The bros Harnur—Sham Rao and Raghavendra Rao have made a silent but strong contribution to journalism-based media from Hyderabad.
If Sham Rao Harnur was the quintessential agency Journalist (PTI) for life, Raghavendra Rao Harnoor (he spelt with two Os) was the newspaper desk man for life. Both were of short stature, studied in Nizam College, worked for 40 years minimum as professional journalists.
When R V Harnoor (RVH) as he was popularly known to colleagues passed away on Mar 10 he was 87. In a strange coincidence, Sham Rao Harnur (SVH) too was 87 when he passed away in 2016. I found from the family that a third brother, who worked in a nationalised bank too passed in his 87th year.
Raghavendra begins with IE
The thin, diminutive, multi-interested RVH began his long career in the Indian Express in Vijayawada in the 1960s. After a few years, I moved to Ahmedabad and then to Motherland in Delhi before returning to Hyderabad and settling down. He also taught for a couple of years at the Department of Journalism during the early 1970s. He rejoined the Indian Express in Vijayawada and came back to Hyderabad. RVH was popular among friends and newsmen as the NE (News Editor) of IE.
In a moving tribute to R V Harnoor, the 99-year-old Dasu Krishnamoorty, who lives in the US now wrote, “Our work styles were different. Nothing would deter RVH from the pursuit of perfection. Not even a deadline. When the copy was with him, he kept us on our toes. As the clock ticked away towards the deadline, we would become nervy. RVH wouldn’t part with his copy unless the last punctuation mark was in its place. Our anxiety made him laugh. We pulled a long face, he ignored us. In the end, the deadline would come to an understanding with him and stretch itself. We lose no further time in checking the copy because it is delivered to us after it has gone through the fine comb of RVH. Then he orders tea as a token of truce. I always wondered if he ever caught a train or bus in time. He would create situations one came across in Wodehouse works of which he is a great fan.”
From the first time they met on a hot afternoon on June 27, 1959, in the Vijayawada office of the Indian Express to the passing of RVH, the two quintessential journalists kept in touch. Dasu Krishnamoorthy had a long innings in The Indian Express, Patriot (Delhi) and several publications before he moved on to the US. He has authored books, taught in Journalism schools and keept himself active even to this day.
Dasu, a close associate
Coincidentally, Dasu Kesava Rao, the younger brother, who retired as the Resident Editor of The Hindu in 2004, shared a bond of over six decades with the family of RVH, starting from the days in Vijayawada Indian Express.
I enjoyed a close rapport with the Harnur Bros and their families. SVH was my boss, Manager (equivalent to RE in a newspaper) of PTI Hyderabad (1983-89). His son, Sridhar Harnur, my batchmate in Nizam College and fellow Journalist in Indian Express for a few years before he moved to the US, where he is settled now.
As for RVH, I used to run into him in the IE. During 1988-93, I was deeply involved in the Press Club, Hyderabad Union of Journalists, etc. This role took me to the IE office, located in the lower tank bund area. Many of the Journos were active members, T Lakshmipathi was the Club President, Nagesh was active in Housing Society, Rajaram Sankla, I S Chari, and a whole lot. I would not miss an opportunity to say hello to RVH. The relationship between the IE desk and bureau was ‘blow hot, blow cold.’ While Sundaram, the RE raised the temperature, RVH with his subtle humour, cool attitude and talkative nature would bring down the tensions. He had multiple topics to converse backed by wide reading and a sharp pen with a grip on grammar to turn reporters’ copies into near blemish-free ones in language and style. Many young Sub-editors benefited from his editing skills and helpful nature in his mentorship.
Creating copy without blemish
For several years, RVH lived in Ashoknagar while SVH was in Hyderguda, PTI office-Com-residence. I would bump into him occasionally on my way to the office in front of his house, and it would end up with a cup of tea and a fruitful conversation. Post their retirement, both the brothers moved to their independent houses in the Journalists Colony in Banjara Hills.
Another interesting facet of the Harnur brothers was that they were linguists. Fluent in Kannada, their mother tongue; Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, and English. SVH who joined the PTI just after India’s Independence in the early 1950s. The office was in Boggulkunta. He rose in the ranks to become Manager in 1978, succeeding P S Subramanian (father of my PTI colleague, P S Jayaram, now settled in Canada. He and wife Sarada Jayaram too are Nizamians).
Suited-booted Shyam Rao
SVH loved to wear his formals —suit and tie too. Some days, I saw him transform from a homely lungi and shirt (when he had to rush in for some urgent work) to a three-piece as some top political leader landed an hour or so later to meet him in the office. Remember, it was an office cum home in Hyderguda, near the St Paul’s School. His grip on Telugu and Urdu helped a lot in monitoring the most local developments in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad as well as the entire State. By the time, our bureau members came in, he had enough follow ups for us lined up (I am referring to the pre-mobile, Google, Internet, even home phone era).
The Urdu knowledge of SVH particularly helped PTI. The Siasat, oldest Urdu daily started by Abid Ali Khan was particularly keen on PTI news. He was demanding too in the service and good stories. Similarly, Union Minister M M Hashim (Cong I), AIMIM leader Salahuddin Owaisi (who incidentally lived in Urdu Gulley, close to the PTI office and many leaders were good sources of news. In the case of RVH, his love for Urdu Shayari was a magnet that attracted friends with keen interest in the language to him. He had a Pat for the Press Club, Hyderabad when it organised an Urdu Mushaira around 1990, with several poets on its popular rooftop. M L Nigam, the Director of Salar Jung Museum, was the chief guest and the event was sponsored by CDR Hospitals, one of the first corporate hospitals in Hyderabad founded by the late C Dayakar Reddy.
No liquor, please
Both Harnur bros were teetotalers but loved their ‘tea/coffee pe charcha’ with their close friends and guests in their office. I remember several freedom fighters and noted leaders like Raj Bahadur Gour, B Narsing Rao, Vandemataram Ramachandra Rao, Bhoodan Chari to political leaders like K Rosaiah, Hashim, P Ramachandra Reddy, V Hanumantha Rao, Vaman Rao, Dr P Siva Reddy, etc. visiting the PTI office often during the 1983-89 period, when I was a rookie reporter. Several of them became my good contacts in the profession too,
The Harnurs were soft spoken, family men, who slowly receded into their personal lives post retirement. Their respective spouses were very hospitable. While all the five children of SVH (two sons and three daughters) have migrated to the US, One child of RVH is settled in Hyderabad, and the other is in the US.
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