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“I’m operating independently at the moment, taking a cue from my community pals. If I don’t make enough money, it’s back to being somebody’s naukar again,” he laughs. That’s vintage Thakraney, never at a loss for words.
Admittedly, the hate mail flows in generously every day. An expected situation considering he tells readers the truth they’d rather not hear, and that rubs a lot of people the wrong way. “I think I enjoy the distinction of being the most hated columnist in India. And people have offered to buy me beers so I don’t write about them, no kidding,” he discloses. Believable.
But what is the reader profile he has in mind when he wields the pen… since his analytical pieces go beyond the realm of personal ruminations. ”I write for only a chosen few publications, except for Mid Day, for whom I write regularly. I write what I feel, and I write for myself. Along the way, readers connect with me somewhere, and it becomes a mass. No specific profiles… I am told the whole of Bombay (and more, thanks to mid-day.com) reads what I write. And yes, I do get misunderstood, not misquoted, sometimes.”
Apart from being a luxury, writing is also a social responsibility as you get to mobilise public opinion through words. Has there ever been an occasion when he’s had to eat what he’s said in print? “I did retract my views once on the Indian cricket team,” he admits honestly. “I predicted disaster in the last series in Pakistan, but the ‘boys’ proved me wrong.”
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Writing 
