"Arunji, you must have been surprised to receive a call from me?" Churan Mal Tapori said.

"Yes,  Mr. Tapori, I was. Frankly I still can't quite place you," Arun Poo Ree the doyen of  print  journalism in Bharat replied looking with rather ill-concealed distaste at the short, fat and prosperous looking man sitting opposite him.

 "Well Arunji I started my life selling peanuts on the pavements and by sheer dint of dedication, determination and desperation rose to become the uncrowned monarch of bhajiwalas."

 "Are you the president of the Vegetable Vendors Association?"

"Of course not! I am the   Bhaji King of Bharat. I purchase vegetables from the farmers and sell them to the consumers after packaging and branding them. My head office is here in Amchi Mumbai and I have branches all over the country. Surely you must have heard of 'Climax  Kaddu', 'Karamati Karela', 'Adbhut Aalu',  'Titanic Tamatar', 'Bindaas Bhindi'  etc  etc.  All these brands are from the house of Tapori - the Betaaj  Badshah of Bhajiwalas. "

 "Very interesting Mr. Bhaji....sorry Mr.Tapori.  And now since I am equipped with enough information to write your biography can you tell me what you want from me?"

"Yes, yes I was just coming to that. My son is creating a problem?"

"Come on Mr.Tapori, if your son is creating a problem what am I supposed to do? I am neither a paediatrician nor a nanny."

"Easy Arunji let me explain.  My son Puran  is studying in  the best public school of the city.  His friends' fathers are all big shots - bureaucrats, industrialists, film stars, ministers etc. Now naturally, he is ashamed of my profession. Well, to make Puran happy I want to diversify into a profession which is much more respectable."

"So what will you do? Instead of peddling bhaji you'll peddle dry fruits?"

"No, no, Arunji I have decided I'll launch a magazine?'

"What?  Are you crazy? You know nothing about the publishing business and you want to straightaway launch a magazine which is about the most  difficult thing to do!"

"That is why I have come to you. What you don’t know about print journalism can be written at the back of  an Aalu."

"Taporiji, I am surprised that you have such an in depth knowledge of  journalism.  But I must warn you I brook no interference from anyone."

"Yes, of course. I'll give you complete freedom,” Tapori said and they parted.

                                                                   ***

 A week later Poo Ree entered Tapori's room on the 19th floor of the impressive Tapori towers. He was followed by a young lady.

"Taporiji, this is my assistant Miss Sweety Chadda."

They shook hands and the meeting began.

"First of all Sweetyji will present the findings of the exploratory study which she conducted on our proposed project."

Sweety got up and began speaking, "Taporiji as far as the print media is concerned this is the age of specialisation. We have magazines on different subjects ranging from computers to cats, from furniture to fibre optics, from sex to semantics and G-strings to Geriatrics. In today's increasingly competitive world if we want to survive then we have to select a unique category or slot and make that the focus of our magazine."

"I think that is a great idea. Let our magazine  focus on vegetables. We can call it ‘Bhaji Bulletin’. That way I too will be able to contribute an editorial every week devoted to the various aspects of bhaji growing, packaging and branding."

 "Don't be silly Taporiji. Who will buy a newspaper devoted to bhindis and baingans, Kaddus and Karelas?  Now please allow Sweetyji to continue."

 “We should focus on scams. If there is one word which has redefined the art and craft of politics in the country it is ‘Scam’.  It has left no one untouched. Sari, Dhoti, Urea, Land, Coal, Fodder, Rice....these are seemingly innocuous words. Now just add the suffix scam and see what happens. It opens up a Pandora's box of corruption, wheeling dealing, theft, bribery and what have you. Taporiji our Magazine will be called 'Scam Times' and will be devoted exclusively to the coverage of Scams."

 “Great. Your idea is even more delicious than a red and ripe tomato, but   can you fill the pages of a weekly magazine with the news related only to scams?"

 "Of course!” said Poo Ree.  “We have already decided on the layout. The first 10 pages will  feature the current  national and international scams. Pages  11 to 15   will have political scams  while pages  16 to 20  will  have financial scams. Pages 21 to 25 will be related to scams in the area of sports and glamour. Pages 26 to 30  will feature scams down the ages. We can start with the Laakshagrah episode in the Mahabharata. After all it can be considered the naani of all political scams."

  "Very good, Arunji and Sweetyji. I am very happy with your planning. Now let's start the preparations for launching -  'Scam Times',”  Tapori  announced.

                                                                             ***

Three months later the first issue of 'Scam Times' hit the stands all over the country. Alas it was also the last issue.  On the cover page it carried a profile of the   'Scamster of the Year' - the first, last and only nomination of its kind ever made in Bharat. P.K. Kachori the Chairman Cum Managing Director of Aloo Tamatar Syndicate (ATS)  had been awarded the  title. ATS had bagged the Government tender for supplying 10 kg of Aloo and Tamatar to all the slum dwellers in Amchi Mumbai, every day for a period of one year. ATS had taken advance payment and duly completed the order.

There had been only one minor deviation. In the clause -'supply of 10 kg of Aloo and Tamatar, Kachori had erased 'K' and dutifully supplied 10 g of the vegetables to the  slum dwellers.  This minor aberration had made Kachori rich by a   few hundred lakhs.

 Arun  Poo Ree, had stumbled on this scam while working on a scoop for 'Scam Times'. Only a day before the issue was to hit the stands  Poo Ree  realised that  Kachori was one of the many aliases of P.M.Tapori  and  ATS just  one  among  his numerous concerns. Now  Poo Ree  was in a terrible dilemma - on one side was duty  and on the other booty. ( Poo Ree had been offered 100 lakhs and life time editorship of Scam Times by Tapori to keep his trap shut). Ultimately duty triumphed over booty and the rest as they say is history. Tapori landed in jail and 'Scam Times' folded up.