Ending the stellar 25-year-run of his popular column ‘Point of View’ in The New Indian Express daily in 2022, veteran journalist T.J.S. George wrote: “But there is something not right if a country and its rulers start feeling that they should not be criticised at all — and especially by newspaperwallahs.”
To colleagues and newspaper readers spanning decades and nations, Thayil Jacob Sony George – better known as T.J.S. George or simply TJS, such a remark was typical of the man who many consider the epitome of what journalists should aspire to be. It could be said that during an eventful career, Mr. George, who passed away on Friday aged 97, straddled many lives — that of a journalist, writer, an incisive and witty social commentator, and a global citizen who was quite at home with the big picture.
To readers in Kerala, there was also the other TJS, the TJS who was equally at ease with Malayalam, his mother tongue, as he was with his English. In that category, perhaps the first work of his that immediately comes to mind is Ghoshayatra (The Procession), the sparklingly insightful journalistic memoirs that gave the Malayali reader a different reading experience.
Writer N.S. Madhavan notes that Mr. George also filled a ‘gap’ in Malayalam literature. “He wrote in an original idiom that has not been seen much in Malayalam. One of the weaknesses of Malayalam literature is the absence of essay writing. After the great essay writers such as M.P. Sankunni Nair and Bhaskara Panicker passed away, that tradition had dwindled. TJS contributed a lot to this tradition with people looking forward to reading his articles,” Mr. Madhavan said.
“Though he spent a large part of his life and career outside Kerala, he never lost touch with Malayalam and its literature,” recalls writer Paul Zachariah. “He had a genuine interest in the language and its literature. And his own use of Malayalam can be described as clean and matter of fact, as was his English,” Mr. Zachariah said.
“He closely followed the changes happening in Malayalam literature, which was also why he took the initiative to start Samakalika Malayalam weekly,” he said. Mr. Zachariah also points out another characteristic of Mr. George that was, in a way, quite ‘Unmalayali.’ “He never bragged about being a Malayali, for one. He knew Malayalis could also be extremely great bunglers!”
Writing on X about the passing of Mr. George, writer and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor described him as a “true giant of Indian journalism,” whose sharp wit and powerful ‘Point of View’ column will be deeply missed. “His contributions to literature and fearless commentary leave an indelible mark. His books, including a memorable treasury of Indian quotations, will live long,” Mr. Tharoor said.
Presenting the Kerala government’s Swadeshabhimani-Kesari Media Award to Mr. George in June 2019, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made this observation about Mr. George. “TJS was a journalist who never was confined to the “brackets” of the media houses that he worked with.”
As a journalist, TJS transformed his journalistic career into an important chapter in Indian journalism, Mr. Vijayan said in a condolence message. TJS, who epitomised fearlessness and impartiality in his profession, was Kerala’s proud contribution to Indian and international journalism, he added.
Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, in a message, described Mr. George as a journalist who held the firm conviction that the pen in his hand was a sharp weapon. “TJS was someone who kept writing because he could not stop writing. His conclusions and observations influenced the people with the depth of his writing and the substance of his ideas,” Mr. Satheesan said.
Published – October 03, 2025 09:15 pm IST
