I had decided I wouldn’t write about this. It seemed like a simple case on the onset and I thought I wouldn’t give it more importance than it deserved. But thanks to a voyeuristic nation that doesn’t let go of even slightly salacious cases like the Aarushi Talwar murder case – the Tarun Tejpal sex scandal has refused to leave the headlines. In the process, it has brought out the worst in the decorated writer/journalist.

Sexual overtures in the media aren’t as rare as one would like to believe. Bosses making advancement towards their juniors just because they are higher up in the hierarchy, the ‘sab chalta hai’ attitude that dominates the industry and the people who aren’t scared to push the limits to see what all they can get away with. Talks laden with sexual innuendo, passing remarks about the ‘quickest way to get promoted’ and the usual sight of girls having to work extra hard to make a mark are common occurrences within these circles. Nobody dares say a word (who would they report it to, right? Their bosses themselves are the news makers) and the constant exploitation of womenfolk continues in this unorganized and largely informal industry. The safest way is to walk away with your head bent down and ignore the overtures at the risk of a doomed career. And nobody dares make any noise about this injustice that is brushed under the carpet on a daily basis. All this until one day when someone leaked Tarun Tejpal’s internal correspondence to the media – BAM!

Tarun Tejpal, one of my favourite writers as a teenager (I devoured ‘Story of my Assassins’ and ‘The Alchemy of Desire’), and the editor-in-chief of Tehelka magazine. The same magazine that was until recently seen as pioneer and champion of stories that nobody else dared venture around. That Tarun Tejpal finds himself in a sex controversy. A junior reporter at Tehelka accuses him of ‘gross sexual misconduct’ at a conference in Goa. She says he penetrated her with his finger, not once but twice on two separate occasions, in a resort elevator. Despite her reluctance and despite it being a clear violation of the employer-employee relationship that they shared. Not to mention that the girl was the same age as Tarun’s daughter and also happened to be his daughter’s best friend! He offered to recuse himself from Tehelka for 6-months (that’s unheard of) and admitted to his guilt in the letter that he wrote to managing editor Shoma Chaudhary. Later when that letter got leaked to the media (his own industry), he went back on his words and did what all men do when accused of sexual misconduct – called the act ‘consensual’ between him and the girl. And because of that u-turn, I was prompted to write this post.

So what do I think of Shoma Chaudhary and Tehelka after the expose? Tehelka’s credibility might just as well be finished after this scandal. A magazine that took pride in imparting justice to the slighted failed to assemble a cell to probe the sexual assault allegations for over a week. They scrambled and scrambled some more for some wriggle-room even as the media went berserk asking them to take stricter action against Tarun, over and above his self-determined and self-inflicted hiatus of just six months. Shoma Chaudhary’s response was a surprise too. A lesser known fact about her is that she is also a visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and gives lectures on journalistic ethics and morality (I was a student in a few of those classes too). And yet, when her own friend confessed to a crime of sexual violation and ‘misreading of signals’ (whatever that means), she merely came forward to call it an ‘internal matter’ of Tehelka and failed to take adequate redressal measures to assuage the violated journalist. Last I heard, she quit from her position as managing editor for good.

Over to what I think about Tarun Tejpal and what the future holds for him. Well the man is known for his sexcapades and sexual adventures. I witnessed his fondness for the carnal first hand when I saw him a few years ago at the Jaipur Literary Festival’s Writers Ball, happily surrounded by a bunch of pretty girls with a malt whiskey in his hand, completely oblivious to the going-ons around him and exhibiting zero interest in starting a conversation with anybody outside his beautiful circle of companions. The lurid text in some of his books also indicates a fascination with exploring one’s sexuality and living life in a (depressing) daze. While I wouldn’t hold his text against him, there is no denying the fact that the reputation precedes Tarun Tejpal’s arrival everywhere. To think that he could get away with sexually assaulting a colleague in a lift and then whispering in her ear that that was the easiest way for her to keep her job, on two separate occasions, is a reflection of his mentality that women employees can be suppressed into submission with the threat of keeping their jobs. The complete disregard for the fact that the victim was also his daughter’s friend shows how he isn’t just a bad boss, but also a terrible father. He comes out as a person who can’t even accord due consideration to his family, let alone treat his colleagues right. His credibility has taken a severe hit and it would be sad to see him get away with a light sentence and resuming work in a couple of years (a.k.a. Prabhu Chawla after the radia tapes) and the nation forgetting about his misdemeanors.

What stands out throughout the case is the consistency of the victim’s statements, despite the duress and added pressure of media spotlight. Even after her complaints of receiving threats from several people asking her to withdraw the case, she has managed to hold her ground and not embellished her accounts of what happened on that fateful conference in Goa. Quite unlike Tarun Tejpal, who has oscillated wildly from calling the incident a ‘gross miscalculation on his part’ earlier, to terming it ‘consensual’ later when the case gained prominence. For that crime alone, and the patriarchal mindset that it reveals where he thinks he can blame it on the girl and get away with it, his should be made a model case and Tarun Tejpal be doled out the harshest punishment to dissuade such incidents from happening in the future. Maybe then the dark veil of secrecy shielding the industry will get its tiny hole in the fabric for the aggrieved to peep out from and move towards resurrection. 

