the man has created a News Empire today!!!

 

Scene 4

He called me to his small room.

Have you got your salary? / Yes Sir / Go and buy new good clothes today. / He said;I also used to wear Khadi once upon a time but we need to change ourselves to suit our surroundings.

The Rajat Effect:Get involved with your people up to that extent where you advice them on their clothes.How many of us get so involved with the life of our Co Workers!!! Its not a Science,Its an art!!!

 

Scene 5

See these News Clipping. / I looked at a file full of old Newspaper cuttings in Hindi / These were Rajat Sharma’s writings for Amar Ujala in Hindi / I looked at him / He said;I too used to to write in Hindi but English is equally important / Learn Fast / And I learnt!!!!!

The Rajat Effect:Train your people with personalised efforts.How many of us have taught our people like this!!!!Rajat Sharma becomes a friend!!!He could be the best friend if we remain best to him!!

 

Scene 6

When the whole world did not know his plans beyond Zee TV;

One Fine Morning,In his small room;

I am leaving Zee TV very soon.You go to Mumbai before I leave as someone else might not transfer you to Mumbai once I leave!!

WHY!!!!

The Rajat Effect : Keep your Commitments.He had promised me to send to Mumbai which I always wanted and he wanted to fulfill his promise before he leaves.

How many of us remember our promises,And that too made to a young new employee!!!

Rajat Sharma was true to his words.Its a rare quality in him.

 

Scene 7

Rajat Sharma came to me in Newsroom and sat just behind me;

Almost Whispered in my ears;

Khalid Mohammad;I have spoken to Subhash Ghai,You go to Mumbai and work with him.

 Later He draws a map of Mumbai on paper,Explains about Mumbai;

He speaks to someone in Mumbai,If his old Landline numbers of Mumbai are still activated,They can be given to this young boy!!!

Rajat;Why don’t you send him to Nitin Keni,asked Ritu Dhawan!!!

And he did all that he could do;

 The Rajat Effect: Corporate life exists beyond Corporate responsibilities also.Help People and he always moved beyond the Corporate dimentions to help new people.

 

I came to Mumbai.

Later I resigned to join Rajat Sharma’s IMPL.

I shared the Defence Colony days of him when there was no India TV;

And he got busy in creating his News Empire;

I got busy in creating my life in Mumbai;

Zee TV,IMPL,Hinduja Group,Journalism,Corporate,Daily Soaps,Scriptwriting,Ekta Kapoors and RonnieScrewwalas,GEC,HeadingCompanies,Indonasia,Dubai,Pakistan,Consultant,Digital,Producership,Enterpreneurship

This all belongs to that phone call that I made to Rajat Sharma in October 1994;

Choosing those 28 names and calling all of them;

In search of Real Rajat Sharma of News;

I found out the real one;

But many people still have not found out the real one;

They talk about Rajat Sharma-the Newsmaker of India,They talk about India TV,They write good or bad things about him on Facebook and Twitter,They follow or Unfollow him;

But there is allways something which not many know;

We need to travel with the person on a journey ;

I was fortunate enough that I travelled with him for sometime;

I could understand him through my understanding of him;

 

I shall post this piece online;

I am surely going to tell him about this post;

Sharing with  him;

That I wrote not on the Chairman of India TV;

I wrote on “him”

I know,Sometimes It will be difficult for him to keep alive this “him” in the political atmosphere of Delhi;

But;

Please keep this alive;

 

This "him" is more important;

 

This "him" in you inspires a Khalid to remember every thing of you even after 20 long years;

 

I am sure,This "him" of him will stay alive for years to come;

And;

There will be so many Khalids  in coming years to write on;

THE HUMAN,THE RAJAT SHARMA!!!!!!