Harivansh recalls ‘why I shouldn’t become Naxalite’ letter to editor

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Harivansh spotlights 40-yr of people’s journalism of Prabhat Khabar

By Raisina Correspondent

New Delhi, October 2: Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh on Wednesday recalled a letter by a reader of Prabhat Khabar, asking editor “why I shouldn’t become a Naxalite”, which sent the daily on an investigation that later shook the establishment. Harivansh on Wednesday unveiled two books at the Constitution Club.

One of the books – Zamini aur Kshetriya patrakarita ki Shakti – traced 40 years of journalism of Prabhat Khabar. “I was Editor of Prabhat Khabar for 27 of the 40 years that set the backdrop to the book authored by Anuj Kumar Sinha,” said Harivansh.

Harivansh also unveiled ‘Samacharon Ki Bisaat’, authored by Chief Editor of Prabhat Khabar Ashutosh Chaturvedi. This book is a compilation of 81 articles written by Chaturvedi on contemporary issues.

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“One day I received a letter. The young man asked in the letter why he shouldn’t become a Naxalite,” Harivansh recalled. He said that the initial years of Prabhat Khabar were spent in the backdrop of Naxal violence in Jharkhand when the people dared not venture out after the sun set in several of the cities in the state.

“The youth shared his degrees and high marks that he scored. He had scored high marks in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission Examination but was failed in the interview,” added Harivansh.

But the candidates who qualified the state public service examination was accused by the youth of dubious academic records. “We set out to investigate and that revealed the rot in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, which was disbanded. The selections of the dubious candidates were cancelled,” added Harivansh.

He said that Prabhat Khabar made a distinction in journalism by telling people’s stories and putting reporters to probe their complaints. “It’s a different matter that all those dubious candidates whose selections had been cancelled were rehabilitated back after they appealed in the Supreme Court. I don’t want to comment on the Supreme Court,” said Harivansh.

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The Rajya Sabha deputy chairman recalled challenging days of Prabhat Khabar when the daily struggled for survival. “We decided to go to the people to make a distinction for the newspaper. In one case, we found that loans were fraudulently taken in names of tribals and after the repayments defaulted their lands were being taken,” Harivansh recalled about people’s stories done by the Ranchi-headquartered Hindi daily.

He said that reporters of Prabhat Khabar probed the cases of tribal people who were victims of fraud loans and eventually they were given back their lands. “By going to the people and telling their stories, Prabhat Khabar distinguished in Indian journalism that big media houses took up stories by quoting out reportage,” added Harivansh.

Harivansh spotlighted the need for “innovation in journalism”. He also highlighted the significance of branding with innovation.

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“Sony made a device in a small room and went to America to sell it. There was a lot of demand for it. But Sony was asked to sell it in the name of the American brand. But Sony refused and today Sony has become an established brand in the world,” added Harivansh.

Stressing that journalism should tell people’s stories, Harivansh recalled taking the story of a widow woman with two daughters not feeling safe in Ranchi on the front page of the daily. “Peers in media questioned our news sense. But the issue of the lack of safety in Ranchi turned out to be election issue in 1985. Then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi had to acknowledge the issue,” recalled Harivansh.

Chaturvedi stressed that newspapers still command credibility in the eyes of the people amid an avalanche of information on the social media platforms. He said that newspapers should focus on contemporary issues and priorities people to gain patronage.

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