An evening with S.Venkata Narayana in Hyderabad, (second from left)
“I will write a cover story on NTR.”
“NTR? What is that?” asked India Today editor Arun Puri.
“NTR means Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. He is a film actor who recently started a political party. For the first time in Andhra Pradesh history, he is about to defeat the Congress Party and Indira Gandhi.”
The person who gave that answer was S. Venkatanarayana. He was neither an astrologer nor a psephologist, but a dedicated journalist.
“Look, Mr. Venkat, I don’t even know who NTR is. How will our readers know him?” said the editor.
Venkatanarayana had to work hard to convince the editor to write a cover story on NTR and feature his photo on the magazine’s front page.
That issue of the national magazine, widely read across the country, was published with NTR’s photo on the cover. Venkatanarayana concluded his article with these words:
“Unless a miracle occurs, NTR will certainly become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.”
After that issue hit the stands, even people who did not speak Telugu came to know who NTR was.
Venkatanarayana’s prediction came true. NTR won that election and became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Interestingly, India Today conducted an opinion poll three weeks before the elections, and its results predicted the opposite.
When the elections were held, NTR won. India Today’s forecast failed, but Venkatanarayana’s prediction proved right.
There is another similar incident.
After the Emergency, Indira Gandhi suffered a crushing defeat in the elections. Later, the Janata government collapsed, and Indira began a nationwide campaign seeking a renewed mandate.
During this time, S. Venkatanarayana traveled with her and interviewed her. The concluding lines of his published article read:
“In history, only three people have regained power after losing it: Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Charles de Gaulle. Each of them took more than ten years to return to power. But Indira Gandhi is about to reclaim her position in just thirty months.”
At that time, the magazine was known for its anti-Congress stance. Publishing such an article in that magazine was remarkable.
To show how well Venkatanarayana understood Indira Gandhi’s personality, he shared an incident.
He was traveling with Indira Gandhi on a flight that landed in Delhi. At that time, she held no position of importance, so the plane was parked far from the terminal. They waited for a ladder to disembark, but even after half an hour, none arrived.
Indira Gandhi called Yashpal Kapoor and asked, “How far is the ground from here?” He replied, “At least two or three yards.”
She said, “You come down leisurely after the ladder arrives,” and then she jumped from the plane herself and walked away briskly.
The Association of Veteran Journalists has published a compilation titled Anubhavalu–Jnapakalu (Experiences and Memories), which includes fascinating stories from ten senior journalists like S. Venkatanarayana.
For those working in journalism, this book serves as a guide. Anyone who respects or loves this profession should read it.
Former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu released this book, along with Appudu–Ippudu (Then and Now) written by senior journalist and self-described “pen worker” G. Krishna, on Sunday, the 16th of November, 2025 at Deshoddaraka Bhavan, Basheerbagh, Hyderabad.
