Practising ethical journalism real tribute to journalist Manikchand Vajpayee: Sarsanghchalak

At a time when the media world is facing a crisis of credibility in the country, doing ethical journalism is the real tribute to late great journalist Shri Mama Manikchand Vajpayee, said RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohanrao Bhagwat. He was addressing an event, jointly organised by Panchjanya and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), to mark the conclusion of birth centenary celebrations of the former editor of the Hindi daily Sandesh.

The Sarsanghchalak said several people ask who is Manikchand ji? This is the biggest certificate for his commitment and character. He said ‘Manikchand ji never cared about his name or fame’ and the Sangh soldiers on because of thousands of dedicated people like him.

Elaborating on this, he said a small seed can give birth to a big tree. But for that the seed has to immerse itself into the soil. But once the seed goes into the earth, it is never visible. The seed is a symbol of ultimate sacrifice. There are thousands of faceless people like this who silently work for the society without expecting anything in return. Manikchandji was one of them, he added. “People like Manikchandji chose this path when the going was tough and there was darkness all around. People associating themselves when they are sure of getting something in return is very common,” said the Sarsanghchalak.

Speaking at the event, Union Minister Shri Prakash Javdekar said the Centre believes in media freedom and doesn’t want to impose any restrictions. “We are not in favour of imposing restrictions on the media and we support self-regulation. However, the government wants there should be responsible journalism,” he said.

Others who spoke at the event include former Governor of Haryana Shri Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chairman of IGNCA Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, IGNCA member-secretary Shri Sachithanand Joshi and Managing Director of Bharat Prakashan Shri Arun Kumar Goyal.