KATHMANDU: Dalit journalists of South Asia have announced to celebrate January 31 as International Dalit Media Day every year.
Through its virtual meeting held on Tuesday, the International Dalit Journalists Network (IDJN) announced to celebrate the day resembling the day when Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar had started journalism to end discrimination against the Dalit community. On January 31, 1920, Dr Ambedkar started a fortnightly newspaper ‘Mooknayak’. In memory of the day, the IDJN has decided to officially recognize the day.
While announcing the day, the chairperson of the IDJN Mallepali Laxmaiah claimed that the media were biased on the issues of Dalits.
Saying that media is the mirror of society and a strong weapon, he said that he attempted to bring all the Dalit journalists of the world together to ensure the rights of the Dalit community and make the states responsible.
He also said the network will coordinate with all the rights activists, human rights fighters, journalists and responsible sections of the society together to the issues of Dalits. Laxmaiah had said this while welcoming all the guests to the function.
General secretary of the IDJN Rem Bahadur Bishwokarma said the network decided to declare the International Dalit Media Day just to respect the contribution of the Dr. Ambedkar-initiated media for the liberation of Dalits. He said the media can play a strong role in the liberation of Dalits and can also play a very important role to make society more responsible besides the transformation of the society.
Bishwokarma said the IDJN will celebrate January 31 as International Dalit Media Day with much fanfare every year.
The function organized to announce the International Dalit Media Day was attended by Dr Raj Shekhar Vundru, additional chief secretary of Haryana State; Milind Awasarmol, Board of Director of the Ambedkar International Mission; DB Sagar Bishwokarma, chair of the Dalit Rights International Commission; Bina Pallikal, chair Asian Dalit Rights Forum; Arun Khote of Justice News Lucknow India among others.
Ambedkar’s ‘Mooknayak’ was published for three years and later he initiated three other newspapers as well–namely Bahiskrit Bharat (1927-1929); Janata (1930-1956) and Prabuddha Bharat (1956). Among them, he was directly involved in the editorial management of Bahiskrit Bharat besides Mooknayak
