I Joined Mint on 22nd Jan’2007 before the first edition of mint came out when The Real Legend Mr Raju Narisetti was the Editer. I joined as Photo Researcher and Coordinator, Raju wrote an appreciation note for my dedication and contribution for my work, and this appreciation did not turn out to be mealy in the form a writing and shooting a mail to all staff member but was converted in monitory benefit too when one day Raju called me in his cabin and told me that he is very happy with my work and has decided to give Rs.5000/ (Five Thousand) approx 20% of my salary as mid term raise to me, an unbelievable thing in organization like HT Media.
Raju left on 31st Dec 2008 and Sukumar Sacked me on 14th Jan’2009, why? Because Sukumar hated me for reaching Raju on two occasions, and both times Raju asked him to look into the matter and take action, it looks like Sukumar was just waiting to sack me and he did giving three reasons:-
1) There are some images taken by me (Rajeev Dabral) that I contributed for a story to mint and which got printed as a Photo Feature, and I am also displaying these images taken by me by my personal camera, on my week off and for which mint or HT did not pay a single penny, on my website http://www.indiajournalists.com/gallery.php
and Mr Sukumar Ranganathan Editor of HT Media Business paper and Wall Street Journal Content Partner mint and the Art Director Abel Robinson (who’s name has not been considered worthy of being printed as Art Director in mint that is why it never appeared though he is Art Director for more than a year) is of the opinion that since the images have been printed in mint they are mint’s property, and I have no right to display these images anywhere, I find it hilarious that the man who has taken over from the Legend like Raju as mint’s Editor and from Anup Gupta as Art Director have such poor understanding of the fundamentals of copyright issue.
2) Sukumar is also of the opinion that since I’m displaying the images on the website it means I’m doing freelance Photography, seeing the website Sukumar could use his intelligence to come to the conclusion that I’m doing freelance Photography but failed to use his intelligence to understand that
a) I’ve been working for more than 12 hours in office almost every day of my job, and almost everyone works like that in mint.
b) I’ve contributed more that 200 personally shot images with my personal camera on my week off to mint.
c) At Times I was asked to do office photo assignments, for which HT Media mint neither provided me equipment nor transportation I risked my personal equipment, used my own car and now realize I was an Ass.
d) My more than 30 days of leave for 2007-2008 were pending.
e) My more than 30 days of leave for 2008-2009 were pending.
And Sukumar thinks I’m freelancing as a Photographer how and when I was freelancing Mr Sukumar, lets suppose, since a business paper Editor Sukumar is saying I’ve been freelancing as a Photographer, let us not doubt his intelligence but his act has left no room to doubt it, since my job profile at mint was of Photo Researcher and Coordinator, not a Photographer at mint thus my Photography has nothing to do with my Job and see what even the code of conduct has to say and dose it imply on me mind it I was a Photo Researcher and Coordinator at mint.
“During the discussion of a potential assignment, you must also disclose other business activities that may conflict with your Mint work, or that may appear to. Such activities include but aren't limited to: Holding a part-time job, working as a consultant, engaging in any form of public relations in any capacity, accepting speaking fees, ghost writing material for anyone other than an independent author, accepting compensation in any form for anything other than journalistic work, writing for publications that Mint considers to be competitors, and doing commercial photography or design work for the subject of a story or a broadcast segment you'll be helping Mint prepare.”
3) Sukumar gave another reason for sacking me that by hosting a website I have violated the Code of Conduct, I’m sure that anyone with basic intelligence would understand that this goes for those who write for mint and not every employee of mint even code of conduct says the same, but Sukumar has his own thoughts on this too, but I would also like to make it clear that the website I’m hosting is older than mint first edition and before I joined mint, my website do not mention that I’m in anyway associated with mint, it is more like a blog site still not fully operational with a section where I host my images as my work, See what Code of Conduct has to say on this:
“All editorial and business employees must get the Managing Editor's permission before starting a personal blog--outside of HT Media’s own web sites--that focuses on issues or topics that Mint regularly covers. You must also ensure that your personal blog--whatever the topic--doesn't mention your affiliation with Mint or HT Media, and that it never damages the reputation of Mint.”
I fail to understand how it implied to a Photo Researcher and Coordinator of mint?
Actually Sukumar Sacked me because he was angry with me for writing a mail which I CC’ed to him and the then Legendary editor Raju, Sukumar hit, reply back all and wrote “Dump it” without realizing that it has been CC’ed to Raju too, (anyone who knows Raju will understand how Raju would have reacted to Sukumar’s Dump it reply to my mail)
After ten minutes Sukumar called me in his cabin along with my immediate Boss Able and Photographer Ramesh Pathania and said he and Raju should not have been involved in the issue and he doesn’t like people bypassing their seniors, I wrote to Sukumar and Raju because Raju was very open to solving issues of his team his doors were always open to every person of his team, he was always ready to listen to and finding solution to the problems of his team, and Sukumar gave me a message that don’t come to me or do not even go to Raju with your problem.
