Chief Minister participated
in the foundation day celebrations of Mayaram Surjan birth centenary and Deshbandhu Patra Group
Raipur, 15 April 2023
Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel has said that at present the media is passing through a phase of change. In today’s time, it is very challenging to do principles and value based journalism. In his journey of 65 years, Deshbandhu remained firm on his principles and never compromised on values. Mr. Baghel was addressing the 65th foundation day celebrations of Mayaram Surjan Janmashti and Deshbandhu today. On this occasion, the Chief Minister bowed down to the founders of Deshbandhu Patra Group, late Shri Mayaram Surjan and late Shri Lalit Surjan.
The Chief Minister further said in the program that Mayaram Surjan ji was the pioneer of journalism. He had a special identity in the whole country. He said that he has studied Late Mayaram Surjan, but met Late Shri Lalit Surjan ji, got his company. Lalit ji was impressed by Mayaram ji. Writer Mr. Prabhat Tripathi and former Chief Secretary and educationist Mr. Sharadchandra Behar were honored with the Mayaram Surjan Centenary Award in the program. The program was presided over by litterateur Mr. Vijay Bahadur Singh.
The Chief Minister said that when Deshbandhu is discussed, we remember our old childhood days. At that time there used to be two or three newspapers. When we lived in the village, at that time only a newspaper could reach till evening. In the evening, where the newspaper used to reach, he used to go there and read the newspaper. Then there was a belief among the people that if anything was printed in Deshbandhu, it would be true. He said that when we started doing politics, we used to read the news written in Deshbandhu, articles and editorials written by various intellectuals and learn from them. He used to raise issues by learning from there and acquiring knowledge.
Mr. Baghel said that at the time of independence, politicians like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhagat Singh, Bal Shri Gangadhar Tilak and Shri Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi shook the then British rule with the power of their writings. Even Tilak ji was punished for this. Even after that he did not stop writing. Newspapers have played an important role in awakening the spirit of freedom. This work continues even after independence. By making common people aware on social, economic and political issues, they are contributing meaningfully in the progress of the country.
In the program, Mr. Rajeev Ranjan Srivastava, editor of Deshbandhu Raipur, threw light on the journey of 65 years of Deshbandhu in detail. On this occasion, Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Vikas Upadhyay, MLA Mr. Amitesh Shukla, Chairman of Chhattisgarh Textbook Corporation Mr. Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Cow Service Commission Mahant Ramsunder Das, Mr. Palash Surjan and eminent citizens were present.
