From 'venture to adventure' and then back to square one - that's the story of my life, says Farzana Contractor

She plays many roles. Ms Farzana Contractor, Editor and CEO of Upper Crust
magazine, speaks at the last meeting. Winner of the Giants Award in 2007 for
best journalist, she held a solo photography show at the Jehangir Art Gallery
in 2005, the proceeds of which were given for the aid of the Bombay flood
victims that year

The story of the life of Ms Farzana Contractor, Editor, Publisher and Photographer of Upper Crust, India's only food, wine and lifestyle magazine, makes for absorbing reading.

And why wouldn't it? For, in the few years that she has spent in this world, she has lived through experiences that not many would face in an entire lifetime.

From being an athlete, a hockey player and a basketball player all rolled into one, she went on to marry at an early age a man almost twice her age (she was married to the late Mr. Behram Contractor, who was one of India's best satirists and well known under his pseudonym "Busybee").

She learnt to bring out first a newspaper and then a magazine (and to be successful at both) and also how to click some excellent photographs.

It has been one long rollercoaster ride, as she herself stated at the last meeting when, as guest speaker, she talked about .Venture to Adventure "Life in the Media".

This is the story of her life, the moments of truth, of triumph and defeat and, above everything else, of the indomitable spirit that has kept her going all these years.

Ms Contractor stated at the outset that destiny had played the most important role in her life. There was little that she had done to give any particular direction to her life. "It just happened to me. certainly it was destiny. Just as it was destiny that made me meet Behram".

It was only by chance that somebody saw a letter penned by her, loved her handwriting and suggested that Farzana make a career as a journalist. This person was a refugee from the Ayatollahs. Iran and introduced her to Behram.

"I laughed outright, because there was nothing like that (becoming a journalist) in my mind at all. I was just out of law school then. But she was adamant that I meet the Editor of Mid-Day. I kept saying no till she used the magic word "Busybee". I asked why and she said because he's the man who's in charge of Mid- Day".

That was how Farzana embarked on what turned out to be a disastrous first meeting with Behram. The man sat by a huge typewriter, with a few chairs in front - however, visitors were supposed to stand, say what they had to say and go away in about half a minute.

But he saw enough talent in her to recommend her for employment as an Advertising Executive. She worked in that post for about three months from September, 1984.

Destiny was lurking round the corner. Before she knew it, three Sundays after meeting "Busybee" at his house and watching the "Here's Lucy" show, she found herself proposing to him. He was 30 years older, a journalist of great repute and belonged to another community.

"Would you like to marry me? I would like to marry you," she had said" He looked at her face and said, "Yeah, if you want".

Thus began the adventure of her life. They married within a month, on January 31, 1985, and she never looked back after that -"but, adventure never left my side".

Two days before the marriage, he gave up his job at Mid-Day. A week earlier, he had given up his home. He was now jobless and homeless and about to get married.

He gave her the option of backing out; and till his last day he never forgot the fact that she didn't (back out) but said "No, this is what I should do all the more now".

When Behram left Mid-Day, 30 staffers also resigned. He was jobless, homeless, just married and with a group of 30 to 32 colleagues waiting for him to start afresh and provide all of them with new opportunities. A friend, Mr. Amir Nensey, offered them the use of his studio apartment at Kemp's Corner.

Behram was looking for someone to finance a newspaper - he was not interested in a big business house that would soon swallow him. Nor did he accept the overtures of his former employers at The Times of India, for he did not believe in going back.

Ms Bakul Patel then introduced him to a prospective financier. And before long the new newspaper was rolling off the presses. "I don't think that's how newspapers really start, not in those days and not today, at the drop of a hat".

Behram and Farzana were married on January 31 and on March 25 their paper, The Afternoon Dispatch & Courier, was rolling out. There were papers like The Independent and The Indian Post (both since defunct) which were fantastic papers in looks and production and had the backing of big money.

Yet, the Afternoon came out every day, day after day, and slowly but steadily became so successful that a newsmagazine did a story on "this tiny little newspaper doing so well, whereas the other bigger papers are dropping by the wayside".

When they started, Farzana recalled, their only assets were six typewriters and Behram Contractor. Two years of hard work helped turn the corner and achieve financial success.

But their adventures were hardly over. While the paper was being printed at one press, its proprietor became extremely enterprising. He hired six Gujarati copywriters and translated the contents of Afternoon to bring out a Gujarati paper, Madhyantar! They hastened to take their custom elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the Contractors did not enjoy good relations with their financier. And by 1999 a question of survival arose once again. It had to be either them or the financier. The latter offered to sell his stake and the Contractors were willing to buy, but the deal went awry.

"Which is when another turning point, another milestone, occurred in my life".

When Farzana complained that it was becoming increasingly difficult to bank on trust, Behram told her to start her own publication. But she was aware that it was very difficult to start, sustain and make a success of a newspaper or magazine.

Yet, she took up the challenge and came up with Upper Crust, India.s first food and wine magazine, "launched at the perfect time, thanks to Behram.s foresight". It became popular because it came out at a time when the world was looking at India, particularly at Indian food, and new restaurants were opening everywhere.

The magazine opened many hitherto unknown doors; soon, life was on a roll and, as Farzana said, "we were having a blast. no doubt it was a rollercoaster because it is not easy to do these things".

And then, Farzana said, she became a photographer, again by default. She was on an assignment shooting at the Chowgules - vineyard at Narayangaon. But the results were disastrous despite the photographer being paid a huge sum of Rs. 30,000.

Once again, it was Behram who said to her, "Don't cry, I don't like people who cry; just buy yourself a camera and start shooting". That was exactly what she did -- and became a photographer.

"Everything I did was like a lark, a song. Everything was going pretty well, when suddenly, out of the blue, came another charge". (her biggest loss). She recalled Behram's words, took his loss on the chin and moved forward.

Farzana thanked film star Amitabh Bachchan, who inaugurated the Upper Crust Show, a food and wine event. Thanks to his help, the show became popular and earned a reputation for itself.

Finally, she said, even after 23 years in the media, despite moving from one adventure to another, she was "once again back on the first rung of the ladder, starting all over again. and I'm very happy to be climbing up".

Answering questions, she told Sitaram Shah that she had enjoyed every day of her life, every moment of the 16 years that she was married to "Busybee" and did not feel sad about anything.

"How can you not a like a life like mine? Hardships? We went through a lot of them because we were never a rich company, we had to be thrifty. On one occasion, Behram had to wade through waist-deep rainwater to take matter to the printing press. When you bring out a newspaper, you will do anything to ensure that it comes out on time.

"The hardships were physical, but mentally we were strong. Behram had the talent of making even the most difficult situation seem easy by saying, "Okay, no problem, we can face it'."

When Nanu Daruwala noted with regret that the Mensa puzzle published in the Afternoon every Monday had disappeared, Farzana agreed with him and said she would make an attempt to revive it in Upper Crust.

Sabira Merchant introduced Farzana to the members, while Pradeep Saxena proposed the vote of thanks.