Celebrating 125 years of glory
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 23
Caretakers and employees of The Tribune assembled on the office premises this morning to take the newspaper’s 125th anniversary celebrations to another level.
The year-long celebrations had commenced in the presence of India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 24 last year – a day made historic by the PM’s affirmations of his fondness for The Tribune which “he had got himself delivered in distant lands.”
From sophisticated celebrations last year to humble, low-key celebrations today – The Tribune’s commitment remains constant and unchanged. It still draws from its glorious legacy while keeping an eye on the challenges of the future, as asserted by The Tribune’s General Manager, Mr Sanjay Hazari, today.
Mr Hazari stressed the need to build on tradition and brace for trails posed by the booming media industry. Admitting that The Tribune did not have the kind of resource base some other newspaper organisations had, he said the battle could be won by strengthening the nuances of tradition and promoting a work culture that inspired commitment and effort among employees.
The Editor-in-chief of The Tribune Mr H.K. Dua, brought alive the glory of the Tribune, which was born to serve a lofty purpose. Saluting the vision of the founder Sardar Dyal Sigh Majithia, Mr Dua inspired The Tribune family with a sense of pride in the organisation’s legacy.
And as he talked of The Tribune’s presence through history, a world of momentous events came alive – events that The Tribune has witnessed and recorded for posterity. While citing The Tribune’s coverage of the two World Wars, the growth of nationalism in India, the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, the Quit India Movement, the dawn of Independence, the Partition and many more historic events which shaped the history of modern India, Mr Dua called for the need to reflect people’s concern through the newspaper’s columns. He, quite aptly said, “The Tribune has always been the voice of the people and it will flourish if it continues to be so.”
Attended by trustees Dr R.P. Bambah and Justice S.S. Sodhi (retd), top editorial and management officials and several employees, today’s function added another dimension to the ongoing anniversary celebrations of The Tribune 125th year of existence.
Speaking lat the event, Dr Bambah retraced the mandate of The Tribune for the assembled listeners by quoting from the newspaper’s first editorial which laid down the road map for the future. He talked of how The Tribune never had any pet ideas or political leanings. In religious matters, its duty was to be neutral; its only constant striving being “upholding liberal thoughts.”
Earlier during the event, The Tribune Union president, Mr Jagtar Singh Sidhu, invited The Tribune family to join hands in defeating the pressures of competition from other sources. The aspirations of The Tribune family were also reflected in the variety programme which the students of Tribune Model School had especially prepared for the event.