The two-day programme of the Convention opened with an inaugural function which was attended, aside from the delegates, by a large number of Delhi journalists and others connected with or interested in the issues facing the country’s newspaper industry and its employees. The eve of the Convention was surcharged with tense atmosphere created by some office-bearers of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists. They issued slanderous statements against the convention and its organisers and even made vain attempts to sabotage it.

While journalists ignored these attempts with the contempt they deserved, as the large attendance at the Convention testified G. S. Pathak, the Vice-President of India, fell a victim to these manoeuvers or at least was adequately misled to wriggle out of his prior commitment to inaugurate the Convention. At the request of the organisers, Mohomedali Currim Chagla, the eminent jurist, M. P. and a former Minister in the Union Government readily agreed to step in.

By his generous gesture, open-mindedness and thought provoking address at the inauguration, Mr. Chagla has earned the gratitude of not merely the reception committee and the journalists attending the convention but of all Indians who cherish freedom of association and expression so nobly enshrined in the country’s Constitution.

Frank Moraes, Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Express, presided over the inaugural function. Akshaya Kumar Jain, Editior of the Navabharat Times, as Chairman of the reception committee welcomed the delegates and guests and K. N. Malik of the Times of India moved a vote of thanks. The proceedings of the inaugural function are reproduced textually in the following pages.

The programme of the Convention was broadly divided into two parts. One part was concerned with the problems facing journalists professionally and trade union wise owing to the growth of a politically motivated pressure group in control of the IFWJ. The other dealt with two issues of immediate interest to the members of the profession-(I) the Government proposal for diffusion of newspaper ownership and (ii) the arrangements the Government made or failed to make for journalists reporting eye-witness accounts of the December war from the battle-lines. Lack of space does not permit us to reproduce the entire proceedings of the programme textually. We hope to do that by instalments. Verbatim report of the inaugural function and that of part of the debate on the diffusion question appear in this issue.

At the discussion on issues of professional organisation, Prithvis Chakravarti of the Hindustan Times presided. V. K. Narasimhan of the Indian Express took the chair at the symposium on the diffusion of Press ownership and D. R. Mankekar, the veteran journalist, at the symposium on war coverage.

The decision to form the National Union of Journalists (India) was preceded by prolonged discussion on the utility and urgency of forming a second all-India organisation of journalists capable of guarding the freedom of the Press, promoting the interests of the members of the profession and laying down a code of conduct for journalists. Initially there were doubts if a second all-India organisation was the proper or the only remedy for the failings of the IFWJ in discharging these responsibilities, and if effective steps could not be taken to rescue the IFWJ from its political orientation and coterie rule.

L. Meenakshi Sundaram of the Mail, Madras, S. K. Rau of the Pioneer, Lucknow and Somnath Bhattacharya of the Ananda Bazar Patrika, Calcutta, drew upon their experience of long association with the detailed knowledge of the working of the IFWJ to convince the delegates that avenues were no longer open to reform the IFWJ and that the formation of a new all-India body was the only way journalists in India could prevent misrepresentation of their views on various issues of far-reaching importance, protect their professional integrity and advance their interests.

S. R. Shukla, of Lucknow (correspondent of the Hindustan Standard, Culcutta) Rejendra Kapur, of Delhi Kamal K. Bhatt, of Delhi (correspondent of the Sandesh, Ahmedabad) R. K. Goswami, of Delhi, L. P. Srivastava of the Navabharat Times, Delhi, Vinod Gupta of the Samchar Bharati, Delhi, K. N Malik of the Times of India, Delhi, Hironmoy Karlekar of the Stateman, Calcutta, U. N. Phadnis of the Hindustan Times, Delhi, R. Prabhu of the Orbit, Delhi, Sudarshan Arya of the Navabharat Times, Mumbai, J. B. Sukhee, of Mumbai, R. S. Agnihotri of the Hindustan Samachar, Delhi, Rameshwar Sangeet of the Hitavada, Bhopal, C. L. Khana, Delhi, M. Veerappa of Delhi, B. Mazumdar of Calcutta R. D. Tiwari, of Bhopal and P. K. Roy of Lucknow (correspondent of the Hindu, Chennai) made valuable contribution to the discussion. The Convention, thereafter, adopted the following resolution unanimously:

his National Convention of Journalists, recognising the strong feelings expressed by delegates from different States on the need to have an all-India organisation of journalists, free from political affiliations of any kind and dedicated to the promotion and safeguarding of professional and economic interests of journalists resolves to form an all-India body called the National Union of Journalists (India) with membership open to unions of journalists and individuals where affiliated units do not exist.

The Convention then proceeded with the framing of a constitution (since printed and circulated among members and election of office-bearers and members of the National Executive of the NUJ (I), published prominently elsewhere in this issue of Inkworld.

The convention also passed six other resolutions on the current issues facing journalists in various parts of India, including one welcoming the diffusion of press ownership in principle and directing the national executive to appoint a special committee to study the issue in depth and recommend concrete steps aimed at new ownership structures that would prevent any infringement or abridgement of the Freedom of the Press. It concluded with fresh resolutions by the delegates to immediately devote themselves to the building of the NUJ (I).

On behalf of the journalists of West Bengal. Mr. Somnath Bhattacharya handed over a sum of Rs.1,000 to the President of the NUJ (I) for organisational work.

The resolutions passed by the Convention are given below:

Res. I. This convention of the National Union of Journalists (India) welcomes the emergence of Bangala Desh into freedom. It congratulates the Prime Minister, the Defence Minster, the people and the leaders of all political parties for supporting the cause of Bangala Desh. It expresses its deep gratitude to the members of the defence force for their valour and sacrifices.

Res. II. This convention of the National Union of Journalists (India) emphasises the need for early steps to bring about diffusion of the ownership of newspapers and news agencies which has been a long standing demand of journalists. The convention, however, feels that legislation for diffusion should not be brought about unilaterally by the Government but after taking into account the views of the National Union of Journalists.

The convention holds that journalists have an important public duty as guardians of democratic values. Freedom of the Press implies freedom from censorship or intimidation from any quarter, whether it be big business, political parties, Government, or employers. A newspaper is not a piece of property but a living personality with a character and tradition deriving not only from those who own and edit it, but from its readers, the causes it has historically served, and of the community of which it is a party.

Res. III. The National Convention of Journalists views with concern the inordinate delay in the disposal of cases pending before the Supreme court and the High courts challenging the validity of the Government of India wage orders. Between 1967 and 1971, the prosperity of the newspaper industry has gone up substantially, because of the increase in circulation and upwards revision of sale process of newspapers and their advertisement tariff. However, because of the spiraling of prices, the real wages of working journalists have gone down. The convention calls upon the Government of India to take steps to expedite hearing the cases, so that journalists may be in a position to receive the arrears of wages, the payments of which have been held up by a stay order. This will also pave the way for the appointment of a third Wage Board for working journalists.

Res. IV This National convention of Journalists calls upon the Executive of National Union of Journalists (India) to take steps to set up a National Foundation of Journalists to render financial assistance to journalists to publish books and conduct research.

Res. V. This convention of National Union of Journalists points out that the conditions in the newspaper industry have changed vastly since the report of the first Press Commission, and request the Government to appoint a second Press Commission to study the conditions thoroughly and make suitable recommendations for the reform and growth of the Press.