Presidential address by Mr Justice R. S. Pathak, former Chief Justice of India, and President of The Tribune Trust,

On Behalf of the Trustees of The Tribune Trust and myself and the entire staff of The Tribune, I should like at the outset to thank the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, for his gracious acceptance of our invitation to inaugurate the celebration of the 125th Year Anniversary of The Tribune. His presence here today is an important event for us and will be treasured in the annals of The Tribune. That he has found time to be with us is a matter for which we express our profound gratitude.

On this 125th Anniversary, it is appropriate to recall the circumstances in which The Tribune was born. For some years, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia had been inspired by the enlightened goal of raising the level of education in this region. It was considered that a newspaper in the English language would be the most adequate vehicle for doing so. He was encouraged in this by the great nationalist leader, Surendernath Bannerjea.

The first issue of The Tribune appeared on the 2nd February, 1881. It was a weekly newspaper of 12 pages. The editorial in the first issue declared that the intention of the newspaper was to act for the public welfare, to present public opinion and to advocate the cause of the masses. It said further:

"As the mouthpiece of the people, The Tribune will be conducted on broad and catholic principles. The Tribune will not be identified with any particular race, class or creed, nor seek to give prominence to the views of any particular party. The paper, as the champion of the people, will not scruple to speak plainly against class interests, nor shrink from boldly assailing them whenever they should happen to clash with the welfare of the masses. In religious matters, we shall maintain a strictly neutral position.”

Over a century and a quarter, throughout the changing fortunes of this subcontinent, The Tribune has maintained a proud record of consistently and fearlessly following that policy. It has never wavered. It has reached out the common man with news which bears the imprint of painstaking accuracy, and of editorial opinion which possesses the merit of independence, impartiality and maturity of wisdom.

During the struggle against the British rule, it was regarded as a staunch nationalist paper. It reported faithfully, later, on events giving rise to the division of the subcontinent and the violence and agony amidst which independence took birth. In comparatively recent times, it has recorded the success of the Green Revolution on the one hand, and the harrowing period, on the other hand, of life lived under the shadow of the gun. And throughout all this, it remained like a rock, steadfastly discharging its duty to the people.

The Tribune is not merely a purveyor of news and information. It also raises issues of significant public interest affecting the daily lives of the people. In this function, it encourages public debate, invites readers to express their opinion in its pages, and stimulates awareness in the common man of political, social and economic issues. Viewed thus, it has become an organ for the inter-action of public opinion.

These virtues are particularly required in our times when we are witness to an epochal turn in human history. As everyone is aware, we live in an era of profound and unprecedented changes.

A survey of the national scene shows that India is passing through several simultaneous revolution. Our Constitution envisions the shaping of India as a modern progressive State. A feudal age has been replaced by a polity which promises Justice, Liberty and Equality. We have seen a massive transformation in the socio-economic fabric of our society. We see different facets of equality percolating through the several layers of human living. A gigantic movement has been generated which seeks to find a balance between traditional values and reformist aspirations. Amidst this turbulence, a newspaper, as an opinion maker, has a vital role to play.

A newspaper must also acquaint its readers of the new dynamism emerging in the relationship between India and the outside world. The insular mantle of self-content and cocooned complacency has almost totally dissolved, and global opportunities are knocking at the door.

The ubiquitous presence of the products of modern science and technology, especially in the communication sector, compel nations to the imperative necessity of engaging with other economies, other cultures and other philosophies. You, Sir, have pioneered dramatic changes by initiating and promoting economic reforms which have brought India into the mainstream of a global economy, thus raising productivity and prosperity to higher levels. You have brought about a silent revolution in the attitudes and perspectives in which the people of India now look upon their relationship with the rest of the world.

On the other side, the world has come to look at India with a new-found respect. It realises that there is a scientific genius in the ranks of our educated which needed to be discovered all along. Western societies, in significant part, also acknowledge the relevance in their Occidental lifestyles of some of the tenets of Oriental philosophies, medicinal systems and other cultural practices.

What was once viewed with disdain and prejudice is now being treated with greater regard. This osmotic movement between the economies and cultures of various countries is bound to grow in the predictable future. In many areas of global inter-dependence, the print media can serve as an effective publicist in the interests of public health and welfare. There is the need for the preservation and improvement of the natural environment, protection against AIDS, measures intended for the removal of poverty and the like. As the list grows larger, the opportunities for serving the public become correspondingly greater.

In a democratic constitutional culture, the media possesses an undeniable role in maintaining and promoting the quality of democracy and its democratic institutions. It acts as a watchdog in defence of the Constitution. The natural condition of a healthy State is consistent and orderly growth. Orderly growth presupposes that all the organs and instrumentalities of the State are functioning in constitutional balance. The media has an important participatory role in that regard.  But when all that has been said, we should remind ourselves that the role is attended with the gravest responsibility. The freedom of the process has its own constraints. It is not absolute. And, therefore the need for a quality of statesmanship, for rectitude and impartiality, and for objective judgment as to the public interest is paramount.

Looking forward, The Tribune reaffirms its dedication to the strict principles enjoined on it by its Founder, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, and amplified in the very first editorial of The Tribune. The Tribune will continue to serve the public cause with the same loyalty and devotion and driving passion which have marked these 125 years.

The celebration of this Anniversary constitutes an historical event for The Tribune, as it occurs in the midst of great national and global changes. Amidst that backdrop, this is an occasion for stock-taking, for the review of current procedures and practices and for facilitating a closer identification of The Tribune with the needs of the Indian people.