Nikhil, only 38 years of age is a seasoned, celebrated crime journalist whose career took off in 2002 with Times Of India. During this very eventful and remarkable tenure where he met all kinds of people one of the highlights of his career was the opportunity to cover 26/11 Terror attacks in Mumbai. He also has the distinction of authoring a book titled, “Mumbai Under Siege” based on the attacks.
Due recognition was given in the form of “Shrikant Patil Memorial Award” for the best crime journalist in 2010.
Is that it one may ask…no it isn’t.
Members of the Fourth Estate are somewhat like doctors who see so many human tragedies that somewhere they become hard hearted. And sometimes to further their career ambitions and get the coveted front-page byline they lose their ethics, sensitivity that is also ironically a part of their profession but which is nearly non-existent today. Especially in some countries where it appears that the fourth estate is a powerful influencer and sometimes the only tool, which is feared by large sections of society.
How you report is key to interpretation, privacy and protection of people undergoing the worst tragedies of their lives that will change their life and their families’ life forever. The onus of the scribe is to report in a manner that covers all the aspects without adding further trauma and scarring of victims. It is even more important in today’s day and age when sensationalism, seems to score heavily to get attention in a competitive environment. That is not all; moral policing and character judgments are already passed based on the eyeball click that rule the day.
Several years back in Mumbai a mentally challenged 13 year old was raped in a running, nearly empty local train. Among the 3 people who watched and did nothing was a journalist who got of at the next station, went and told the cops and published the front-page news. The question which was asked by everyone and a furor created was a moral question, “ How could you watch and do nothing, how could you sleep that night and ever after and then report it”
There have been many, many more horrific rapes but this one stays in mind forever for its sheer cold-blooded unethical action.
However several years later when a woman was raped in a premeditated action there was a different kind of journalist who decided to handle the criminal incident differently. In this hour of misfortune and tragedy the family found a Spiritual Scribe, Ethical, Generous who decided to do what many journalists have forgotten to do so – Responsible Coverage at the right time of the tragedy and it led to the discovery of Nikhil Dixit – Journalist- one of a kind - limited edition character.
Journalists and the media do not always do the right thing by being responsible in sensitive cases. From the beginning till the end Nikhil selflessly helped the family in the quest for justice. He was the brightest unwavering light in their long moment of darkness.
It is something, which is inbuilt in his DNA. When J.Dey One of the finest investigative journalists was gunned down in Powai on June 11, 2011 Nikhil wrote the following article on him one day after he was assassinated.
What nobody knew was what it must have cost him to write about someone who has been a part of his life, inspired him, held his hand and guided him. Nikhil pays tribute to his memory and says. “. One of the finest investigative journalists our country has ever produced and an even better human being. I can write volumes on how he shaped up my life. But, all I can say is that he inspired me when he was alive and continues to inspire me even today.”
As a crime journalist you have access to all the kinds of personalities and characters a normal person wouldn’t ever have in their lifetime. Another example is Shahid Azmi who inspired him and continues to do so even today after he is gone. Elaborating on Azmi Nikhil says. “An individual who I admire immensely His was a classic story of hero who suffered and experienced the worst of tragedies but still came out of it strong and successful. Shahid lost his dear ones during the 1992-93 riots. As a teenager, he witnessed his loved ones being massacred in the riots. It left a deep impact on him and he got indoctrinated. Later, he was arrested and put in jail in connection with a terror case. An ordinary individual in his place would have either collapsed or gone the wrong way, but Shahid resurrected himself and became a very successful lawyer at a very young age. He was gunned down by the underworld in his office in Kurla on February 11, 2010. He was a very dear friend.”
This is the article that he wrote on him a day after he was shot dead.http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-shahid-azmi-never-tried-to-hide-his-past-as-tada-detainee-1346670
The blame/credit game – The trend is to blame everybody from parents, to society to influences, circumstances everything to everybody but never look within. Parents and families are the first to stand in the dock if the child doesn’t turn out right.
