By Our Correspondent
CUTTACK/BHUBANESWAR: The Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu has asked media to shun the tendency to sensationalize and present facts dispassionately without mixing news and views. He said that media must remain honest and truthful and act with great restraint and responsibility.
Speaking at the centennial celebrations of ‘the Samaja’, a leading Odia Daily,in Cuttack, Odisha today, he said that a free and fair media was not just a part of a healthy democracy but was an indispensable prerequisite. “Media has been considered the fourth pillar of the democratic system– a pillar that supports, nurtures and nourishes the democracy and helps in course corrections as and when necessary”, he added.
Stating that media must inform, educate and enlighten people, Shri Naidu said that it has a critical role to play in the formation of public opinion. He asserted that media must empower citizens and help in ushering in greater transparency and accountability in the governance system. “Media must amplify the voice of citizens and communicate their opinions to lawmakers”, he added.
Naidu urged media to expose loopholes in the democratic system, thereby helping the government in making the system more accountable, responsive and citizen-friendly.”Democracy without media is akin to a vehicle without any wheels”, the Vice President added.
Describing journalism as a mission, Naidu said that TRPs, circulation figures and bottom lines, though important, must not dictate media’s path. He said media must place the welfare of the common man and the progress of the nation at the centre of all its activities.
The Vice President asked media to get rid of established prejudices and give voice to the expectations of youth, women, farmers and entrepreneurs. “Media must act as the moral compass and the conscience of the society and must aggressively campaign to end all social evils. It must become the voice of the voiceless and help the helpless”, he added.
Underscoring that media had the potential to be a vehicle for change in status quo, he called for the reporting and highlighting of more positive stories and best practices to inspire positive changes. He asked media to also lend a hand in protecting, preserving and promoting India’s rich cultural heritage and languages.
Referring to the stellar role played by Indian media in making the Swachh Bharat Movement a resounding success, Shri Naidu asked media to play a constructive role in solving the burning problems of our time, from poverty to disease to climate change.
Speaking of the rapidly proliferating social media, a by-product of which is fake news, the Vice President expressed concern that the pervasive menace of fake news threatens to destroy the credibility of media and asked media to effectively tackle and disprove fake news by taking control of the narrative.
He expressed hope that more and more vernacular newspapers would come up in India, promoting regional languages and spearheading prosperity of rural areas. He opined that regional media could truly transform the rural landscape of India through prudent, prompt and truthful reporting.
Observing that completion of 100 years was a significant milestone in the journey of an organization, Shri Naidu said that the accomplishment was a testimony to the Samaja’s commitment to journalistic excellence, dedication to objective reporting and above all, the popularity it enjoyed among the people of Odisha.
The Vice President paid tributes to the founder of the Samaja, Utkalamani Pandit Gopabandhu Das and said that he was a great teacher, a renaissance poet, a seasoned journalist, a selfless social worker, a frontline freedom fighter and a great proponent of Gandhian ideologies and moral values .
The Vice President also released a book on Gopabandhu Das written by Dr. Subhash Chandra Mishra. He said that such books on icons would serve as an inspiration to younger generation.
Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Governor of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel, Govt. of India, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Member of Parliament and others were present on the occasion.
Naidu said that poetry can serve as a powerful catalyst to hasten the process of social transformation.Addressing the valedictory session of the 39thWorld Congress of Poets (WCP) at Bhubaneswar in Odisha today, Naidu said that poets have the capability to be influencers and opinion-makers and urged them to use their unique ability to shape people’s thoughts, feelings and attitudes to build a better world. Poets from various nations participated in the Conference.
Congratulating the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) & Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) for organizing a confluence of talented poets, the Vice President said that he was deeply touched by the theme of the poetry conference– “Compassion through Poetry”.
Observing that compassion was innate to all of us, he said “we must realize this and practice it consciously till it becomes our habit and all our actions, subconsciously, exhibit compassion, kindness and positivity. ‘Compassion begets compassion’, he added.
The Vice President lauded the institution, for its abiding commitment to excellence and appreciated its dynamic founder Achyuta Samanta for his relentless endeavors towards reforming and transforming lives of millions of Adivasi people.
Naidu said that poetry was one of the finest expressions of human emotions and conveys the deepest insights, a wide range of emotions and elevates human experience to highest levels of consciousness. ‘Poetry has a great impact on the inner chemistry of human emotions. How we perceive, how we respond and how we behave – all this is shaped by literature and fine arts to a large extent’, he added.
The Vice President said that India’s tryst with poetry was as old as its civilization. He spoke of the great Indian epics Ramayana & Mahabharata and said that they were among the finest specimens of poetry ever written, celebrated world over for the grandeur of their themes, their extraordinary literary heights and the depth of messages they convey.
Emphasizing that it was crucial to promote arts and culture to build an enlightened and healthy society, he said “Arts nurture creativity in the society. Without a creative voice, a society will become stagnant. Artists enliven lives. They transform our lives and change our perception”, he observed.
Describing artists as the conscience keepers of a society, Naidu said that they constantly question the absurd and the illogical and help instil positive values in the society. “By sharing common cultural threads, art unites hearts. It brings out latent human characteristics to the force”, he added.
Stressing that poetry was a powerful vehicle of intergenerational transmission of values and knowledge, the Vice President said that Indian tradition has relied on poetry for transmission of wisdom and even scientific knowledge.
He urged schools to make poetry reading and appreciation a compulsory part of the curriculum. He also asked universities to encourage literature, arts and humanities education.”We need poets and writers and artists and singers as much as we need doctors, engineers and scientists”, he underscored.
Suggesting that promotion of literature was also an impactful method to preserve and promote languages, the Vice President said that the best way to preserve or promote any language was to use it extensively in everyday life. He opined that more and more people should be encouraged to write poetry, stories, novels and dramas in their native languages and called for dedicated measures to preserve, protect and promote mother tongues.
He expressed hope that events such as the World Conference of Poets would serve as platforms for sharing poetic masterpieces with the world and at the same time inspire budding poets to get inspiration from other poets.
The Vice President expressed hope that larger public good would serve as the underlying source of inspiration as poets continue to ‘weave the silken threads of poetry and enthrall as well enlighten multitudes of people across the world’.
Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Governor of Odish, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of State for Animal Husbandary, Dairying & Fisheries and MSME, Govt. of India, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister of State (I/C), Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Tourism, Odisha,Prof. Achyuta Samanta, President, 39th World Congress of Poets and others were present on the occasion.
