NEW DELHI: Hailing the doyen of the Indian media, Ramnath Goenka, as a “great independent thinker”, Swami Swaroopanandaji, the global head of Chinmaya Mission, on Friday said responsible journalists have to be daring and courageous and should write facts without prejudice to convey the truth.
The Swami was the chief guest at the 2nd edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman ceremony in Delhi. Swaroopanandaji in his address said writers “are those who protect and spread the knowledge to the world”.
Reminding people about the timeless impact of epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata on the lives of the people, Swaroopanandaji dwelt on the role of Sanjaya, advisor of the blind King Dhritarashtra in the Mahabharata. “Sanjaya narrated the developments in the Kurukshetra war as it unfolded to his blind king without prejudice and with a lot of clarity,” he said.
The spiritual leader cautioned that when fact and truth are muddled and falsehood is spread as fact, the situation becomes very harmful for the society.
Noting that he did not see any difference in the various forms of writing – fiction, non-fiction or media reporting, he said, “In either form, if a writer is able to bring out the better self of people to think independently, the work should be considered a great success.”
Talking about the difference between fact and truth, he said, “When fact is told without prejudice it becomes truth.” Authors of books, he added, “should lead us with their writings to allow us to live in unity and harmony. Such writings benefit the society forever.”