NEW DELHI: The Indraprastha Vishva Samvad Kendra successfully organised the Devarshi Narad Journalist Awards 2024 at the Speaker Hall Annex, Constitution Club.
Twelve journalists were honoured for their outstanding contributions in various categories. Each awardee received a certificate, memento, shawl, and a check for INR 11,000.
Shreshta Verma, Associate Editor of TICE, received the ‘Outstanding Young Journalist’ award. At the same time, Deepti Mishra, the Chief Sub Editor of Jagran New Media was given the ‘Outstanding Women’s Issues Journalist’ award. Harish Chandra Barnwal, Vice President, BlueCraft Digital Foundation received the award for ‘Outstanding Content Creator (YouTube)’ and Sanjay Kumar the Senior Cameraman from News Nation received Outstanding Photographer (Photo/Video) award.
Reema Parasar the Senior Consulting Editor of DD News received a special award with a check for INR 21,000.
Sunil Ambekar, All India Prachar Pramukh of the RSS, emphasised the importance of remembering the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975. “A bad incident like the Emergency should be remembered to prevent its recurrence,” he stated. Ambekar highlighted the need for journalists to report the truth in the national interest, “Journalists should bring forth true information for society and the nation’s interest.”
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Ambekar also warned against forgetting the political circumstances that allowed authoritarianism to flourish. He highlighted the role of vigilant citizens and the RSS in resisting the Emergency’s measures, “Our efforts in restoring democratic values were crucial.”
Chief Guest Avinash Pandey, CEO of ABP News, encouraged journalists to emulate Devarshi Narad’s communication skills, “Narad Ji provided us with a communication option to solve every major problem. Journalists should learn from his style on when and how to use words.”
Ambedkar described journalists as the vigilant watchdogs of democracy, “Journalists provide news without personal feelings or selfishness, which connects society. In this era of information revolution, news should be presented in a way that does not negatively impact society.”
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Ambekar reminded attendees of the dark chapter of the Emergency, “The entire country remembered the dark chapter of the Emergency on the 25th of this month. Bad events should be remembered so that no one harms the nation again.”
The event saw participation from prominent media figures, including Avinash Pandey, Shubh Karan Bothra from the Bothara Foundation Trust, Ashok Sachdeva, and Ritesh Agarwal, President and Vice President of Indraprastha Vishva Samvad Kendra, respectively. Raj Kishore provided insights into the selection process, while Ashok Sachdeva delivered the vote of thanks.
This ceremony celebrated journalistic excellence and served as a poignant reminder of the importance of democracy and truthful reporting.