Author Tom Wolfe dead at 88
New York, May 16: Award winning writer and journalist Tom Wolfe, who is noted for works like "The Bonfire of the Vanities", "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" has passed away in the US. He was 88.
Wolfe who pioneered "new journalism" passed away in Manhattan on Monday, his agent confirmed the news to the New York Times on Tuesday. He had been hospitalised with an infection.
Wolfe, who began working as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune in 1962, was a pioneer of "new journalism", which melded traditional reporting methods and literary fiction techniques.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1930, Wolfe attended Washington and Lee for undergraduate and Yale for his Ph.D. before moving to New York in the 1960s, the New York Post reported.
Wolfe worked as a reporter at the Springfield Union in Massachusetts and as the Latin American correspondent for the Washington Post.
His first book "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby" was a collection of essays originally published in Esquire magazine.
While the stories have no connecting theme, this is the first book that gave early examples of New Journalism.
Wolfe's other books include "The Pump House Gang", "Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers", "The Painted Word" and "Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine" which includes his well-known essay about the "Me Decade."
His best-selling book "The Right Stuff" which is about rocket airplane experiments after World War II and the Project Mercury astronauts, won the American Book Award for nonfiction, the National Institute of Arts and Letters Harold Vursell Award for prose style, and the Columbia Journalism Award.
Wolfe's first novel "The Bonfire of the Vanities," was first serialised in Rolling Stone magazine and came out as a book three years later. It followed the greed, racism and social classes of New York City in the 1980s.
Wolfe is survived by his wife, Sheila, and two children, Alexandra and Tommy.
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Nation's willpower as important as military strength for ensuring security, says NSA Doval
Gandhinagar (PTI): National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Tuesday described national security as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, and stressed that the biggest mistake in assessing a nation's strength is ignoring the willpower of its people.
While factors such as military strength are critical, inherent strength of people often proves decisive in security matters, he insisted.
Addressing students at the fifth convocation ceremony of the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in
Gandhinagar in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Doval emphasised that national security is a collective responsibility shared by the entire nation.
"National security is a vast, complex, and multifaceted phenomenon. It comprises numerous components: a nation's military might, technological prowess, natural resources, diplomatic strength, and human capital," he said in his address to students passing-out of the government-run university, which has been designated as an institution of national importance.
However, what often happens and where errors most frequently occur when assessing this comprehensive national power is in the evaluation of the nation's willpower and the inherent strength of its people, said the NSA.
Explaining this, Doval cited global examples and said, "If Russia (then USSR) withdrew from Afghanistan (in 1988-89), or if the United States was compelled to withdraw from Vietnam (in 1970s) or if the US failed to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan - it was not for a lack of technology or military strength.
"Rather, the decisive factor was the spirit and commitment of the local people, what we refer to as nation's willpower."
He stressed that the sole objective of warfare is to break the morale of one's adversary, thereby compelling them to accept a treaty on your terms.
The NSA said the role of citizens is crucial in building this strength.
"In the cultivation of this willpower, the role of general public is of paramount importance, specifically the degree of awareness regarding their own security," he opined.
Doval noted India is witnessing a shift in this regard.
"Today, after a long time in our history, we are witnessing a new awakening. (That) national security is a collective responsibility shared by the entire nation. It is not the sole responsibility of the armed forces, police, or intelligence agencies -- it is the combined strength of all of you that ultimately constitutes our national morale," he told the gathering.
Highlighting the role of professionals in security ecosystem, including those in academia, research and operations, he said their knowledge, technical expertise and awareness significantly influence outcomes.
The NSA stressed the importance of character and discipline in the field, saying "mental power" and the ability to work as a team are essential qualities for excelling.
Calling commitment the "third indispensable element," Doval said the field of national security demands the highest level of dedication.
In a message to youngsters wishing to join the security domain, the NSA asserted, "This is a game in which there are no silver medals. You are either victorious, or you are vanquished. If you win, you make history; but if you lose, you become history. Your very existence will be at stake."
During the convocation ceremony, Doval was conferred an honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree by President Murmu in recognition of his contributions to national security.
"With the utmost humility, I accept the Honorary Doctorate degree conferred upon me here today. I am deeply grateful for this honour," the NSA added.
