Upon waking up on Friday morning, I glanced at the complete list of the Padma awardees. Recognisable names such as Dr Tejas Patel and journalist Kundan Vyas appeared in the Padma Bhushan list. The name of Bihar’s Bindeshwar Pathak, who has been posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, also caught my eye. I remember meeting him several times during my extended stay in Gujarat. Despite his deteriorating health, he participated in a Network18 programme related to cleanliness at my request. That’s how much affection he had for sanitation and campaigns connected to it.
After reading the names on the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan lists, my eyes moved to the list of Padma Shri awardees. They stopped on one name – Surendra Kishore. While one might assume we have a close relationship, the truth is we have only spoken over the phone two or three times in the past two decades, most recently two days ago when the Narendra Modi government announced the Bharat Ratna for Karpoori Thakur.
I have never met Surendra Kishore in person. I have never undertaken any significant work in Bihar’s capital, Patna, nor have I been posted there. My time in Gujarat, spanning over two decades, has kept me engaged with numerous journalists and prominent figures in society. However, my acquaintance with selected journalists from Bihar, including Surendra Kishore, is limited, and even more so with other members of society.
Model of simplicity
Then why discuss Surendra Kishore? There is a particular reason. Like Karpoori Thakur, Surendra Kishore is also an embodiment of simplicity — a consummately honest individual, authentic, and a true socialist in thoughts and actions, yet not blinded by ideology. He appreciates what is good, raises his voice and cautions against the bad, and expresses himself through his pen. The image in my mind is crafted from his writings, discussions with those who know him, and the few but memorable telephonic conversations with him.
As a matter of record, Surendra Kishore hails from Bharhopur-Rampur, a village near the capital Patna in Bihar’s Chapra block. His family is prosperous, engaged in farming, but Surendra Kishore has been a rebel since his youth. During a time when taking dowry was a prevalent social practice in Bihar, he rejected it when he got married, going against his father Shivanandan Singh’s wishes. Upset, his father did not attend the wedding. However, the most notable guest at the event was Karpoori Thakur.
Meeting Karpoori Thakur
The connection between Karpoori Thakur, Bihar’s two-time chief minister and now Bharat Ratna awardee (posthumous), and Surendra Kishore is special. During the days when Karpoori Thakur was the deputy CM, a spirited youngster approached him with a recommendation to address the problems faced by students. After presenting a well-written application in beautiful handwriting, he left. Someone sitting there mentioned to Karpoori Thakur that the youngster had diligently spoken about the problems of students, highlighting the concerns of others, while not uttering a word about himself. He seemed honest because people generally approach politicians with their own troubles and this youngster was fighting for others.
Karpoori Thakur appreciated this and then his attention shifted towards a problem of his own. Although he was an advocate of honesty and integrity in politics, he couldn’t find a personal assistant who was both honest and proficient in working swiftly and efficiently. If a person is honest, they often become passive in most cases under the burden of their honesty, or end up becoming unjust or defiant. While if someone is adept at their work, they are usually not honest, and prone to dubious activities and corrupt practices.
Karpoori Thakur took the initiative to connect with this young man. He sent his two key colleagues, Sabhapati Singh and Ram Bahadur Singh, to meet the youngster. Surendra Kishore was studying at the famous Rajendra College in Chapra at that time, had already joined the socialist movement, and was rapidly rising through the ranks of the student organisation Yuvjan Sabha. However, Surendra Kishore did not go along with the two leaders, who were prominent figures in Bihar politics, and Ram Bahadur Singh went on to become a central minister.
Finally, Karpoori Thakur thought of trying to convince Surendra Kishore himself. By then, Thakur had completed his first term as the chief minister of Bihar between December 1970 and June 1971, and he was the opposition leader in the Bihar legislative assembly. Before becoming the CM, he had served as the deputy chief minister and education minister in Mahamaya Prasad Sinha’s government in 1967-68.
