Jug Suraiya is a prominent Indian journalist, author and columnist. He is best known as a satirist and columnist. Suraiya is a former editorial opinion editor and associate editor of the Times of India. He is Delhi-based and schooled at La Martiniere Calcutta.
Columns
Suraiya writes two columns for the print edition of the Times of India. Of the two Jugular Vein, appears on Friday and the second column Second Opinion appears every Wednesday. He also writes the script for two cartoon strips for Times of India, "Duniya ke Neta" and "Like that only". Jugular Vein is a satirical column that skewers everything, from the mundane to the serious. Its everyday focus and travel writing are also well known. There is frequent referencing to his wife as 'Bunny' in the articles. Khushwant Singh has referred to Suraiya as "our own Art Buchwald". He is a writer distinguished for satire, wit and humour in his writings. Suraiya reflects on his personal reminiscences while drawing astounding parallels of some of the most famous personalities or gently touching at the absurdities which have become part and parcel of our lives.
Cartoon strip
Post 9/11 Suraiya created a daily cartoon in the Times of India called Dubyaman with Manav Paul content head Times of India & Neelabh Banerjee, staff artist of The Times of India. It is loosely based on US PresidentGeorge W. Bush. According to Suraiya, he first thought of Dubyaman as a kind of a superman type hero who would signify the military might and muscle of America, but unfortunately has the brain of a George W. Bush, thereby making him more dangerous. The idea was to show that far from being some sort of a superpatriot, this man could be a potential danger not just to his supposed enemies, but also to his friends and to his own country's people. Slowly but steadily Dubyaman has acquired local flavour with Jug frequently making fun of Indian politicians. He became the first Asian to win the Pacific Asia Travel Association gold award in 1983, for travel writing.
Suraiya spent a good chunk of his life in Kolkata, where he grew up. He worked with The Statesman and its youth magazine the Junior Statesman, before serving as associate editor. He later moved to New Delhi, joined the Times Of India, and lived in Vasant Kunj for a while before relocating to Gurgaon, where he currently lives with his wife Bunny.
