‘Media should work towards betterment of society’

Our Correspondent

Panchkula, May 20

Rich tributes were paid to the celestial visionary Rishi Narad at a largely attended function organised by the Haryana Sanskrit Academy during the Narad Jayanti celebrations at Academy Bhawan here on Sunday.

Rishi Narad had been extolled as the first ever mythological journalist of the universe. A 'Patrakar Samman Samaroha' was organised wherein about 56 mediapersons were honoured.

Dr Shomeshwar, Director, Sanskrit Academy, Haryana, welcomed the audience and explained the significance of the occasion. The dignitaries, including chief guest Prof BK Kuthiala, Chairman, Higher Education Council, Haryana; Haresh Vashist, News Editor, Dainik Tribune; and Ashok Malik, President, NUJ(I), delved deep into the wisdom of the Rishi and the journey of journalism from the olden era to the contemporary times and challenges thrown by the times.

Prof BK Kuthiala, while speaking on "Samaj, Sanskrit and Patrakarita", said Sanskrit was not a dead language and it was still relevant in our day-to-day life. "Even today, we initiate everything by pronouncing 'Om'. Narad was a true reporter who actually worked for society. His endeavour was always to do something better for the society, which should be also the main objective of today's media. Present day India might have forgotten the usefulness and uniqueness of Sanskrit, but the whole world is now researching on it, and very soon its old glory will return. This time, it will be from the foreign country. Before it happens so, we, the actual inheritor, should come up and make it relevant again," Kuthiala added.

On the occasion, Ashok Malik asked mediapersons to be closer to the society and present the subject which serves in a positive way. "One must save oneself from fake and negative news," he added. Sh Haresh Vashist, special guest, in his speech mainly focused on the problem faced by the mediapersons in their day-to-day reporting. They face lot of pressure from all squares and it became really hard to survive in the profession," he added.

Sumanto Ghosh anchored the programme.