The next meeting between Karpoori Thakur and Surendra Kishore was also interesting. In 1972, while pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in history at the college, Surendra Kishore had already become the secretary of the district unit of the Samajwadi Party in Chapra. He was also associated with a weekly magazine called Saran Sandesh. When Surendra Kishore reached the party office after completing his day in college, he saw a person sleeping on a spread-out mat on the floor. Observing closely, he realised it was Karpoori Thakur. The person who had been the chief minister of Bihar until the previous year was now asleep on the floor. When asked, Karpoori Thakur explained that he had come to persuade him. He insisted, “Work with me. It’s hard to find a person like you, a private assistant who will be both efficient and honest.”
Always grounded
Surendra Kishore had to give in. As Karpoori Thakur’s private assistant, he lived with him in his house in 1972-73. He observed Karpoori Thakur’s simplicity, honesty, and integrity up close and was deeply influenced. Concerned about a space crunch in the government accommodation, Karpoori Thakur had removed the beds and stools from his home without worrying about his own and his family’s needs. People slept on the floor on mats and among them was Surendra Kishore.
While working with Karpoori Ji, Surendra Kishore witnessed the student movement, which started from Gujarat as Navnirman and evolved into a sweeping revolution under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan in Bihar as he gave the slogan of “Sampoorna Kranti”. To crush this movement, the then Bihar chief minister Abdul Ghafoor even allowed police firing on students.
Soon after, Surendra Kishore witnessed the Emergency and by then had become associated with the weekly magazine Pratipaksha. He and his wife, Rita, were actively fighting against the Emergency. When the threat of arrest loomed, Surendra Kishore went underground to keep alive the flames of the agitation that was starting to spread like wildfire. Rita packed some belongings and crossed the Ganga on a steamer to reach their ancestral home in Chapra. When she arrived, Surendra Kishore’s father asked her why she didn’t dump the bundle that she had with her in the Ganga. It turned out that all it contained was clippings from newspapers and a collection of books and magazines.
His father harboured a disappointment. After all, he had been a modest zamindar and his son had disobeyed him while getting married, and in a display of his anger, he stayed away from the wedding. When Surendra Kishore got married, the barat (wedding procession) went to Sonpur, and among the ‘Thakur’ present was none other than Karpoori Thakur. Surendra Kishore accepted the blessings of a “Hajam Thakur”, but not the “Rajput Thakur” who was his father.
His father-in-law, Satyanarayan Singh, was also a staunch socialist, and his wife was a firebrand too. Getting married without dowry and tilak was a revolutionary act at that time, something only a strong-willed person like Surendra Kishore could do, without heeding his father’s advice. He also brushed aside Raj Narain, the vanquisher of Indira Gandhi, who wanted him to marry a doctor.
Plot during Emergency
Surendra Kishore has maintained his audaciousness throughout his life. During the Emergency, he was closely associated with George Fernandes. He underwent training with George Fernandes to detonate dynamite in Bengaluru. When George Fernandes was arrested in the Baroda dynamite case, the Indira Gandhi government and the police were keen to arrest Surendra Kishore as well. They wanted to portray that the popular movement against the Indira government during the Emergency was sponsored by China. Surendra Kishore was to be set up with the charge that he had gone to Nepal and collected funds from a Chinese agent for the dynamite plot. But he thwarted the government’s plan to arrest him, though his wife spent time in jail for her searing articles against the Emergency.
After the Emergency, when the Janata Morcha came to power, George Fernandes became the industries minister and wanted Surendra Kishore to be his assistant, but the latter declined the offer.
Never holding back
Instead, Surendra Kishore did not stay silent when there were allegations that George Fernandes received financial help from influential coal mafioso Suryadeo Singh, to contest the elections. He also did not refrain from expressing his displeasure when Chandra Shekhar, the then Prime Minister, had chuda-dahi at the same Suryadeo Singh’s house. He didn’t hesitate to tear into his socialist leaders when they did something wrong, showing his uncompromising stance.
Surendra Kishore’s socialist ideology hasn’t stopped him from appreciating and supporting anyone doing good work, regardless of their political affiliation. He has even praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s policies on several occasions in recent years, something that’s unexpected coming from a socialist.
