An Inspiring Dialogue Between Veteran Journalist Lajwandi D’Souza and Media Pioneer N. V. Paulose
NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
Lajwandi D’Souza: You know, Paul, when I look at children today, everyone tells me the same thing: “Kids simply aren’t reading anymore.” But after spending my entire life in journalism; from Bombay with The Times of India and Mid Day to starting Unmute here in Goa, I refuse to accept that as a dead end. Children want to read; we are just giving them the wrong things. They need a space where they are not just passive consumers of news, but where their own voices can actually be heard.
N. V. Paulose: You have hit on something fundamental, Lajwandi. Reading is not dying. If students are not reading, they are dying. Reading is a calm, deep exercise for the human mind. When you scroll through a screen on a noisy street or on a train, your mind is fragmented. But when you hold physical print, all five senses align. You cannot sit on a railway track and read a paper; print demands and creates quiet focus. Mobile reading is disturbed reading. Print is where thought takes root.
Lajwandi: Exactly. That is why I launched Unmute as an eight page tabloid for school kids. But running it has not been easy. The logistics alone; managing print costs, waiting on government registration can make you feel boxed in by authority and red tape. Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle just to keep an independent vision alive. Handling shifting team members is another challenge.
N. V. Paulose: That is where every true journalist must remember the difference between authority and autonomy. Authority seeks to control; autonomy is self regulated excellence. Registration is just an administrative formality; a paper game you play while your real work continues. You do not need anyone’s permission to do good work for society. When your vision is elevated, you operate on constitutional freedom and purpose, not on administrative clearance.
Look at how nature grows: when you plant a sapling, do you dig it up every day to check if the roots are growing? No. You pour a little water, give it sunlight, and let nature do the heavy lifting. Our contribution is only one or two percent; divine intelligence and natural growth take care of the rest.
Lajwandi: That gives me a completely different way to look at it. But what about the commercial realities? How do we keep a young publication economically viable when traditional advertising is so unpredictable?
N. V. Paulose: By changing the entire framework from rigidity to flexibility.
First, throw out the pressure of calendar deadlines. Do not sell subscriptions by the month or the year; sell them as a package of 25 issues. If exam season comes or holidays arrive, you adapt fluidly. Aim for three issues a month, but give your mind the freedom to breathe.
Second, make your content timeless. Do not write quick news items that expire by tomorrow morning. Create evergreen content blocks; articles, stories, and youth expressions that will be just as inspiring 50 years from now. Remove the restrictive dateline, and an unsold issue never becomes scrap paper; it remains a valuable “Special Timeless Edition” forever.
Lajwandi: A timeless edition… That completely changes how we view our inventory and layout. We are not just filling pages for Thursday; we are building enduring blocks of thought.
N. V. Paulose: Precisely. Think of Unmute not as a regional paper, but as a national movement for youth expression. Use what I call the RBI Model:
I(Inner Circle): Your core team of people who are with you beyond financial streams.R(Revenue Circle): The people who help you to generate revenue.B(Business Circle): This is the public domain where you give something that grow into abundance.
You do not need a heavy corporate hierarchy to build a national institution. You just need to flip the pyramid, put yourself at the service of others, and let a thousand passionate editors grow with you.
Lajwandi: It is incredible how shifting the mindset opens up the horizon. We started Unmute to give kids a platform as a participatory media mechanism. They have to shape it themselves.
N. V. Paulose: And that is why your vision is great, Lajwandi. No 80 year old grandfather can dictate what a 12 year old’s future should look like. You are not just publishing a tabloid; you are creating a vision setting platform for the leaders of tomorrow. Close your eyes for a moment. What do you see?
Lajwandi: I see a room full of finished work… I see Unmute reaching children far beyond Goa.
N. V. Paulose: What you see when you close your eyes is your future. Hold that image every single day. Focus on planting the saplings, pouring the water, and letting the platform expand. The world has lost the true concept of an editor; a guiding voice for truth and growth. Through Unmute, you are not just bringing back reading; you are restoring the dignity of the editor and giving the next generation their voice.
