Gregory Chipman of the BBC World Services Facilities Unit happened to be a close friend of mine for quite some time. As he told me once, he had been working in India as an invited or guest journalist for some time.
“I wanted to visit Sri Lanka, but I could not get the chance to do so,” he said.
“So why don’t you visit Sri Lanka in a few months or so when I am there?”
“I will make it a point to do so.”
“When are you going back?” he asked me.
“In two months’ time.”
“Is your contract with the BBC over?”
“Yes.”
“What are you doing at the moment?”
“Very soon I have to face the viva to know the results of my doctoral research.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Until that time, if you wish, you can join as a freelancer for either the Evening Standard or the Daily Mail.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“If you so like, I can take you even tomorrow morning to Fleet Street. It’s close by. We can walk the distance.”
As scheduled by Greg, I had to accompany him to the Daily Mail office around 9.30 a.m. the following day. We walked into the Daily Mail office and entered the chief editor’s room. Greg introduced me as one of his close friends and paved the way for the chief editor to gauge my abilities.
“What do you wish to write?” he asked me.
“I am not too sure, but I can write, if you so like, several oriental profiles,” I said.
The chief editor looked at my face and smiled.
“Can you get me some gag writings?”
Without much contemplation on what gag writing is, I responded: “Yes, certainly I will.”
“So then come and see me with a few gags.”
It looked as if the interview was over. Greg resumed a subject related to the political activities of the day. I was not a participant in that dialogue. But I went on listening to both of them. Greg was talking about several issues related to the function of the BBC World Service. As if the discussion came to a conclusion, Greg wanted me to accompany him to the BBC Bush House. On our way, I asked Greg:
“Greg, what actually is a gag?”
“Oh dear,” said Greg smilingly, “I thought you knew what it meant as you agreed to write gags.”
“I felt that I may know later.”
Then Greg went on explaining to me what a gag means in journalistic parlance.
“You know the page-setting process. Due to the design, several spaces remain as openings. They need to be filled. Gap fillings are called gag writing.”
“Thank you for the explanation. I know what a gag writer should do.”