While his ability to speak the truth has remained unfettered by his ideology, in his personal life he remains a socialist through and through. Though he pursued his journalistic career in Patna, he couldn’t manage to build a home in Bihar’s capital. He lives in Korji village, several kilometres away from Patna, where he has built a house with the few lakh rupees he had in savings, without taking any help from his father. Apart from a few chairs and stools, there are no signs of any comfort at the house. After all, doing journalism on the ground with integrity doesn’t bring in the big bucks. His wife also had a modest teaching job and retired from it several years ago.
Links with Lalu, Nitish
Born on January 2, 1947, just before Independence, when Surendra Kishore was actively involved in socialist student movements during his youth, Lalu Prasad Yadav was also engaged in student politics during those days, and they shared a deep connection. He had similar relations with Nitish Kumar too. Since 1990, the reins of power in Bihar have been in the hands of Lalu and Nitish. In the first 15 years or so, it was Lalu who held sway, followed by Nitish. But this senior colleague from their days in student politics didn’t accept any help from them.
It’s said that when Lalu Prasad was contemplating building a residential colony for journalists in Patna after he became the chief minister of Bihar in 1990, a list of names was presented to him and “Surendra Bhai” was missing from it. When Lalu asked, he was told that Surendra Kishore had declined to give his name. Lalu Prasad responded that if the colony was not for journalists like Surendra Kishore, then what would be the point if it, and he threw the file away. This incident tells a tale about Surendra Kishore’s life, honesty, and integrity.
In the current era, when criticising journalists and journalism has become commonplace, every political party and leader accuses journalists of being “sold-out” on not receiving favourable coverage, and incidents of journalists being found involved in corruption have also mushroomed, Surendra Kishore is renowned for boldly writing about burning national and global issues while sitting in his village, staying away from the temptations of perks and power.
Although financial prosperity eludes him, his intellectual wealth is vast. People like Namvar Singh, Rajendra Mathur, Ganesh Mantri, and Prabhash Joshi have been impressed by his extensive library. The library is full of documents and books, and so he writes all his articles with well-sourced facts that no one can counter. Even at the age of 76, and having retired after working in publications like Pradeep, Janta, Aaj, Dharmayug, Maya, Dinman, Ravivar, Nai Dunia, Jansatta, and Hindustan, Surendra Kishore continues to write passionately as a freelancer. He contributes to the business world’s leading website, Moneycontrol.
Living life on own terms
Surendra Kishore is socialist in ideology, honest in writing, and follows a lifestyle similar to Morarji Desai. Like the former prime minister, he practises restraint in food and drink, and does not compromise on how he lives his life. It’s said that as Morarji Desai’s government was collapsing, he still went to bed at 10pm, asking his assistant to wake him up only if a bomb were dropped on the country.
Surendra Kishore too likes to go to bed early, mostly stays away from the mobile phone, and prefers to spend time writing rather than making television appearances. He says that in this advanced age, it is best to spend as much time writing as possible because one never knows when death will come calling. In the last few months, he has been writing his autobiography at the request of his colleagues and friends. If completed, it will not only cover the last seven decades of Bihar but also provide reliable documentation of the country’s political and social conditions.
Surendra Kishore being awarded the Padma Shri despite being far removed from the corridors of power is remarkable. He has never advocated for himself. The one person who could, Karpoori Thakur, also passed away in 1988. But it is a happy coincidence that in a span of three days, the Modi government announced the Bharat Ratna (posthumous) for Karpoori Thakur and then the Padma Shri for Surendra Kishore on the eve of Republic Day. The two socialist stalwarts receiving these honours under a government run by Narendra Modi, who joined the RSS at a young age and then led the BJP to power at the Centre in 2014, is also an indication and a message. The Modi government has made it clear that the nation will express its gratitude if you work for society with honesty and integrity. Narendra Modi has done what leaders from socialist backgrounds couldn’t do while they were in power at the Centre. This will also be recorded in Surendra Kishore’s diary as an imprint of time. For now, congratulations, Surendra Kishore Ji!
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