New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) As the nation marks the bicentenary of Hindi journalism, the society must engage in a “serious introspection”, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh said on Sunday.
On the second day of the seminar held at the Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) to commemorate the occasion, he asked, “How alert is our journalism today, especially Hindi journalism” to the critical issues around it.
On May 20, 1826, weekly ‘Udanta Martand’ was published from Calcutta (now Kolkata) heralding the beginning of Hindi journalism in India.
Harivansh said beneath the masthead of ‘Udanta Martand’ there used to be a slogan in Sanskrit, which meant — “Just as darkness cannot be dispelled without the light of the sun, people cannot become informed without the service of news. Therefore, I am making this effort to publish a newspaper”.
“The duty of journalism is that… Just as sunlight removes darkness, information and knowledge dispel ignorance among people,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the IGNCA.
In his address, the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha also quoted a report from ‘Udanta Martand’, published on September 5, 1826, under the title ‘Vilayati Kapda’ (foreign cloth).
“It noted that within nine years, imports of cloth from Britain had increased from an annual value of one and a half lakh rupees to sixty crore rupees. By carefully calculating the figures, the report raised the question of the rate at which India was being economically exploited,” he said.
It makes one wonder — when a person understands that the cause of India’s subjugation is economic, he raises economic questions and urges society to focus on them, Harivansh emphasised.
“I ask myself, how alert is our journalism today, especially Hindi journalism, to such economic issues,” he said.
“The journalism that began 200 years ago was inspired by the nation. Where is that nation in today’s journalism? On the occasion of the bicentenary of Hindi journalism, we must engage in a serious introspection,” Harivansh added. PTI KND PRK
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