GROUP THE HINDU - The Second Hundred: Editorials from the Hindu 1978 – 2016

1st Printing: October 2017

Kasturi & Sons Ltd. 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Kasturi & Sons Ltd.

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai - 600002 and Printed by K. Srinivasan, Srikals Graphics Pvt. Ltd, 5 Balaji Nagar First Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai - 600032, on behalf of Kasturi & Sons Ltd, Chennai - 600002.

Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan

The Second Hundred

I N LIVING MEMORY, AND MOST LIKELY EVER SINCE THE BIRTH OF The Hindu in 1878, the editorial has been treated as the most important column within its pages. Unlike many other newspapers, which pay decreasing attention to editorials ostensibly because they are read by very few, The Hindu has and continues to put in considerable effort into their creation from commissioning to writing to editing. This is probably why this newspapers editorials are followed closely and taken seriously by the countrys intelligentsia.

Editorials constitute the voice of the newspaper, its views on the events of the times. It is misguided to look for absolute consistency as views change for a variety of reasons for instance, with the discovery of new facts, with the emergence of new ideas, with transformations in the external environment and, even, the induction of a new editor.

If there is a thread of evenness, it consists in The Hindus commitment to back up its views with reasoned argument and to be steadfast to the core values that have made it the great newspaper it is. As its first very editorial, titled Ourselves, said with an arresting matter-of-factness: The principles we propose to be guided by are simply those of justice and fairness.

This is the second book of The Hindus editorials. The first, spanning a period of a century (1878-1978), featured 100 editorials written on a wide variety of subjects. This book features 100 more. Most of those that have found their way into this volume have been selected because of the historical significance of the subject matter or event they have dealt with. A few others selected themselves to showcase the range of issues that we have commented on. And a few more because every project like this must be inspired with a degree of curatorial whim merely as a result of us thinking they were interesting.

The credit for making this selection goes to The Hindus National Editor, Suresh Nambath, who went through a large number of editorials before putting this volume together. To set the context in which the editorials were written something that may not be obvious to the reader each of them is published with a couple of lines that provide a background. These backgrounders were contributed by Suresh and our Associate Editor Narayan Lakshman.

We hope you will enjoy reading this book of editorials. It is many things at once an unusual glance into the countrys history, a body of coherent and reasoned opinion on a wide variety of subjects, and an insight into how this newspaper looked on the events of the day.

Mukund Padmanabhan

Editor, The Hindu

CONTENTS

This editorial published in 1978 was to mark the first 100 years of The Hindu. It records that the expression of public confidence has been a source of sustenance and has given the newspaper the strength to survive the numerous trials and challenges thrown onto its path of growth by the colonial authorities and enabled it to withstand constraints and pressures from various quarters after Independence.

SEPTEMBER 5, 1978

SEPTEMBER 5, 1978

F OR A NEWSPAPER, A CENTURY IS A MEMORABLE MILESTONE in an exciting, ongoing adventure. Since that day a hundred years ago when six young men, fired by the ardent spirit of patriotism and fresh out of college, ran 80 copies off a treadle machine in Triplicane, Madras after seeking the aid of friends to raise the rupee and three-quarters needed to buy paper, the character of the newspaper, its physical and social environment and the world at large have changed a great deal. The nation has won freedom along with numerous other developing countries and gone on into a totally new era of development. Momentous changes have taken place in the fields of economy, politics, social life, culture and scientific and intellectual development and these have had their impact on the general condition of the people. The rapid advance of science and technology, in particular, has opened up bright prospects for making the earth a better place to live in and raising the quality of life of the people. The world of communication has been revolutionised, leading to speedier, more accurate, more sophisticated and on the whole better methods of processing and disseminating information about nature and society. These transformations have brought about enormous and yet-to-be-fully comprehended changes in the scope, approach and technique of journalism.

The most precious asset for The Hindu over its first century has been the heart-warming expression of public confidence in the relevance and integrity of its role in national and social life. This has been a source of sustenance in times of trial and the real inspiration for development in the long term. Just as it gave the strength to the newspaper to survive the numerous trials and challenges thrown onto its path of growth by the colonial authorities, it has enabled it to withstand constraints and pressures from various quarters after Independence. During a particularly trying period, on June 4, 1919 to be exact, a resolution by the citizens of Madras that public confidence in the policy of The Hindu continues undiminished provided a strong boost to the newspapers confidence in itself. To-day, on this solemn occasion, it has become clearer to us than ever before that it is the happy and stable relationship between the newspaper and the public reflected in the large and enthusiastic response to this occasion that is the real guarantee of its future. The Hindu is honoured that the President, Mr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddi, has inaugurated the centenary celebrations with an inspiring message and that a very large number of distinguished men and women in public life, as well as representatives of the general public, have joined in its happiness and shared its sense of fulfilment.

Such a relationship with society is guided on our side by the desire to put the criterion of public purpose at the centre of our practice of journalism. For nearly seven of the ten decades of its existence, The Hindu made its own contribution to the Indian peoples struggle for freedom. After Independence, it has had to function in a greatly transformed situation, with new perspectives and tasks. One of the key changes in its role has been professionalisation. In the early days, those who came to serve this newspaper entered a vocation and an opportunity to make their own contribution to the fight for freedom. Today,