knowledge has no horizons

“Pen is mightier than the sword” for Napolean, despite he himself being General. “I have no scepter, but I have a pen” are the words of Voltaire, when he happened to be opposite to the camp of the King Ferdinand over an interpretation of Newton. The ink from Bharathiyar’s pen ignited in people’s mind the spirit of patriotism. The fact that a pen can write a fate of a nation is evident with the writings of Karl Marx. Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah, Periyar, Thiru.Vi.Ka, Bharathidasan, Anna Durai and other men of prominence had all been journalists and used the media as mouth-pieces for inculcating their ideas.

Press was the option for many people of all sorts as freedom fighters, poets, politicians for propagating their ideas among the people, eventually inculcating in their minds. Vimosanam of Rajaji was started with a view to carving the ill-effects of taking toady in people’s thoughts. Mahatma Gandhi authored several magazines, like Indian Opinion, Young India, Navajeevan and Harijan; Ani Besant found for herself New India in 1916 and later founded an English weekly Common Wheel. Raja Ram Mohan Rai released for her part two magazines – Sambad Kaumadi and Mirat Al Akbar in Bengali and Persian, respectively. Media also provided platform for spreading religious ideas for people like Aravindhar and others and Karmayogi (1909) and Arya of the erstwhile are worth-mentioning.

That two reporters of Washington Post named Edward and Bernsten brought Nixon’s presidency to an end by bringing out Watergate scam in the lime light, and “visitor” Anand of Thuqlaq, a Tamil magazine, was the cause behind the resignation of Mayor of Chennai themselves speak the powers of journalists. A journalist should be social reformer at heart and should not hesitate to picture the follies and foibles of the society. Taking to his heart the point that all exist on the earth are for the sake of people, he should not fail to pinpoint the faults and shortcomings of them. Being a part of the Fourth Estate, he should not be afraid of questioning the three estates ¬– Legislative, Administrative and Judicial – when they seem to go against people’s wishes. Sensing the pulses of citizens, he should guide the government in formulating schemes. Above all, he ensures to provide an impartial, disinterested synthesis of information.

A journalist serves not only the purpose of spreading news of what is happening, but to speculate about what could be good for the general public. His role in society is inevitable. Probable having this in mind, the former Prime Minister of India, Nehru, opined that “the press is one of the vital organs of modern life, esp. in democracy. The press must be respected”.