Ish Madhu Talwar Remembered: Seminar Highlights Media’s Role and Credibility Crisis

Media Must Uphold Its Credibility: Afridi 
Literature Award to Be Launched in Talwar’s Memory

Jaipur, October 14: A seminar on the theme “Media: From Where to Where” was organized on Sunday at Pink City Press Club, Jaipur, in memory of senior journalist and author Ish Madhu Talwar, who was also the General Secretary of the Progressive Writers’ Association, Rajasthan, on his birth anniversary.

In his keynote address, senior journalist, poet, and guest faculty at Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tribhuvan, highlighted that journalism is a challenging and risky profession. “During the freedom movement, journalists fulfilled their responsibilities despite significant personal sacrifices. Today, journalism remains just as essential, empowering us with a sense of duty,” he said. Tribhuvan also noted that Talwar connected people through fearless and impartial journalism.

Presiding over the event, senior satirist and acting president of the Progressive Writers’ Association, Rajasthan, Farooq Afridi, expressed concern about the current state of media credibility. “The country is passing through a transitional phase, and it is crucial for the media to maintain its trustworthiness. Only a few media persons and newspapers are playing the role of a people’s ombudsman. The media needs to be more vigilant about the growing hardships of the common man,” he stated. Afridi further added that the media today faces allegations of being too aligned with power, which poses a danger to democracy. Both print and electronic media are in a concerning state, and for the media to be truly people-centric, the public must take a stand.

Afridi praised Ish Madhu Talwar as both a distinguished journalist and a literary figure. “Talwar’s language was rich, and he laid the foundation of the Jan Sahitya Utsav, bringing writers from India and abroad into the movement to free literature from commercialism,” he said.

Ish Madhu Smriti Shakuntalam Award announced by Premchand Gandhi and Dr Anish Talwar

Senior poet Premchand Gandhi and Talwar’s son, Dr. Anish Talwar, announced that the Bharatendu Sahitya Sansthan would be revived and a ₹21,000 Ish Madhu Smriti Shakuntalam Award will be instituted in his memory. The seminar was moderated by journalist Sunita Chaturvedi, with insights shared by Sawai Singh, journalist Roshanlal Sharma, and Rishikesh Rajoriya. A large number of journalists, writers, artists, and distinguished citizens attended the event.