We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
"THIS IS MY REPLY"
Rhmed Rbbas Rshs : nre There Two Pandit Indras?
By ; K. Ahmed Abbas
In this letter to us Mr. Ahmed Abbas replies to the article of Pandit Indra, which appeared in the October issue. We reproduce it in toto without any "polish and preening" which we generally have no time to do. The reply of Mr. Abbas rings down the curtain on this unpleasant controversy and no further articles on this subject will be published.—The Editor.
I am afraid you have been hoaxed by someone into publishing the article, "PANDIT INDRA ATTACKS AHMED ABBAS— Says Ingratitude Is Inexcusable". There is only one Pandit Indra that I know of in the film industry — a meek, mild, nonviolent and altogether harmless person. He writes good songs for films and I was once glad to use my influence to get him an assignment that will carry his name and his songs to the four corners of the earth. Only a few weeks ago he came to my office (in the presence of my colleagues) in connection with an article about directors that he had written and which he wanted to be "polished and preened (sic)" at my "expert hands." I did my best with the article but, in his
own interest, suggested to Pandit Indra not to get it published as some of his remarks about Messrs. Chandulal Shah, Jayant Desai, Winayak, etc., would certainly cause offence and might land the paper which publishes the article into a suit for libel. I am glad he accepted my suggestion. Now I refuse to believe that this same Pandit Indra could have gone straight from my office and written an article accusing me of ingratitude and, what is worse, of literary incompetence. Unless, of course, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, there are two Pandit Indras!!!
OLD FASHIONED JOURNALIST
Anyway, the identity and the personality of the author of that article is not very important. Whoever
AN in(Endiap;y< mm
1
^1 BOMBAY
1st Waiter: "Not burst yet?"
2nd Waiter: "No! He is waiting for the Armistice Day''.
Mr^ K. Ahmed Abbas
wrote the article must be congratulated on providing the most conclusive proof of my contention that the mental age of the average "filmindia" reader is only twelve. Who else but an infantile intellect would talk of my radio, my flat, my "dry nose", my height, my tailor's bills and the remuneration received by me for my stories and articles as arguments against my analysis of the social influences of "filmindia's" writings? And who else but a snob could have made contemptuous references to a man's economic circumstances as if to live in a chawl or to go about in shabby clothes is a sin or a crime? As for the use of "fragrant" words and phrases like "midget-model"," "viper", "crawling, disgusting worm", with which the article is literally and liberally strewn, I confess I cannot give any reply in the same vocabulary as I am unfamiliar with this brand of journalism. Fortunately or unfortunately I have been brought up in a (perhaps) old-fashioned school of journalism which has taught me that to drag personalities and personal issues into public controversy is to admit one's intellectual and moral defeat and that it is as irrelevant to talk of your opponent's height and his tailor's bills as it is irrelevant for him to ask you about your chest measurements and how much income-tax you pay!
And thus, refusing to be provoked into a discussion of my private life
67