CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates Mathrubhumi’s centenary celebrations
Kochi: The closing ceremony of Mathrubhumi’s centenary celebrations was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at CIAL Convention Centre here in Kochi on Saturday.
Speaking at the event, Vijayan said he was happy to inaugurate the event. "Mathrubhumi is not just a newspaper or a media organisation to Malayalis. Mathrubhumi is part of their social life. We cannot discuss the freedom movement in Kerala by setting aside the contributions of Mathrubhumi," he said.
Vijayan also spoke about Mathrubhumi's contributions to social movements, literature and the Malayalam language. He remarked that KP Kesava Menon and K Kelappan of Mathrubhumi had never differentiated journalism and the freedom movement.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur said he is honoured to be part of the centenary ceremony. He reiterated the observations made by PM Narendra Modi about contributions made by former Managing Director of Mathrubhumi MP Veerendra Kumar. "PM Narendra Modi, who addressed the inaugural ceremony, said that India would never forget MP Veerendra Kumar's efforts to uphold India's democratic ethos during the national emergency," he said. He remembered his long-term acquitance with the former managing director.He also unveiled a souvenir at the event.
"Mathrubhumi was started to strengthen India's freedom struggle and was the brightest star and a unifying light against the colonial rule," he added.
Mathrubhumi managing director MV Shreyams Kumar remembered his father, MP Veerendra Kumar, during the inaugural speech. "Mathrubhumi has adopted technology according to changing times, whether newspaper, news channel or others. But we always keep one thing in mind, which is my father's philosophy -human beings come first. Never an employee had ever lost his job because we embraced technology. We had retrained them and given them other opportunities."
Chairman and Managing Editor PV Chandran delivered the welcome address.
Minister K Rajan said that Mathrubhumi's history is also the history of massive people's struggles. "Mathrubhumi's history is also a history of struggle of freedom, rennaisance movements, and social movements in Kerala," he said.
Minister P Rajeev said that celebrating such historical occasions is a platform to learn from the past and take challenges posed by contemporary world. Opposition leader VD Satheesan said Mathrubhumi was started during a period when Mahatma Gandhi assumed the leadership of freedom struggle. "In 1923, Indian National Congress, started the anti-caste movement, and in 1924, the Vaikom Satyagraha started in Kerala. Infact, it was Mathrubhumi's founding fathers who led the Satyagraha.". He added that Mathrubhumi has been part of social, ecnomical and political movements in Kerala.
Mathrubhumi also honoured newspaper agents who completed 50 years in the organisation.
The one-year-long festivities was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 18, 2022.
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