T. J. S. George


Thayil Jacob Sony George was an Indian writer and biographer who received a Padma Bhushan award in 2011 in the field of literature and education.
WWW tjsgeorge.info

Background

The fourth of eight children, TJS was born in Kerala, India to Thayil Thomas Jacob, a magistrate and Chachiamma Jacob, a homemaker. Although his roots were in Thumpamon, Kerala, he lived in Bangalore and Coimbatore with his wife Ammu. He had a daughter, Sheba Thayil and a son, Jeet Thayil. American television journalist Raj Mathai is his nephew.
George died on 3 October 2025, aged 97. His wife had predeceased him nine months earlier.

Career and writing style

George achieved distinction internationally as a professional author, serious political columnist and biographer with a series of major books. After graduating from Madras Christian College in Chennai, India, with an Honours degree in English Literature, he began his career in The Free Press Journal in Mumbai in 1950. He moved through the International Press Institute, The Searchlight, and the Far Eastern Economic Review to become the founding editor of Asiaweek.
He was the Editorial Advisor of The New Indian Express. A veteran senior journalist and one of the best known columnists in India, he continued his fight against social injustice, corruption, religious intolerance and in later years right-wing populist tendencies that threatened democracy through his weekly 'Point of View' columns in The New Indian Express which ran for 25 years and ended in June 2022.
Besides being an editor, columnist, author and eternal wordsmith, he was also a longtime China watcher. After a gap of 10 years, he went back to China in 2008 to witness the Olympic preparations and wrote a series of articles about modern China.

Books

  • Krishna Menon offers a remarkable insight into the baffling personality of the Indian statesman and freedom fighter who inspired a few, infuriated many and embarrassed all.
  • Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore is a penetrating analysis of the policies and predilections of this controversial leader.
  • The Life and Times of Nargis, an elegant and informative book about the eternal artiste who goes beyond the Hindi film industry, is a throwback to a Golden Age of artistic talent untainted by technology or commercialism.
  • The Enquire Dictionary: Ideas, Issues, Innovations includes Indian and East Asian terms that are conspicuously absent in Western dictionaries.
  • The Enquire Dictionary of Quotations reflects Indian thought, ancient and modern.
  • Lessons in Journalism – The Story of Pothan Joseph depicts the colourful life of the legendary editor and freedom fighter whose career highlights the importance of professionalism and values in journalism.
  • The First Refuge of Scoundrels: Politics in Modern India is a collection of articles from TJS George's weekly column, "Point of View", that was a regular feature of The New Indian Express for 10 years.
  • Revolt in Mindanao: The Rise of Islam in Philippine Politics
  • Revolt in Bihar: A study of the August 1965 uprising
  • Moments is a collection of articles from "Sidelights," the author's editorial column of The Searchlight newspaper, Bihar, India, 1964–65.
  • The Provincial Press in India discusses several aspects of the growth of Indian language newspapers.
  • Editing: A Handbook for Journalists foresees the threat of electronic competition and redefines the new role of the print media editor.India 1000 to 2000: the story of a 1000 years A Millennium Book of Reference.India at 50: Facts, Figures and Analyses 1947 – 1997
  • MS – A Life in Music, "unravels the saga of one of India's most revered musicians", M. S. Subbulakshmi, "who broke through the barriers of class and caste to be accepted by the puritanical upper crust of South Indian society and applauded by the male-dominated bastion of Carnatic music in Madras".
  • The Goenka Letters: Behind the scenes in The Indian Express provides an insight into the hidden and often selfish and petty side of some of the mightiest icons of Indian politics, as well as "vignettes of a period when journalism underwent a metamorphosis."
  • Nātōtikkappalil nālumāsam describes the author's travels to Africa, England and Europe in a merchant ship.
  • Ghōshayāthra, memoirs written in his native language, Malayalam, is an egoless "procession", a journey set off from Bombay to New York through Hong Kong and includes a historical account of modern Indian English journalism.
  • Ot̲t̲ayān: āśayaṅṅaḷ, abhipr̲āyaṅṅaḷ, āḷukaḷ , written in Malayalam, is a collection of essays on social conditions of Kerala and India.
  • Askew: A Short Biography of Bangalore brings alive the history and culture of the erstwhile Garden City turned IT hub, with colourful anecdotes about people, places, and eateries narrated by a longtime resident.
  • Jaya: An Incredible Story is a compilation of photographs capturing the life and times of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa with interesting captions and annotations.
  • The Dismantling of India: In 35 Portraits is an irreverent compilation of essays about politicians, movie stars, criminals, musicians, industrialists and activists that gets the social, cultural and political pulse of India in all its rich complexity.

Awards