INDIRA GANDHI BIRTH CENTENARY.
Least we forget
Today is the birth centenary of the only woman Prime Minister of India- Indira Gandhi. The large advertisements by INC carries her photograph & punch line- “Remembering Indira Gandhi on her birth centenary….“. This advertisement has appeared on front pages of newspapers like- Indian Express, Rashtriya Sahara, Asian Age, Hindustan Times, Pioneer, Hindu. It has appeared on page 3 in Hindustan, Navbharat Times and Dainik Bhaskar In Hindi. However it has appeared in Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, daily newspaper in Urdu, but in Hindi language. A smaller advertisement by Government of Punjab with colored photograph of Indira Gandhi has appeared in Tribune & Punjabi Tribune. The Times of India (pg 4) as well as Hindustan Times (pg 8) have carried a small sized classified advertisement “Happy 101th Birth Year” with smiling colored photo of Indira Gandhi. The ad calls her “Mother India” & on her photo is inscribed word-”Iron Lady”. This ad has been placed by an individual along with contact details. However no ad has appeared in Jansatta, Mail Today, Business Standard, Sunday Guardian, Statesman, DNA, Loksatta, Sunday Standard. The newspaper in Malayalam- Mathrubhumi has carried a large pencil sketch of Indiara Gandhi with prominence on its front page along with another large impressive pencil sketch on its editorial page with large write-up about her. This is best coverage given on this occasion by a newspaper (of the 27 scanned), though Mathrubhumi got no advertisement on this occasion. Sakshi also published two articles on this occasion, though it received no advertisement. Majority of newspapers scanned today did not mention a word (apart from Ads) about the importance of this day (read Indira Gandhi), editorials were silent, so were other pages. Last but not the least, National Herald forget to even mention the importance of this day & forgot Indira Gandhi on 19 November 2017. Friends of SARCAJC point that Jawaharlal Nehru played crucial role in establishment & growth of National Herald, how could its editor forget Indira Gandhi’s centenary? Though this paper has carried an advertisement -“Remembering Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary”. (19 November 2017).