The Hindu : Tributes to different generations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 14, 2003

National

National

Tributes to different generations

By K. Ramachandran

The Editor-in-Chief, N. Ram, welcoming the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, at the reception organised on the occasion of the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of The Hindu at the Taj Coromandel Hotel in Chennai on Saturday. The Attorney-General, Soli Sorabjee (second from left), and the Chairman of the Twelfth Finance Commission, Dr. C. Rangarajan (right), are seen. — Photo: N. Sridharan

CHENNAI Sept. 13. The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, today used the occasion of the newspaper's 125th year celebrations to pay tributes to the founders of "the oldest surviving major daily newspaper of Indian nationalism" who made "serious journalism viable".

A view at the inauguration of the 125th Anniversary Celebrations of The Hindu at the University of Madras Centenary Auditorium in Chennai on Saturday. — Photo: Vino John

Welcoming the gathering, Mr. Ram saluted the memory of the paper's founders and institution-builders, G. Subramania Aiyer, Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, Kasturi Srinivasan, and those who worked with them and succeeded them to make The Hindu what it was today. Mr. Ram said different generations were represented at the function, pointing to the presence of his uncle G. Kasturi, the longest surviving Editor in the paper's history after Kasturi Srinivasan, and the nonagenarian former Deputy Editor and editorial writer, S. Rangarajan, providing a precious link between different eras and different phases of the newspaper's development.

The Prime Minister in conversation with the former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Lakshman Kadirgamar, and his wife, at the reception. — Photo: N. Sridharan

He said that throughout The Hindu's 125-year history there was the interplay of continuity and change. Another was the tension between tradition and modernity that could be converted by good leadership into something creative. A third was technological change which had a profound impact on editorial development and performance, and the evolution of professional norms and practice.

The Managing Director of The Hindu, S. Rangarajan, presenting a memento to the Prime Minister. — AFP

He recalled the newspaper's first editorial, published on September 20, 1878, which centre-staged two guiding principles "fairness and justice" and noted that other principles and functions had been implicit in the practice of serious, quality journalism over 125 years.

G. Kasturi, former Editor of The Hindu, acknowledges the spontaneous applause of the newspaper's employees when he came on stage at the 125th Anniversary Celebrations. With him are N. Ram and N. Murali. — Photo: Vino John

The Joint Managing Director, N. Murali, said The Hindu had evolved beyond a newspaper into an institution and indeed a way of life in this part of the world. Reiterating the continuing support of the paper's readers, he said "... they will continue to judge us everyday and in the process we would encourage them to feel free as always to interact with us on any important issue, and to call attention, admonish or even correct us if they ever find us, wittingly and unwittingly, swerving from our chosen path and the core values of truthful, fair and balanced journalism." The Secretary of The Hindu Office and National Press Employees' Union, N.P. Ramajayam, said a harmonious relationship between the organisation and its employees ensured that none of the staff were retrenched during the entire period of technological change, but were trained to use the technology. He recalled the efforts taken by Chief Ministers K. Kamaraj, C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, and N.V.N. Somu in ensuring industrial peace in The Hindu.