So where do we live in America? It’s this cozy suburb of the metropolitan city of Chicago called – just Evanston. Snug away from the hustle bustle of the city, it’s a quiet town that houses the Northwestern University. The Kellogg School of Management is located very close to Downtown Evanston and if you happen to live in the Northwestern Apartments called McManus (especially reserved for only Kellogg residents), you will find yourself bang opposite The Orrington Hilton Hotel and in the center of Downtown Evanston.

Local Spots

Pubs like JTs, Prairie Moon and Nevin’s will become your midnight hangout dens. You will find yourself eating at Panera Bread, Giordano’s Pizza and Chipotle a lot! The Evanston Public Library is right next to McManus and the membership is free! For JVs who don’t work, and this bit of information will be really helpful, you can issue up to 75 books/movie DVDs at one time (again, all for free!) for your constant entertainment! Citibank and Chase will be your local banking banks and you will take the Metra to Downtown Chicago very often! For the health freaks, there is LA Fitness gym, pilates and barres classes. Lots of organic food also on sale at Wholefoods Market and Trader Joes. A Jewel Osco in the proximity makes life quite easy as well!

The Weather

The weather is generally very bipolar. It swings 10 degree Celsius in just a day sometimes. We have seen temperatures as low as -2 degree Celsius already, and it’s just October!  Lake Michigan has awesome parks alongside it for evening jobs, but the icy cold winds ensure that you layer up before stepping out! Fall season is pretty scenic and could be a photography enthusiast’s delight. Yellow lights from Downtown Chicago light up the evening sky. 

The City

The city is pretty safe (a bunch of us 5 girls have walked back safely to our apartments at 1am after a movie). Uber cab service is recommended by Dean Blount for nearby travel. Clothes and apparel are easily available. The city should be a joyride for people seeking some peace and solitude from the shimmers of noisy big cities! Some find it dull, but the many events at and around Kellogg make it an engaging and enriching journey. Definitely one that all should get a chance to experience! In a nutshell - we love Evanston (until we find a job, at least!).

(Yashika Khanna is an international JV from New Delhi, India. Before she started whiling away time in Evanston while her husband studied at Kellogg, she was a Television News Producer and a journalist. She has degrees in television journalism, commerce and business.)

Also find this blog on the official Kellogg blog page-

http://kelloggmbastudents.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/the-jv-experience-evanston-life/

First I want to declare this upfront – it is not because of my credit, but all commendation to my husband for having secured an admission and having taken me along as his Joint Venture (JV, as we are called here) – that I am now allowed to, and enjoying, attending classes at the Kellogg School of Management! Because I am back to the blogging sphere and sharing all my thoughts with you folks, here’s how I have been finding them.

First and foremost, without sounding like a wet-blanket/miss-know-it-all, these classes remind me of the time spent attending journalism classes at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) back home in Delhi. When people called it the best place in India to study media and journalism, because of the quiet sense of complacence that is inherent in me and because of how easily I had secured an admission and topped the batch in my day, I didn’t understand the hoopla. But now I do. Which brings Kellogg into perspective – very audiovisual class content, teaching from powerpoint decks and slides, showing movie/research clippings in class to drive a point across, doing individual PLUS group activities, assignments that jog your grey-cells and super participative and attentive classmates.

But that doesn’t sum it up. The second brightest attribute of the college – the intellectual property, the extra-smart, shining and decorated professors! The finesses with which they teach, the knowledge that they bring to the table, the extraordinary concepts that they have unveiled from industry experience/PhD research that they impart and their charm, ease and wit! What a blend. And what a conducive atmosphere to learn. And such interesting incentives (sometimes champagne and chocolate in class!) to learn, study and grow. And the prized course material that is dolled out personally by the professors and can't be found in regular textbooks!

All of this, the frenzy and the colors, remind me of my time spent studying at IIMC. And through this post, I would like to remind the current students that this might as well be the last best 2 years of your life! Because after this, you will nose-dive into the world of corporate politics and not look up or back for the next 30 years till your retirement. So while you are at it, have maximum fun and learn all that you can. Because you might not remember your daily routines and chores here, but the essence of the learnings and the friends that you make here will linger on forever and last a lifetime. Notwithstanding that I am younger than, or equal to, in age to most people here – my ‘preachings’ come from having spent a wonderful time enjoying graduate school and now living up the same experience with my husband. Lots of gusto to him and the frills for me! This is good :)

I have been away and this place has dried up. But now I am back! With an explanation and with tonnes of news! I left my job at Headlines Today, got married and moved to America. So many things together? Hence the long absence. But now that the dust has settled after the storm, I am back to reclaim my space and to share my thoughts with the world.

First over to some news back home in India. Narendra Modi is gaining prominence and the country stands on the verge of having one of its most turbulent general elections next year, which are most likely to give a fractured verdict. Good I am away from the mess and wouldn’t have to see the murky politics unfold on my television set every night, because it was pretty grim at the time that I left. The wrong people getting the right publicity and the lack of sensible power heads to lead the nation. Gloom and sadness everywhere.

Over to why I allowed so many changes to happen all at once in my life. I thought it was for the good and everybody needs to keep evolving. Although it is pretty lonely in the United States with no job and no studies. Note to self – have to find something to do to keep my resume shining and my mood uplifted!

There is so much more that I have got to share about so many other things and topics. And now that I am back, expect some random musings here. Also note the new change in my name from Yashika Totlani to Yashika Khanna. This place will, however, continue to retain its old-world (old-name) charm, for all practical purposes at least!

So keep dropping by and keep reading up. I enjoy the audience and you will enjoy the company too. So long and tada, loyal readers!