The Press Day celebration on Nov 16 commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and Saraswati Vandana. Dr S.C. Nayak, Head of Amity School of Communication, delivered the inaugural address. The esteemed guest for the celebration was Mr. Lalit Surjan, Editor, Deshbandhu, Raipur and a very senior journalist of India. Dr Nayak shared Mr. Lalit Surjan’s works and experiences with the students. Dr. Sumita Dave, Dean Academics, in her welcome note, appealed to students to become a responsible journalist and serve the society.
Dr. S.C. Mukhopadhyay, Registrar, spoke about the vital role the Media plays in building a vibrant democracy. He also stressed upon the critical need of unbiased reporting and urged the readers to be more aware of matters presented as ‘news’.
On the day, students of Journalism and Mass Communication had a privilege of learning from Mr. Surjan, who took the students through his biographical journey spanning close to 6 decades. Mr Surjan appreciated Dr S.C. Mukhopadhyay, Registrar, AUC and Dr Sumita Dave, Dean Academics, AUC, for their insightful speech on the subject. Mr. Surjan began his speech by sharing anecdotes with the students on what constitutes good journalism. Describing the qualities of a good journalist, he opined that Mahatma Gandhi was one of greatest journalists as he was able to communicate clearly and effectively with the masses.
“One should strive to become a great journalist, not a big journalist,” he said. Elaborating this statement, Mr. Surjan said great journalists are fearless and not obligated to anyone in their reporting, on other hand, big journalists are often bound to serve vested interests and tend to do biased reporting.
In the concluding session, Mr. Surjan asked students for a free-wheeling discussion on pressing issues confronting the Press these days. Dr Nayak presented a memento to Mr. Surjan on behalf of AUC and expressed his gratitude for coming over to the university and sharing his rich experiences.