Journalism must serve as a forum for discussion and debate in a balanced way: N. Ram
The Hindu
Loyola Award given to N. Ram at the 98th College Day of Loyola College
Justice J. Sathya Narayana Prasad, Judge, Madras High Court, appealed to the young generation to respect their parents and elders, to never harm or hate anyone, to help the poor especially those in need of help to pursue education and never forget the people who stood by during difficult times.
Taking part in the 98th College Day celebrations of Loyola College on Saturday, he shared memories from his days as an undergraduate student of history at the college and how he learned punctuality, sincerity, humility and dedication from the institution.
N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group, received the “Loyola Award” on the occasion. An alumnus of the college, he was lauded for being “an icon in the field of journalism for over six decades”.
Mr. Ram said among the values that he had learned at the institution are those that are embedded in the Constitution, but still have to be renewed all the time because if not taken seriously, they fade away. “Among those values is the value of secularism which is vital to our Constitution, part of its basic structure, democracy, equality, treating everyone with respect and above all humility,” he said.
Journalism, he said, must serve as a forum for discussion and debate in a balanced way.
He said it was impossible to ignore the challenges posed by majoritarianism and how what goes in the name of nationalism sometimes was really hyper nationalism and takes a religious colour.
“The major problem as I see it as a journalist is the challenge of majoritarianism not just in India but also in many other countries, including the U.S.,” he said.