''Tehelka as Metaphor'' is a 2009 nonfiction book by Indian journalist,

Madhu Trehan Madhu Purie Trehan (born 1940s) is an Indian journalist. She is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of a digital media portal called ''Newslaundry''. Education Trehan studied at Welham Girls' School in Dehradun, graduating in 1962. In 1968 ...

. The book is an account of the ''

Tehelka ''Tehelka'' (Hindi: Sensation) is an Indian news magazine known for its investigative journalism and sting operations. According to the British newspaper ''The Independent'', the ''Tehelka'' was founded by Tarun Tejpal, Aniruddha Bahal and a ...

'' exposé and its aftermath,

Operation West End Operation West End was the first sting operation done by ''Tehelka'' in 2001, an Indian news magazine known for its investigative journalism. It was done in order to expose the defense deals of the then ruling party, the NDA led by BJP. The spe ...

. In 2001, a

sting operation In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a role a ...

and an

undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an indi ...

news story exposed the bribery and corruption prevalent in the Army and the then Indian government.

''Prism Me a Lie Tell Me a Truth: Tehelka as Metaphor'' is an account of the aftermath of

. The story's heroes, villains and victims have been analyzed and author

writes about the beginning of it. She writes about how the government got back at ''Tehelka'' through unfair means. The people involved in the sting operation are interviewed in the book and it provides a take on modern journalism. Trehan talks about a "ray of hope", she asks whether (it) will actually "bring about a change in this highly cynical, jaded, Machiavellian society."

Reviews

Released in February, 2009, ''Tehelka as Metaphor'' got a good reception. ''

The Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

'' said, "Madhu Trehan delved into the old story of ''Tehelka'' and came up with a new tale of contemporary India. Trehan's narrative brings out complex human encounters on the ''Tehelka'' tapes." ''

The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *''Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) *'' San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *''Kokomo Tribune'' *'' Peru Tribune'' * ''The Trib ...

'' said in its review of the book, "It is a book that matters and will stand the test of time." Columnist,

Tavleen Singh Tavleen Singh (born 1950) is an Indian columnist, political reporter and writer. Biography Singh was born in Mussoorie in 1950 in a Jat Sikh family. She studied at the Welham Girls School. She did a short-term Journalism course from the New Del ...

, wrote, "Trehan has used ''Tehelka'' as the prism of corruption and shown a justice system unable to deal with it." ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' said, "The book lurches with equal comfort between Kurosawa, Virginia Woolf and ''The Matrix'' in its frame of reference, and continually finds itself asking perhaps unanswerably large questions about integrity and the nature of truth." ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' said, "The book is a post-mortem in easy language and also an insight into and guide to modern journalism". Her book courted controversy when renowned fellow journalist

Karan Thapar Karan Thapar (born 5 November 1955) is an Indian journalist, news presenter and interviewer working with The Wire. Thapar was associated with CNN-IBN and hosted ''The Devil's Advocate'' and ''The Last Word''. He was also associated with India T ...

down-reviewed her book in the section ''Sunday sentiments'' of Hindustan times titled 'Truly sorry, Madhu'. In an unprecedented approach, she replied to the review in the same newspaper by an article 'Who's afraid of Karan Thapar?' describing the review as personal and motivated. Their rivalry continued on Trehan's show 'Can you take it', where she lambasted Thapar for his antagonistic style of interview.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Tehelka as Metaphor'', Book Website

''Tehelka as Metaphor''
at Roli Books
Rediff Website

at ''The Tribune''
New Kerala
- Launch of ''Tehelka as Metaphor'' Books about politics of India 2009 non-fiction books Indian non-fiction books Books about journalism Corruption in India 21st-century Indian books Roli Books books

Contents

Reviews

References

External links