People like Sukumar has no right to talk of Code of Conduct implemented by Legendary Editor of mint Mr Raju Narisetti because Sukumar himself doesn’t adhere to it, Sukumar forced me to resign and threatened me that if I wont he will terminate me and he will not issue me reliving letter and it will prove very harmful for my future Job Prospects, I was shocked to see a person of his stature talking so low, Sukumar denied me my legitimate right of Two months Notice Period Salary and payment for my more that 60 days of pending leave, it looks like Sukumar Ranganathan is trying to justify his own Salary by sacking people and saving money on even final settlement, can such people have any moral right to talk of Code of Conduct.
Frankly speaking after Anup Gupta left and Able Robinson was made the team head all in the team were sad and frustrated Anup was very caring of his team, he knew how to handle people he never humiliated his team member in Public Able Robinson is exactly opposite he love to humiliate his team member in public, shouting at his team member in public and no sentence of his ever complete without Bah** Ch** and Mad*** C***, even in front of female colleague, he is always threatening people of his team with getting them sacked, always telling people to resign if they cant blindly follow his instructions like an ass, boosting of that he got some of the people working on desk sacked by continuously complaining against them, Able crossed all limits in a party when he got so drunk that he started abusing a colleague and was about to hit him when Raju came and intervened and saved the poor fellow, I think these were the reasons that Raju though Promoted Able to the position of Art Director after Anup left but never considered carried his name in the paper as Art Director of mint, It looks like Raju was suspicious that Able’s conduct can some day harm the reputation of mint if Able’s name appears as an Art Director of mint in the paper.
There are people who joined under Abel Robinson worked for one day and because of Abel Robinson’s attitude never came back, they even refused to take Abel’s calls.
After Anup left Able started playing dirty politics too, he told Raju and Sukumar that Photographer Ramesh Pathania being very senior wants to work like an editor, Able’s strategy was that once Ramesh be given Photo Editor’s responsibility
Ramesh and Harikrishna will have a tussle, Ramesh will complaint against Hari whom Able hates like anything (Everyone in mint Design team knows this) Hari being fed up will either resign or on the bases of complaints he will get Hari sacked.
Another game plan of Able Robinson was to get Manoj Madhavan Art Director for Features removed so that he may make his position more secure, for this he started raising issues like why are three people from design working on BOL what is Manoj doing? Why only two people working on Lounge? What input manoj is giving as a Feature’s Art Director? Once I complained against Manoj to Raju, Able got so happy that he took me for Lunch and patted me, such is the mentality of Able Robinson.
Able also use to say that the day he’ll get the first opportunity he will sack Pranabh because Pranabh had altercation with Able.
Now the big question is how I know all this and why I’m writing this about Able, anyone can get my mobile records checked, I and Able use to talk for hours on phone after office hours where Able use to discuss all these things with me, it only stopped when his wife Sangita objected, and why I’m disclosing this about Able with whom I use to talk for hours on phone? When Sukumar sacked me I realized that my immediate boss and MF Able Robinson, is a spineless creature a parasite who riding on the back of his team and shamelessly take all the credit for the good work of the team but could not stand for me a person of his team when being sacked for no reason, he could not stand for the member of his team, me, who came to office with a fractured hand because he requested me to come as my other Colleague Preetha had some severe medical problem and she could not take too mush of stress, he could not stand for me who helped him financially five times and once to pay his daughters fee, he could not stand for me someone who cancelled his leave because I was wanted in office as my colleague Preetha suddenly fell ill, he even wrote a appreciation letter for this to the whole team, but could not stand like a man for his team member, Able never stands for his team, I realized that people like Able Robonson can only abuse his team and threaten them of getting them sacked, but I realized this too late.
Sukumar Ranganathan has also lost face to talk tall on code of conduct and ethics of Journalism when he carried Images shot by me without my permission like a thief, like a thief I say because the images have been carried without my Byline to conceal my Identity as a photographer who has shot those images, after sacking me, these images are my property and printing them without my prior permission is a gross Violation of Copyright, not only this one of my image has also been used for commercial purpose in an HT Media in-house Advertisement, in mint not once but repeatedly many times.
Why I’m writing this after so long of leaving mint is because I was waiting to receive my cheque of LTA, medical and salary for the 14 days of Jan that I worked, my notice period salary Sukumar has refused to pay, I fail to understand how people who being Boss sack the employees to satisfy their personal ego people, who deny the Legitimate right of there employee can talk of ethics and fighting for common man, such people can only work to satisfy their personal ego destroying the faith of employees in the organization and eroding the foundation of the organization they work for.
mint Editor Sukumar denied me my legitimate right of Two months Notice Period Salary and I DARE TO CHALLENGE SUKUMAR RANGANATHAN Without fearing of what Sukumar thinks is his strength that he is an EDITOR OF WALL STREET JOURNAL CONTENT PARTNER HT MEDIA BUSINESS PAPER MINT AND NO ONE CAN DARE TO CHALLENGE HIM NO MATTER WHAT HE DOSE AND HOW HE TREATS THE MINT EMPLOYEES, but I’m fearless when it comes to fight for what is right and what is my Right.
RD
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