"The Reporter Who Made the News – How I Helped Craft the India-Oman Fertilizer Deal"

🗓️ 26 July 1994 | Location: Muscat, Oman | Mood: Emotional, Defiant, in Love, and Flying
31 years ago, I left India with a pen, a plan, and a fire in my belly. Not just to report, but to redefine journalism itself. I wasn’t going to the Gulf to chase headlines. I was going to make news.
From Begusarai to Beena: The Ascent
The journey started in Begusarai, reporting grassroots stories for The Indian Nation and Aryavart, then moved to Allahabad, rubbing shoulders with Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, then just a university teachers’ leader. From there, I rose to Times of India, Patna, and became Principal Correspondent for Sandesh, covering Parliament as the youngest political reporter in Delhi.
But Oman had rules — no politics, no crime, no foreign policy in news. I wasn’t ready to let journalism become just a job.
Creating the Story: The India–Oman Deal
India was in a fertilizer crisis. Then-Fertilizer Minister Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav needed a long-term fix. I proposed the India-Oman Joint Fertilizer Project. Discussions, paperwork, approvals — all happened before I even boarded the flight. I landed in Muscat on 26 July 1994, and on 27 July, Minister Yadav followed to sign the historic deal.
The story that dominated headlines — was born from my pen and pitched before I left.
And in return, Oman invested in Beena Refinery in Madhya Pradesh.
Faces in the Frame
That legendary farewell and photo includes:
Ram Vilas Paswan, M.P, V. Narayanasamy, M.P, K.K. Tiwari, Union Information Minister, Urmilaben Patel, Union Power Minister, Jagannath Mishra, Union HRD Minister, Rameshwar Thakur, Union Finance Minister, Mr. Dey (IAS), Secretary, Communication, Aruna Ben, Gujarat Information, Nilesh Bhai (PMO), Manoj (Indiabulls), Deepak Chaurasia, Suresh Akhori, Sudhanshu Ojha, Premanshu, Pradeep Shrivastava, Kumar Anand, Jansatta, and others.
And yes, Dr. Adish Aggarwala, Sr. Advocate, Supreme Court.
A Farewell Etched in Memory
Revolutionary journalist, thinker, and scholar Awadhesh Kumar, who disagreed with my decision to leave India, still came to drop me at the airport. Out of protest, he didn’t attend my farewell party — a quiet rebellion that I respected.
His late wife and my student Kumari Kanchana, along with Sujit Vajpayee of Dainik Jagran and his wife Sunita, handled my packing.
What did my luggage contain? Bundles of newspapers and books. This was pre-Google era — books were my internet.
From home, my chosen siblings Amod, Ashish, and Anjali stood strong by my side.
My father couldn’t come to see me off — and isn’t with me today either.
But his blessings and struggle-filled life have always been my strength.
Today, 31 Years Later...
That flight wasn’t just professional. It was deeply personal.
And the story didn’t end in Muscat. It spread across nations, mediums, and moments —
TV, digital, print, Hindi, English — all touched by one defining moment: a journalist becoming a changemaker.
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> To the dreamers, journalists, and rebels out there—some stories you don’t chase. You build them, live them, and write them only when your soul is ready.

– Dr. Ajay Kumar Pandey
Reporter. Creator. Witness. Still typing…
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