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Oswald Pereira
Oswald Pereira

Oswald Pereira

Chief Editor, Confident Editors

Confident Editors

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My family background
I hail from Thane in Maharashtra. I have seven brothers and sisters. My late father Cyprian Pereira was an engineer by profession and my mother, 85, is a home maker. My siblings have taken up various professions including engineering and fashion designing.Two of my brothers have their own businesses. One sister migrated to Canada where she works as a computer professional.
My role model
It is difficult to point towards one role model as I have come across various good people in the course of my career and in my personal life. But Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography, My Experiments with Truth, inspired me a lot. It taught me to be honest and truthful in my profession as a journalist. To be a good journalist you have to be honest, fearless and impartial, which is what Gandhiji was.
My achievements
As a journalist I wrote without fear and didn't write to seek anybody's favour. There were inducements from various quarters including the underworld but I succeeeded in avoiding these temptations and held my head high. As an author, my first novel, The Newsroom Mafia, described the media-mafia-government nexus. It was a novel that earned me a lot of friends among the younger generation who are still idealistic. My second novel, Revenge of the Naked Princess: A Dark Tale on Forced Conversions, captures the brutality of forced conversions in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese military and Christian missionaries. The book has been described as brilliant by leading Christians and authors. Best-Selling author Ashwin Sanghi, said Revenge of the Naked Princess is an incredible, very gripping novel that moved him to tears. I would thus say I'm proud of my achievments both as a journalist and a novelist.
Couple of years from now
In a couple of years from now, I see myself as one of India's top authors and opinion makers. I have a burning desire to fight corruption and injustice in society.
Thoughts on Education system of our country
Our education system today is based on learning by rote. Students often don't understand what they are studying but nevertheless manage to get through examinations through hard work. We need a more open system of education with emphasis on vocational and practical training. Why does one have to go through a graduation,then a postgraduation and a specialised degree say in management, before entering the job market. Those who have the capacity to pay for higher education are the ones who succeed professionally. Those who can't afford those many years of education are the ones that are left behind in the rat race. There's a greater need for employees rising on the job, rather than reaching higher positions merely by virtue of having many qualifications.
Qualities needed to become a successful leader
The first qualififation for a person to become a successful leader is a sense of service to humanity. A good leader gives more than he receives. He ensures the growth of his entire team and he rises on his own steam and not at the cost of others. A leader who reaches the top by trampling on others is not likely to remain on top for a long time ... he will soon have a downfall.
Important lesson learned
To be happy you have to first find peace within yourself. You can be happy only when you share your happiness with others. The more you chase success, the more it eludes you. So you have to do your job and leave the rest to the Divine Being.
Initiative to develop a country
Professionals should work in the backward, underdeveloped parts of the country from time to time and give something to the people and the nation, not necessarily money but their valuable time.
Brief description about me
I have more than 30 years' experience in journalism, teaching and communications, having worked for leading publications including the Times of India, Outlook and Financial Express. I have also been editor of niche publications on infrastructure and defence. I was on the faculty of the Times of India School of Journalism. I have now set up my own editorial consultancy, Confident Editors. Among my clients are multilateral agencies, NGOs, eLearning companies, publishing houses and literary agencies. I have a sound track record as a journalist with wide national and international exposure as well as strong leadership skills. Among my special abilities is rewriting, which I can do with speed and expertise. My debut novel, The Newsroom Mafia, was published by Grey Oak Westland on 8 December 2011. It was among the top new releases nationwide and sold more than 5000 copies within the first two months of its publication. My second novel Revenge of the Naked Princess was published in Dec 2012.
Ensuring success
I constantly try to better my skills and don't believe in being complacent. Growth is a continuous, ongoing process and only stops when you breathe your last.
Important decision
My most inportant decision has been to fight the system whenever it was unjust and not bow down to power, oppression or arm twisting. I may have lost jobs in the process but I can proudly say that I never sucked up to any human being, however, powerful he may have been. I am a born fighter and I'll die fighting for truth and justice and freedom.
Influenced by
Mahatma Gandhi's courage to fight the British Raj with non-violence and to be fearless and honest despite being seemingly frail in physique.
My strongest skill
My strongest skills are writing and editing. As a journalist I have written on crime, politics and business. As a novelist I have written on corruption and religion. I am now writing a funny book and my next venture is a children's book. So I would say I'm versatile as a professional.
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