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SPEECH
BY SHRI K.R.NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE CONFERRING THE FIRST
SEEMA NAZARETH AWARD AT RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY21, 2000
This is poignant as
well as a proud occasion for the family members of Seema. I am very glad
to be associated with it. Today, I understand, it would have been her
25th birthday. I think on this day, we have gathered here to
more or less immortalise her name through this Award. At the same time,
I would like to congratulate the recipient of the first award Sweta Rajpal
of the Hindustan Times.Once
upon a time, journalism was described as the best profession to get out
of. I got into journalism and I strictly followed it also by getting out
of it. Today it is different. I think today journalism is a profession
into which mature and often retired people get in and stay.Seema
had within a few years, distinguished herself in journalism by her lucid,
unbiased writing. I was skipping through the book and one thing which
struck me, is the simple unvarnished style in which she used to write
without any insinuations or intention of malice, which is so abundant
in today’s journalistic writings. As Mr.Ninan, just pointed out, some
of the old fashioned virtues of journalism could be seen in her writings.
I think the Business Standard in its obituary note about her said how
careful she drafted her writings and how meticulously she checked on what
she wrote. I think this meticulous checking is something absent these
days, checking of facts, particularly. Her writings contained a trace
of optimism throughout. Whatever she touched, she touched with sincerity
and affection as in the article I read just this afternoon about the resurgent
bonds of the SBI. This is a very moving piece of writing and I think most
of the writings in this book are of the same kind. I should like to hold
it up as a model to the young journalists and of course, old people are
beyond any models and the young people will have to be depended upon for
the future of journalism as well as that of our country.
With
these words, I would like to congratulate you Sweta on being the first
recipient of this prestigious award and I pay my tribute to the memory
of Seema and congratulate her parents and relatives.
Thank you
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