Whatsapp rumours about me and Thuglak for more than a year are spilling into Twitter. Here is the truth about Cho, Thuglak and me which I have written in Thuglak, and also said in recent interview to Kumudam said in detail.
In 1988 Ramnath Goenka advised me to negotiate and buy the Thuglak from Ananda Vikatan group which owned Thuglak. I negotiated with Mr Balasubramanian and Thuglak was bought in a firm in which Goenka made my wife a partner with Cho as being a CA I couldn't become a partner
I was reluctant to continue to be partner thro my wife and as my contribution to Thuglak was limited, my wife resiged from the firm in 1991. It was thereafter Cho persuaded me to write in Tamil and introduced me to Tamil journalism
I became an insider to Thuglak team and Cho and me worked in various political strategies. In 2007 Cho began insisting I should become his successor. I told him no one would buy the magazine after him and it was better for him to close down.
But he kept in insisting and finally said even if I didn't want to be his successor, i should become a 50% shareholder of Nachiketas Publications P Ltd which owned Thuglak by then. In 2008 I invested 50% capital of NPPL with Cho. Cho began indicating to all I would succeed him
One day I told him that Thuglak will die with him and cant continue after him. And at any rate I don't have the confidence to make it work. I told him to sell it of some one would take it
As his health was failing in 2013, I transferred all shares to Cho so as to put it beyond any doubt that I wouldn't take it over. Still Cho kept saying, many times writing on a slate when he couldn't speak I should take over. He spoke to many to talk to me including Rajni.
Till Cho died I never said yes to him. The day after Cho was cremated, the entire Thuglak team met me along with Varadarajan of Kumudam who was printing Thuglak that Cho had told the team that I should succeed Cho and if didn't agree close it down slowly.
At that point as I saw huge political changes in Tamil Nadu I decided to take the plunge. That was how Thuglak landed on my head. I had taken a vow in 1986 when I began writing I wouldn't take a rupee for writing. Today I devote 50% of my time to Thuglak, not take a paisa from it
I need not have to grab anything from anyone. If I wanted Thuglak I wouldn't have resigned from the firm in 1991 or transferred by 50% shares in 2008. All that I have already explained in Thuglak issues 21.12.2016 and in the current issue of Kumudam.
