MUMBAI, Feb 20: Printed word still commands a very large influence in Maharashtra and particularly among Marathi redearship, the journalism of Manus and its editor S G Majgaonkar has not come to an end, felt noted playwright and writer Vijay Tendulkar here today.Tendulkar was speaking after releasing the book Nivdak Manus, a compilation of best of the articles published in Manus(1961-1986), a weekly which influenced generations of readers in Maharasthra for a period of over two decades, at a function organised here in the city by Manus Pratishthan and Granthali.Drawing a parallel between Time magazine and Manus, Tendulkar said, the seeds of the trend which Time magazine started in journalism by sending its correspondents to various places in the world where `events' were taking place, were sown in Marathi journalism by Manus.Majgaonkar was always in the quest of future, said Tendulkar, terming him as a `restless soul'. Majgaonkar like Arthur Cosler , was part of the process of self questioning andintrospections which surfaced in the followers of various movements like communism and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the decade of 1960's and aimed at synthesis of various ideologies.The periodicals like Nav Sudharak from Nagpur and Antarnad still follow the tradition set by Manus, felt Tendulkar.Speaking on the occasion, editor of Maharashtra Times, Kumar Ketkar said, the first decade of Manus (1961-1971) was a period when the nation was lacking a leadership. ``Nehru had died, Shastri had passed away, and Indira Gandhi was facing her first election within one year of her entry into politics in 1967. The seeds of Various movements like Naxalism, YUKRAND, Dalit Panther were sown in this decade. It was in this decade that Manus ably shouldered the responsibility of enlightening the readers,''said Ketkar.Reasoning out as to why Manus closed down in 1986, Ketkar said that the middle class of the late 80's was not the middle class of the 60's. It was this middle class that had contributed to successof Manus. The 80's was a period of advent of western culture, colour television and computers and the middle class had got transformed in a totally new class with different outlook and inborn cynisism,''opined Ketkar.Editor of Loksatta Dr Arun Tikekar, in his speech said, Majgaonkar wanted to bring about the change through ideas and thoughts. ``He knew very well that a society which does not consider ideas as power goes down in all walks of life,''said Tikekar.Terming Majgaonkar as an `organic intellectual' as described by italian thinker Antonio Gramcci, he said, Majgaonkar can aptly be described as antenna of the society The book Nivdak Manus, has been edited by Prof Rekha Inamdar Sane, Vinay Hardikar, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Yashwant Sumant.
