Guwahati: The annual Devarshi Narad Jayanti award ceremony, where senior journalist Nava Thakuria was awarded and three city-based reporters namely Ranjita Rabha of Pratham Khabar news channel, Lakhyajit Gohain of NK Television and Mridul Haloi of Dainik Asom were felicitated, brought some good news about the survival of print journalism. Organized by Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK) Assam, a subsidiary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), at Sudarshanalaya in Barbari locality of the prehistoric city on 7 June 2026, the function also witnessed an illuminating lecture presented by Prakhar Shrivastava, senior consulting editor and anchor at Delhi Doordarshan Kendra, where the awardee made a refreshing views on print media outlets around the world and eastern India region in particular.
Terming Devarshi Narad, who was omnipresent in different periods including Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas carrying the divine messages, Thakuria commented that the ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu had successfully mediated among deities, kings, demons, sages and others in the society. Accepted as a guiding light of journalism, Narad Muni was well-versed in all Vedas and Upanishads, where he used to facilitate dialogue and discussions moving across three Loks (Swarga, Martya and Patal). An outstanding scholar on education, astrology, music and Ayurveda, Devarshi always carried information and wisdom without any fear or trepidation. Continuously chanting Narayan-Narayan with his traditional stringed instrument Veena, the travelling storyteller also spread the devotion through Kirtan with credibility and acceptance to all.
“The present day journalists desperately need the reliability and recognition from the society as the medium continues to face tremendous challenges in the post-corona era, where the common internet users have been surfacing as news makers around the world. But the excessive number of so-called news on cell phones in almost everyone’s hands would create a digital fatigue which may compel the audience to return back to the habit of newspaper-reading,” he stated. However, it’s genuinely expected that the print media will enrich their authenticity and fairness to the maximum extent. The integrity of a mythological character like Narad may thus encourage contemporary journalism, while questioning the authority, gathering factual information and disseminating stories with clarity for the greater interest of the society and nation, he asserted.
While addressing the audience Shrivastava made a significant observation that in journalism, the propagation and judgment of half-truths may pose a greater danger than an outright falsehood. The seasoned television anchor commented that the media in today’s altered Indian political landscape maintains a positive outlook towards the RSS, but such an attitude to the nationalist volunteer organization was rare in the past. VSK Assam secretary Kishore Shivam, while presenting a brief overview of Narad also described him as the seeker of knowledge and the eradicator of flaws. He noted that a deeper research into Narada’s 84 Bhakti Sutras could enrich the aims and objectives of modern journalism. Anchored by Naba Bujar Baruah, the meeting was also addressed by VSK Assam president Gouranga Sarma. A souvenir titled Veena Bani was also released, where the vote of thanks was offered by Guru Prasad Medhi.
Good days are ahead of print media outlets !
