This was the attitude with which 223 students from 15 campuses of the City Montessori School(CMS) had when they met Mr Rohit Gandhi, International Correspondent, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and former Producer, CNN, in CMS Gomtinagar auditorium on August 30 for the 6th Sunday Seminar. The session began at 9.30 am when Dr Preeti Shankar, Editor, CMS stepped up on the dais and began by thanking the campus coordinators for accompanying the students to the session.
She went on to explain that a number of international events organized by CMS regularly had been cancelled due to the pandemic of swine flu. The solution to this and several such problems would be unity. We should come together to resolve our mutual problems. She went on to elaborate the virtues of modernity by saying that while there were only a limited number of career options before people in the days gone by in the form of medicine, engineering and the civil services, several new and novel avenues are now open for the youth of today like computers and journalism, both print and electronic.
Dr Preeti went on to explain the virtues of environmental conservation. She began by stressing on the need for water conservation. Students were called on to the stage to enumerate the causes of water pollution. The list included disposal of chemical waste from factories, discharge of wastes from houses, disposal of waste into rivers, disposal of dead bodies into water bodies and excessive use of insecticides. The lady reminded everyone that being one, we could avoid this: Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam could be the solution to this problem: just as a joint family reduces the overall expenditure of the household, we could minimize the expenditure of resources from the world if we came together as one family.
The students were reminded of the World Water Week being observed in Stockholm, Sweden where experts in all fields will be provided with an opportunity to examine the impact of water deficits and climate change on poverty, health, gender equality and the environment The current situation boils down to the truth that we seem to be in a similar position as that of the sailor out at sea, but who doesn’t have a drop of water to drink. Only 3 per cent of the water found on the earth is fit for drinking. We need to conserve water.
We need to educate people on the virtues of keeping the land clean because pollution enters water from land. The farming community contributes their lot to polluting the land by using chemicals in their farms which get washed and mixed with ground water. Inadequate disposal of sewage adds to the menace. Chemicals discharged from factories also find their way to rivers.
The lunch break ended with a bouquet being gifted to Mr Rohit Gandhi and his wife Mrs Sudha Gandhi by Mrs Sangeeta Negi, Assistant Coordinator, Sunday Seminar. Mr Rohit Gandhi took over the stage when he said that journalism is a way of representing the social system. Its role should never be confined to trivia, but it should emphasise on significant and important issues like that of environmental conservation.
Amish Mathur, class IX, CMS Station Road Campus was summoned up on the stage to enumerate the role of journalism in democracy. The media helps people make the appropriate reactions to the nuances of democracy. Media is the last pillar of democracy. It offers checks and balances to a democratic government. Neha Singh, Class XI A, CMS Aliganj Campus I pointed out that the media is peering into the private lives of individuals. The onus for this lies on our shoulders for the media shows these trivia because we want to see it. We ought not to give such a high TRP to such shows that show trivia. Sajjal Singh, class IX, CMS Gomtinagar Campus, pointed out that the true spirit of journalism is lost in the competition for TRPs. Important issues are losing the race to trivia. Values and ethics of journalism stand questioned when an interpretation of what is being said is quoted instead of the actual quote. Journalists rush to put words into the mouths of the public.
A short documentary was shown on child labour. Children were shown working in a factory in Delhi. Journalists have always been active in campaigning for causes as this. They make sure that there is a check and balance to this and many other problems plaguing the society. Journalists have been campaigning against problems like climate change, pollution, environmental conservation and global warming.
A short film on the blast in Samjhauta Express in Panipat from New Delhi to Attari in Pakistan. The follow-up story showed the fatalities, the dead and the injured. The news story emphasizes on the fact that a report must show both faces of the coin.
The day ended with a loud applause from the audience. Everyone rushed to Mr Gandhi for his autograph, but instead he chose to share his e-mail address: rohitgandhi@sain.co.in.
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