KOCHI: The glossy new titles made the perfect setting. The launch of ‘Sentinel House’ by Allen Mendonca, one of the most versatile journalists of the age, was a memorable experience for all book lovers who happened to be around on Sunday evening at the Reliance TimeOut, Oberon Mall. The book, published posthumously by Mendonca’s wife and MD of Raintree Media Sandhya Mendonca, is essentially a fictional work, a thriller, which on the way reveals the inside stories of major media houses in the country. In the short but thought-provoking session, guests M D Nalappat, eminent journalist, K Jayakumar, additional chief secretary and Manoj K Das, resident editor, Asianet News, shared their thoughts on Mendonca, the person and the journalist.
He was a journalist with a lot of courage, one who was always gentle to his subordinates, and above all a loyal friend, said Nalappat, under whom Mendonca worked at the Times of India. Jayakumar, who officially launched the book, admitted that he had not known Allen Mendonca but felt that he would have loved to meet him after going through the novel.
“The book might appear deceptively simple and the views impartial at first, but the author soon gets attached to the values he speaks about,” he said. “Sentinel House is a work which has the objectivity of a journalist coupled with the creativity of a creative writer,” he added. This was followed by readings from the book by Manoj K Das. “I get a sense of deja vu at every instance cited in the book; all of it has happened to me at some point or the other in my five years as editor at the New Indian Express,” he said. Manoj said he agreed with the view endorsed by Mendonca that while good marketing is an essential part of journalism, you don’t have to compromise on values to be market-friendly.” Some reviews of the book: “The reporter’s nose for detail enlivens every page and gives this thriller its kicks. You don’t have to recognise who is who and what is what. Enjoy the thrill..” says TJS George, Editorial Advisor to The New Indian Express. Mendonca’s descriptions explode with colour and vivid imagery...raw, edgy and sensitive...one of the greatest media stories of our age, told by a long time insider. says Ramjee Chandran, CEO and Publisher, Explocity. Representatives of Raintree Media, the publishers, and Reliance Time Out, the organisers, were present. The book is available at Reliance Time Out at Rs 225.
Allen J Mendonca, who was based in Bangalore, had worked with the Southern Speaker, City Tab and Evening Herald, before joining the Indian Express and the Times of India, Bangalore where he worked as Head of the Business, bureau and the editor of Bangalore Times. His repertoire included crime, technology, business, theatre, music and film reviews.
He was a talented singer, an ardent gardener and had acted in several theatre productions, TV serials and in the national award winning film Stumble. He was the cofounder and director of Raintree media and was simultaneously editorial director of the Explocity group of multi-city publications. He continued to write for several prominent magazines like India Today, Outlook Traveller Getaway guides and Best of series of books in India.
He was most famous for his hard-hitting style of taking on the errant powersthat- be in public life. He died of heart attack at the age of 49.
ashaprakash@expressbuzz.com