How true Daddy’s words were when he said: all children must look after their own upbringing. Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands. - Anne Frank
Nikhil on the contrary is the ultimate in humility and generosity personified. Rarely do you find people who are pure givers of unparalleled generosity coupled with never taking credit for what they give or do instead gracefully acknowledging people who made a difference in his life.
A member of a first generation nuclear family of teachers, Nikhil credits his parents – Subhash and Lata for bestowing the high quality of value and cultured upbringing vis-à-vis the lower middle class lifestyle. According to him, ‘whatever good I have in me is because of my parents and whatever bad I have in me is because I have not been able to successfully incorporate what my parents have taught me. Had it not been for them, I don’t know how my life would have shaped up and where I would have been today. And this is not a conclusion he has arrived at whimsically, years of self-introspection has validated this belief in him.
From his brother Neelesh a self-made entrepreneur he has learnt the single most important trait of self-belief, which has stood him in good stead in his personal and professional life
Abhay Mokshi is the teacher in Nikhil’s Journey, the man who he met whilst studying journalism. But it was not so much the subjects taught as part of his curriculum as much as following the examples of daily life that Nikhil is grateful for having the presence of. He not only taught, he did and Nikhil followed.
His innumerable friends taught him street smartness, which helped in his professional life.
There is part of us that stands in quiet witness to what we do, taking notes, waiting for a solitary moment to bring up the subject. ~Robert Brault,www.robertbrault.com
Human behavior has always been based on rationalization and analysis. We talk of self-introspection but more as a form of preaching and advising others than actually practicing it.
In this scheming manipulative world it is uncommon to find a practicing soul who not only self introspects but listens to his inner voice and learns and practices self-improvement.
As Nikhil refreshingly says on what makes him who he is, Himself: This might sound a bit strange, but, may be by design or by circumstances I have ended up being my 4am best friend. I spend a lot of time with myself. And I teach myself a lot of things based on what I see, what I read and what I experience. Every minute that I spend with myself is a learning, growing and maturing experience for me.
As far as incidents are concerned, there are innumerable experiences good and bad that have helped shape me up. It would be difficult to write all of them down. This might sound a bit philosophical, but in my case it is true that every incident, event or happening shapes my life and me. So every incident is accounted for.
Why I call Nikhil “The Spiritual Scribe” can be summed up by the quote below
The essence of all spiritual life is your attitude toward others. Once you have pure and sincere motives all the rest follows. – Dalai Lama- A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings by and about the Dalai Lama
Nikhil best describes himself and his thought process by his simple words
Respect for every individual (Humans and Animals) is something, which drives me. I always put myself in the other individual’s shoes and look at things from their point of view before judging anyone. I strive to do this everyday.
The only thing I value and hope to continue doing it is – Time. I value time in every sense of the word. That’s the only thing I have learnt – to value time, whether it is yours or someone else’s.
Whenever I am able to contribute to anyone’s happiness, it makes me happy (I know this sounds a bit philosophical. But I genuinely believe it and am always striving to do that).
I get sad when I see that an individual (Human and Animal) is not accorded the kind of respect he / she deserves.
I do not get angry or nothing ever angers me (I know this probably sounds unbelievable, but that’s how I am). I only get disappointed or sad.
If I had to publish Nikhil’s quotes, statements at various stages and moments of life this piece would be never ending and could probably be made into a booklet, which would be a reference manual, ‘ For people in difficult, conflicting, doubtful situations’. Might do a sequel to this article!
Heights of Responsibility – If there were a relationship, which failed, he would take ultimate responsibility for the failure.
The dance floor comes alive when Nikhil takes to it. A fabulous dancer who mesmerizes you and the stage gets cleared and people watch awestruck. This too has a spiritual chord as he states, ‘On the personal front. I dance when I am sad. I dance when I am happy. Dancing to me is the only thing that liberates my soul. I am in my zone, in a state of meditation when I dance.’
(Source: intlcoordination)
