N. Sanatomba
Manipur Mail is 32 years old today. This paper run entirely by members of a family has seen too many ups and downs in its 31 years of service to the state. This paper had witnessed too many incidents of great importance. This paper like other leading papers took its share of presenting facts and figures to the readers to judge by themselves merits and demerits of all that had happened. This paper believes in presenting only the facts and also in telling the truth.
It upholds the true principle of journalism and throughout its three decade long service to the people it fought against odds to tell what is happening under the sun. We believe no newspaper should attempt to play two roles one fire starter and another fire extinguisher. Manipur Mail played a role in analysing the situation prevailing in the state and it attempted to find ways out of impasse. There had been jubilant moments and the moments of sad also.
All these have remained now as a part of the history. Just two days before the inclusion of Manipuri language in the eighth schedule of the Indian constitution two fine gentlemen came to the office of the Manipur Mail and demanded that the paper play a pro active role to get the demand. We were in a fix and we could not know what the two gentlemen meant by pro active role. N. Tombi Raj former executive editor of the paper was with me. He said it is time we start thinking about what we should do after the inclusion of the language in the eighth schedule instead of fighting for a place of the language in eighth schedule. He told the two gentlemen that the language would find the place it deserved during the current session ofPparliament. Only two days were left for the session to conclude. There was a bet between the two gentlemen and our executive editor.
The rest is for all to know. Such types of threats do occur and it happens in the offices of all the newspapers. Scribes are expected to play the role of both social activist and reporter. Readers complain newspapers have not focussed on the areas, which they consider is paramount. In reply we tell them to write in details mentioning what they want the newspapers to do and send it in the form of letters to the editor. Lazy as they are nothing came out of it. But writing makes a man perfect. What you see, what you hear will all go to waste if you don’t note down on a piece of paper describing in detail all that you hear and see. But a businessman cannot be expected to waste precious morning time pondering over what is happening around them. Theirs is a different world.
Hence the division of labour. Manipuri Mail closely observed performance of the top ranking personalities. Sensationalism was not part of the growth of this paper. From the time since this paper was launched on November 3, 1980 print media had seen a drastic change. From one single leaf to this stage of newspaper, it could not have been possible at all unless there is cooperation from the readers. Appreciation goes to the readers, who have inculcated the habit of reading newspapers regularly.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/manipur-mail-in-the-service-of-the-state/
