Gurugram, May 10, 2026: Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Gurugram, Haryana, organised a grand Journalists’ Dialogue and Felicitation Ceremony on Sunday to mark the birth anniversary of Devarshi Narad, regarded as the primordial communicator of the universe. The event was held at the seminar hall of Government College for Girls, Sector 14, Gurugram. The central theme of this year’s programme was “The Contribution of Journalism to Civic Duty,” under which the role of the media in nation-building and social development was discussed in depth.
Dr. Amit Arya, Vice-Chancellor of Dada Lakhmi Chand State University of Performing and Visual Arts, Rohtak, and former Media Advisor to the Chief Minister of Haryana, attended the ceremony as the keynote speaker. Puran Yadav Lohchab, Vice-Chairman of the Haryana Gau Seva Aayog, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Naveen Gupta, President of the Haryana State Tax Bar Association, and noted industrialist and fourth-generation astrologer Pandit Aditya Parik attended as special guests.
The programme began with chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and a prayer to Devarshi Narad by Acharya Manish. Professor Rakesh Kumar Yogi of Gurugram University introduced the programme’s theme. In his address, he said that the day marked the birth anniversary of Devarshi Narad, whom he described as the greatest journalist of the universe.
Speaking on the present state and challenges of journalism, Dr Amit Arya said, ironically, that journalism had moved from passion to a profession and had now become a business driven by profit and loss. He highlighted the demanding and insecure nature of journalists’ work, which often requires them to remain available round the clock. He stressed that in an era of fake news on social media and YouTube, providing accurate information to the nation and society was the greatest duty and civic responsibility of journalists.
Puran Yadav Lohchab extended greetings on Narad Jayanti and urged journalists to reflect on “what better we can do and contribute to society.”
Other speakers underscored the importance of civic duty and protecting the “6Gs.” They also spoke about the need to prevent migration from villages and to raise a voice against fake narratives being created in Bollywood. Issues such as civic sense, cleanliness campaigns and environmental protection were also highlighted during the programme.
During the ceremony, A.K. Chauhan, Amit Nehra and other journalists raised the demand for a cashless medical facility for media professionals so that journalists could receive support during emergencies.
The main attraction of the event was the felicitation of senior and young journalists from various media organisations by the Vishwa Samvad Kendra team. Those honoured included Adityaraj, Bagish Kumar Jha, Ashok Chauhan, Mayank Tiwari, Amit Nehra, Sanjay Yadav, Pradeep Narula, Abhinav Tiwari, Abhishek Behl, Manoj Dhaur, Devender Bhardwaj, Neeraj Ambavta, Salesh Gupta, Seema Gill, Deepak, Mahavir Bhardwaj, Jyoti Dutta, Brahm Sharma, Dharambir Sharma, Rajesh Yadav, Dharmendra Kaushik, Shailesh Gupta, Neeraj Ahlawat, Poonam Shekhar, Rekha and Ajay Vaishnav, along with photojournalists such as Praveen Kumar and Sahil.
At the end of the programme, the event convener and senior journalist Sanjeev Ahuja proposed the vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all dignitaries, organisers and journalists. The ceremony formally concluded with the collective recitation of the Kalyan Mantra, followed by a community meal for all attendees.
