T. J. S. George
Born 7 May 1928 · Tamil Nadu
Died 3 October 2025
Founded the influential Indian news magazine 'The New Indian Express' in 1978.
🔔 Add birthday reminderThayil Jacob Sony George was an Indian writer and biographer who received a Padma Bhushan award in 2011 in the field of literature and education.
✨ A detail that surprised us
T.J.S. George wrote a detailed biography of journalist Pothan Joseph without ever interviewing him, relying solely on meticulous archival research and secondary sources.
1. 🌊 In 1952, T.J.S. George spent four months aboard the SS Jalakanya, traveling from Bombay to Europe, an experience he transformed into his debut book, A Journalist At Sea (1960), serialised in The Free Press Journal where he began his career in 1950.
2. In 1964, George published Krishna Menon, a penetrating biography revealing the paradoxes of the fiery Indian statesman whose diplomacy baffled and infuriated contemporaries, yet left a complex legacy.
3. 🌏 As founding editor of Asiaweek in Hong Kong during the 1970s, George shaped a pan-Asian perspective on politics and culture, influencing journalism outside India at a time when regional media was nascent.
4. From 1997 to 2022, he authored the weekly 'Point of View' column in The New Indian Express, fearlessly dissecting social injustice, corruption, and rising right-wing populism, maintaining a 25-year critique of India's evolving democracy.
5. 📚 Without ever interviewing his subjects, George crafted authoritative biographies like Lessons in Journalism: The Story of Pothan Joseph (1997) and The Life and Times of Nargis (1994), pioneering research-driven biography in Indian journalism.
6. In 2008, after a decade's hiatus, he returned to China to observe Olympic preparations, producing insightful articles that contrasted modern China’s rapid transformation with his earlier observations.
7. 🏆 Awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011 for literature and education, George’s career spanned over seven decades, reflecting an unyielding commitment to intellectual rigor and journalistic integrity.
8. ❓ How did T.J.S. George’s refusal to interview his biographical subjects shape the way Indian public figures are remembered through journalism?
Awards & Honours
- 🏅Padma Bhushan · 2011
🔍 One thing most people don't know
In 1952, George spent four months on the SS Jalakanya traveling from Bombay to Europe, an uncommon path for journalists then, which he documented in his first book serialized in a major Mumbai newspaper.
🖼️ Through the Years
📅 The Journey
🗝️ Discoveries
🎥 Speeches & Recordings
A Short Film on Veteran Journalist T J S George
YouTube📖 Curated Sources
🌱 What changed because of them
T.J.S. George transformed Indian journalism by elevating the craft of political column writing and biography, influencing generations of journalists through his 'Point of View' column and mentorship. His founding role in Asiaweek introduced nuanced pan-Asian narratives to English-language media, while his biographies set a standard for research-based profiles that avoided personal interviews. His critique of social and political issues helped sustain democratic discourse in India during periods of rising populism.
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