Stories that
outlast the deadline.

“Sanjay M Johri is a friend, UNICEF should have everywhere. When I first met him in the early 90s, he was then correspondent for the Press Trust of India (PTI). He was on top of my media list and my phone list. Through PTI I could reach all the far-flung newspapers. Sanjay is a patent holding scientist turned journalist. He sought facts, not just a handout. As a scientist he was always on the lookout for the logic behind the story. He was not looking for a handout but was keen to know how that story changes lives of people. When I returned to Lucknow in 2003 after six years assignment Sanjay had moved on and had become a mass com faculty member. As a teacher of journalism, he is a genuine nurturer of students. He was keen that I present the children’s perspectives to future media professionals and give them assignments on child rights issues. When he moved in as the Director of the Amity School of Communication, he helped us create a unique model of involving with Masscom students, which resulted in all Masscom students engaging with all the children in a block and creating films and exhibitions entirely created by Masscom students. Sanjay continues that tradition as an annual engagement of students with the rural communities. Sanjay is loved by students because he is a genuine mentor. He is also a great team player. I have had also the privilege interacting with his family, his very accomplished wife Sadhna, and his very successful children”

“I have had both the honour and the privilege of being associated with Sanjay M Johri over the last 30-odd years, in various capacities: as a student, later as a colleague, and still later, in his endeavours as an academic. In my reading of him, there are a few things that make him hugely successful. Firstly, despite possessing an immense reservoir of knowledge, his thirst for more keeps him very current and informed. With so much information at one’s disposal, one is likely to throw one’s weight around. Not him; he is quite open to others and their points of view. His second quality worth emulating is the very way he conducts himself. Despite his stature and the respect, he commands, the man has few airs about himself. Dr. Johri has that knack of making the young and old alike feel comfortable in his presence but he can be a hard task-master, should the situation so demand. What’s more, he can slip out of one skin and into the other in the twinkling of an eye! But his most admirable trait is that he remains cool, calm and collected and never shows even an iota of the pressure he carries on himself while exercising his duties. You are most likely to be fooled by his demeanour and his easy gait, but you will learn that he is very sharp and perceptive, and few things escape his notice. He has guided many through studies, jobs and the choppy waters of life. I pray that many more journalists learn the trade under his watchful care.”

“It has been over 40 years since I have known Dr. Sanjay Johri, as both friend and a professional associate. He was a reporter in PTI covering medical and health along with other beats while I joined SGPGI as a novice Public Relations Officer. Soft spoken Sanjayji used to be a constant support then and which he continued over the years. He is one of the most disciplined and punctual persons I have ever known in the field of journalism. He was always there a few minutes earlier than the scheduled time of press conference and had that special eyes and ears to ‘sniff’ news and the ardent desire to delve deep into the subject and that extra brilliance to paint it perfectly in words. His ability to work efficiently under stressful conditions and nerve-wracking deadlines speaks volumes about his hard work and determination. Being an academically oriented person Sanjayji, followed his heart and took a serious decision to move on from active journalism to teaching journalism as he joined JIM, Lucknow along with his close friend and associate Mr. Ratan Mani Lal. He then moved to Amity University to take over as Director Amity School of Communication. He exhibited the same enthusiasm, verve and excellence in teaching as in journalism with perfect balance. It was a rare honour to witness Sanjayji moving ahead to give his best to the Journalism Institute in Lucknow. He worked with excellent leadership skills and morale and was a perfect blend of teacher and administrator with composed demeanour. As the Director of ASCO, his activities have grown manifold, but he remains to be the same humble, down to earth person I have ever befriended. He still loves teaching, and the students adore him for his innovative ideas and spirit. As a Professor he is known for his excellent communication skills especially his writing skills. His colleagues look up to him not as a boss but as a matured friend and guide. Dr. Sanjay Johri possess brilliant charisma and an imposing personality. He is a compassionate human being with praiseworthy perseverance and ambition and proved to be an indispensable asset to the organization he belongs to. I am proud to have him as a friend.”

“My relationship with Dr. Sanjay M Johri (whom I fondly call by his first name only) began almost 40 years ago when both of us were beginning to learn the finer nuances of agency journalism in Lucknow. Though we were working for the rival news agencies –PTI & UNI, our relationship was never affected by the agencies’ so- called rivalries. What had started as a professional acquaintance, gradually developed into a deeper bond for life. Right from the beginning, Sanjay was very imaginative, ingenious & experimentative. He literally taught Science reporting to the scribes of Lucknow. His style was lucid and demonstrated a great talent to converting most complex technical copies into easy-to-read stories. It has been fascinating to see Sanjay growing into a mature professional with immense versatilities. He found his calling in the academics and has proved to be a true teacher who exhibits expert-level knowledge of the industry’s history and best practices, enabling them to effectively help shape the careers and livelihood of the next generation of journalists. It is most impressive to see the leadership role into which Sanjay has evolved. His penchant for maintain the journalistic ethics, strict adherence to objectivity and willingness to go extra mile to help budding journalists make him a great journalist & guru whom generations will revere. Perhaps the greatest quality which I admire in him is that he is a noble soul and great human being – a rare tribe these days.”

““My association with Dr. Johri is both familial and professional. In a field of work where market insecurities often loom over us and instabilities define the usual course of action, Dr. Johri’s mentorship has been a tremendous support for me in understanding tricks of the trade as well as to inculcate the oft ignored ethics of media. With the fine balance of an academician and a media professional, Dr. Sanjay Johri is not only an erudite journalist but also a remarkable human being. I had the opportunity to know Sanjay Johari Sir both as an outstanding Journalist and as a role model teacher. As a senior Journalist of PTI at that time, he had a formidable reputation. He was not only very fast and factually accurate, his writings, even on complex scientific issues, were always engrossing. Fellow Journalists always used to wonder about his insatiable appetite for news and amazing energy level. Knowing that he has a steel rod implanted inside his leg, made it even greater more surprising for me. But it was as his student during my Journalism Course that I fully discovered the marvel of Sanjay Johari Sir. He was the kind of teacher you get only if you are very lucky. He didn’t teach – he made us learn. He never corrected anyone – he made us look to our shortcomings and strive for self-improvement. He led us by example and brought out the best in everyone. Thanks to his easy going style and infectious smile, he was the most popular teacher, especially among girls (Sir, hope you will forgive me for revealing this!) He, along with Ratan Mani Lal Sir were two people, without whom I would not have been here today. At a time when shortcuts and success by hook or crook has become so common, he is a shining example how professional excellence can be achieved without compromising on integrity and ethics. What makes Johari Sir a rare kind of teacher is the fact that once you have been his student, he will always be there to help and guide you. Years after I passed out from his class, I would approach him with a problem, a difficult situation and he would always go out of way to help me. I really feel blessed that over the years I have continued to get his affection. Knowing Sanjay Johari Sir makes you believe that respect is not demanded – it’s commanded.”

“I know Dr. Sanjay Johri since a very long time, say 40 years or may be more than that, and I feel proud to say that we are friends too – it is always very difficult to write something about a person who is your friend and task becomes even more difficult and daunting when one is required to comment about his professional and aesthetic talent and predicament becomes thick enough to be cut with a knife. I noticed he has got good observation; I feel he has the essence of visualization for creating his journalistic writings in his own way. His stories were always of high level of competence and personal involvement, created with ample research of the taken subject. Being a very competitive journalist, he is also an able teacher, guide and administrator. He conceives and envisages on a different scale as he views things beyond the obvious, and he has been able to effortlessly impart a whiff of freshness and a lingering fragrance of creativity to his writing interpretations.”