The two-day Hindi Journalism Bicentenary Festival, jointly organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and the Madhavrao Sapre Memorial Newspaper Museum and Research Institute, concluded in Delhi on Sunday with speakers reflecting on the 200-year journey of Hindi journalism and discussing its future challenges and responsibilities.
The festival marked 200 years of Udant Martand, the first Hindi newspaper, launched in Calcutta on May 30, 1826. An exhibition of rare copies of Udant Martand and other historic Hindi publications was also held during the event.
Addressing the valedictory session, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh raised concerns about changing priorities in journalism and called for introspection on whether the nation-building spirit that inspired early Hindi journalism remains visible today. Referring to reports published in Udant Martand, he said the newspaper highlighted economic exploitation under colonial rule and questioned how effectively contemporary journalism addresses similar public concerns.
The concluding session, titled “Hindi Journalism: Future, Challenges and Possibilities”, was chaired by Harivansh. IGNCA Chairman Ram Bahadur Rai spoke on the Emergency and its lessons for journalism, while a book on Indian journalism, edited by Prof. Pramod Kumar, was released on the occasion.
Speakers, including Kshama Sharma, Dilip Mandal, Khushboo Jain and Nimish Kapoor, discussed women’s participation in journalism, social media, technological innovation and environmental reporting in the digital age.
Earlier, a session on “200 Years of Hindi Journalism: A Retrospective” examined the evolution of Hindi media. Former Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University vice-chancellor Girishwar Mishra said newspapers have historically served as instruments of resistance and public dialogue. Other speakers highlighted the contributions of non-Hindi intellectuals, people’s movements, constitutional rights and the growth of Hindi journalism in South India.
