Lakhimpur: The 11th session and closing ceremony of the Silver Jubilee Mahotsav of Jonai Press Club, organized with a two-day program on Wednesday and Thursday, was successfully concluded. It is to be noted here that Jonai Press Club was established on 2 May 1999 by the collective effort of a galaxy of then budding journalists covering Jonai sub-divisional headquarters falling under Dhemaji district, Assam-Arunachal Pradesh. Located in the border area. North-eastern corner of Assam. This press club is the only platform for journalists of various print and electronic media working from Jonai sub-division. Since their inception, these journalists have been serving the media facing many problems and challenges. The Press Club has also been involved in various programs for the social and intellectual development of the Jonai area.
The agenda of the joint event on Thursday began with the hoisting of the Press Club flag by President Royal Pegu. The Smriti Tarpan program was conducted by General Secretary Manoj Kumar Prajapati. The open session-cum-public meeting organized on the occasion began at 11 am under the chairmanship of Royal Pegu. It was inaugurated by Dr. Deepak Kumar Doley, Principal of Nurkongselek College. In his lecture, Dr. Doli appreciated the contribution made by Jonai journalists for the all-round development of the region and threw light on the past and present status of journalism in Jonai.
In these programs, Jonai Press Club’s mouthpiece “Bartjivi” was ceremoniously released by eminent poet Pranab Kumar Burman. In his lecture, Burman said, “The media is facing tough challenges at this time. The only requirement to keep this profession alive is the cooperation of the public. The entry of corporates, mafias in this sector and the challenges currently presented politically are dangerous threats to this profession. Over time, people have lost trust in the media due to many unreliable activities in the region. On the other hand, Dr. Rajeshwar Pegu, Principal of Jonai Science College, released the book ‘Jonai-Murkongselek: Oitijya Aru Gorima’ written by journalist Bijoy Bori. “This book is an informative book about the heritage and glory of Jonai-Murkongselek as well as the cultural, educational, sports and political aspects of the region,” Dr Pegu said in his lecture.
Present as the chief guest on the occasion, Monojit Bora, editor of the Assamese daily newspaper Asom Aditya, delivered a thought-provoking lecture on the current challenges on journalism. The newspaper’s editor said, “The open disrespect of journalists by a section of politicians is an ominous sign for the current media.” In his long speech he said that although media has fallen into the trap of commercialization, many media houses are still working with social responsibility. He said that media has contributed a lot to the language and culture of Assam and without the society it is impossible for the media to move forward. He further said that the murder cases of fearless journalists Kamala Saikia and Parag Kumar Das were not properly investigated and the killers managed to escape due to loopholes in the law. In his speech he also mentioned the difficult situation arising due to social media at present. He advocated organizing workshops to improve the skills of journalists.
