Malaviya and Vajpayee are ideals for journalists: Ram Bahadur Rai

New Delhi: “The views and values of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and Atal Behari Vajpayee are still ideal for journalists. Both these visionary journalists taught us that the first duty of journalism is to awaken the society,” said Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, senior journalist and Chairman of Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi in a special programme titled “Remembering Warrior Journalists” organised by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) on Thursday. The function was organised on the eve of the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee. Shri Ashok Tandon, Member of Prasar Bharati Board and senior journalist who worked as Media Advisor with Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee when he was Prime Minister, Director General of IIMC Prof. Sanjay Dwivedi, Additional Director General (Administration) Shri K. Satish Namboodiripad and Additional Director General (Training) Smt. Mamta Varma were also present.

Shri Rai said Malaviya ji was not only a great freedom fighter, politician and educationist, but also a renowned social reformer. He was also instrumental in breaking the caste barriers. He said Malaviya ji popularised ‘Satyamev Jayate’, which later became the national motto and was inscribed below the national emblem.

Shri Rai further said Mahatma Gandhi gave the title of ‘Mahamana’ to Madan Mohan Malaviya. Actually, it is due to his great deeds that Malaviya ji is called as ‘Mahamana’. He founded ‘Banaras Hindu Vishwavidyalaya’, one of the best universities in India.

Recalling he association with Atal ji, Shri Ashok Tandon said Atal Behari Vajpayee was known for his political commitment. Atal ji listened carefully to the public and tried to fulfill their aspirations. Shri Tandon said Atal ji did journalism in very difficult circumstances and he not only wrote and edited news but also distributed the newspaper himself. This shows his commitment to journalism.

Shri Tandon said Vajpayee ji was a journalist before becoming the active politics. The goal of his life was not to earn money through journalism, but to join the cause of nation building. His poems still stir the youth. Atal ji believed that newspapers have a big national obligation. Even if we count newspapers in the industry, but newspapers are not just industries, they are more than that, Shri Tandon added.

The function was moderated by Prof. Pramod Kumar. Earlier in the day, all the staff & faculty members and officers of the IIMC paid tribute to both the national leaders and planted saplings in the campus in their memories.