Hindusthan Samachar, a multilingual news agency, has turned 50. Though it was founded in 1948 by Dada Saheb Apte, it was registered as a cooperative body in 1957. Revived in 2003, it has today become a leading news agency supplying news in nine Indian languages?Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Asamia, Oriya, Kannada, Bangla, Sindhi and Nepali, and soon it is going to provide news in Sanskrit too. The Sindhi service of the agency was inaugurated on December 9 at the golden jubilee celebration held at FICCI Auditorium in New Delhi.
Addressing the gathering at golden jubilee celebration, Shri Mohan Bhagwat, Sarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said the objectives for which the Hindusthan Samachar was founded in 1948 are eternal. He said the country needs the media that fulfills its responsibility properly. ?Today, the scene is not good. We have to change it,? he said adding that the media plays a vital role in transforming the attitude of the countrymen and it has been proved during the freedom struggle and at many other occasions.
He further said the unhealthy competition developed among various media institutions would take the country nowhere. In such circumstances the challenge for the responsible media institutions has increased and they have to combat the growing commercialisation in this important sector. ?Media has the responsibility to educate the society. If the present trend of commercialisation continues what will happen to the country? The wrong and misleading information published by a section of the media to please some vested interests sometimes develop hatred even towards the great personalities of the country,? he added. He appealed to the journalists to understand their responsibility and look at the problems of the common man. He stressed the need to propagate Indian languages. Earlier, speaking to some mediapersons in the morning at Udasin Ashram Shri Bhagwat stressed the need for constructive journalism which could inculcate self-confidence among the countrymen. He said the days of remaining defensive by the nationalist forces are over and now they should take initiatives to protect the values of the country.
Shri Hari Jai Singh, former chief editor of The Tribune, said the people sitting in Delhi see every problem with their own glasses and nobody wishes to see them with the glasses of grassroots. ?This is the reason why they do not understand the problems properly and they remain unresolved. By releasing news in different local languages, the Hindusthan Samachar has done a very good job. It will help in finding and understanding the problems of various sections of the society. I think the Hindusthan Samachar should go to more remote areas to highlight the problems of the grassroots,? he said adding that democracy survives only with spread of quality information.
Shri H.C. Dhanwani popularly known as Siddhabhau, president of Jeevsewa Sansthan, Bhopal, appealed to the countrymen to contribute in nation building. Referring to the lavish life being enjoyed by some religious leaders in the country he said if the saints start living with simplicity they could reform the society. He also drew the attention of the audience to the growing importance of English and declining value of the Indian languages. He said English should be taught as a language as the modern needs demand it. He thanked the Hindusthan Samachar on behalf of the Sindhi society for starting news service in their mother tongue, as it would connect the Sindhi people living in different parts of the world. He donated Rs 2.5 lakh for the promotion of the agency.
Presiding over the function, Shri Ramshankar Agnihotri, chairman of the agency, said the Hindusthan Samachar is emerging as a sadhbhavna sethu (harmony bridge) among various Indian languages. ?Our one of the prime objectives is to end the conflict among different Indian languages,? he said describing the Hindusthan Samachar as the voice of the Indian languages. He informed that more than 150 newspapers are subscribing the news of the agency and it has bureaus in all the state capitals and major cities of the country. He said the agency has also developed a new software package with 2000 Hindi fonts.
Three veteran journalists?Shri Omprakash Pandit, Shri Shivkumar Goel and Shri Surendra Mohan, who had been associated with the agency'searlier days?were honouerd by Sarkaryavah Shri Mohan Bhagwat by presenting them a shawl and a coconut each. A message from Shri Sadhu Vasvani was also read out by Smt. Malini Matharani praising the beginning of the news service in Sindhi. Senior journalist and secretary of the Hidusthan Samachar Dr N.K. Trikha was also present on the occasion.
Earlier, at the Sampadak Sammelan on December 8, Shri M.G. Vaidya, veteran columnist and former editor of Tarun Bharat, spoke on the role of journalists in promoting nationalism. Mayor of Delhi Arti Mehra who inaugurated the Sammelan also spoke on the occasion.
