The Hindu : National : Book on Indian press and its links with social reform released

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 25, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Book on Indian press and its links with social reform released

Staff Reporter

— Photo: R. V. Moorthy

Vice-President Hamid Ansari launches the book Writing a Nation — An Anthology of Indian Journalism edited by Nirmala Lakshman, Joint Editor, The Hindu (left), in New Delhi on Wednesday. N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, and Kapish G. Mehra, Publisher of Rupa & Co., are alongside.

NEW DELHI: “A book such as this requires no marketing or promotion. It is almost like a history of modern India and raises relevant questions. It should find a place on every bookshelf as a great source of reference,” said Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Wednesday. He was speaking at the launch of Writing a Nation — A n Anthology of Indian Journalism, edited by Nirmala Lakshman, Joint Editor, The Hindu.

Narrating his fondness for the newspaper, Mr. Ansari recalled his response when a friend asked what he was doing one morning. “I told him that like a good Muslim I was reading The Hindu.”

The Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, N. Ram, who was the guest of honour at the function, shared with the audience what renowned author R.K. Narayan had once told him: “Books are not meant to be released or launched, they are meant to be picked off the bookshelves.”

Mr. Ram said the anthology portrayed the strength of the Indian press and its close association with social reform and the democratic process over the past 60 years. “While the book is a compilation of credible information, it also conveys the critical and adversarial role of the press in society. It is certainly not a romanticised version of the press and also tackles the propaganda role of the Fourth Estate.”

Complimenting the Vice-President on his journalistic acumen, Mr. Ram said Mr. Ansari had contributed 53 articles to The Hindu over the past five years. Unlike several others, he was a stickler for deadlines and word length with no affectations or eccentricities.

A Ph.D. in post-modern literature and a keen observer of the role of the media in a democratic society, Dr. Lakshman said the book was, in part, inspired by objective journalistic practices that focussed not just on getting the facts right but on conveying the correct meaning and intent too. “This is a representative collection and provides an insight into the vital processes that have marked 60 years of democratic discourse in this country. Different sections of the book deal separately with the shaping of the media in India, the role of the press in transforming the political scenario and the Indian identity on the world stage.”

Dr. Lakshman said that a section, titled ‘Wealth of Spirit,’ dealt with the intangible factors that made India the country it was. “This section consists of both public ideas and individual initiatives that form the fabric of this pluralistic and diverse country,” she added. The book has been published by Rupa & Co.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National