________________
"I am a trustee of Lokmat, not the editor, so the views and opinion of the paper are not mine. The paper is secular and promotes clean and clear journalistic reporting. So I don't carry any political baggage when I am in the Lokmat office neither do I play the role of a journalist when I am in the Rajya Sabha. Over there I am looking at larger issues because I believe in issue-based politics."
The reformist zeal of Darda, perhaps brought out by his political and publishing background, is manifested in his active participation in the literacy movement and in higher education. He is on the boards of several education bodies and is the founder of Amolakchand College of Science, Commerce, Arts & Law, Shri Jawaharlal Darda College of Physical Education (Sports College) and the Matoshree Veenadevi Darda English medium school at Yavatmal.
From the young lad in Yavatmal dreaming of
always busy talking to people, managing the press, shuttling between Delhi, Mumbai and Yavatmal. At that point, Jawaharlal Darda was more of a political leader than a father.
"I became close to him only after I joined Lokmat. That's when in the course of long chats, I discovered my father, his vision for his newspaper, his love for his children. He used to say political clout never lasts for long but the newspaper will remain forever. The newspaper was always his first love."
Complying with their father's wishes, the sons, Rajendra and Vijay, shifted to Mumbai from Yavatmal to study printing technology.
Darda also enrolled himself for a journalism course at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Even in his busy schedule as a newspaper baron and minister, shuttling between cities and countries Darda finds time to pen down editorials and articles for Lokmat. He also has a few books to his credit including, The Indian Emergency as seen by an Indian and Lokmat Congress Centenary Special-1985.
Lokmat has come a long way from a single edition Marathi newspaper printed from a godown in Nagpur in 1971 to a publication with a circulation of 10 lakh and 18 editions that include English, Marathi and Hindi language papers. Prior to Lokmat's relaunch in 1971, it was a non-profit venture for Jawaharlal Darda who wanted to spread the Congress ideology through the paper and use it as a bridge between the government and the grassroots in communicating social issues and reforms.
Vijay Darda believes he has played a crucial role in changing the face of the regional newspaper industry, which belonged to the dark ages of cheap news print and propaganda stories. He has introduced advanced machinery in his press and was one of the first to set up a teleprinter network across rural Maharashtra. Lokmat has one of the largest networks of rural reporters across the country, making it a widely read regional newspaper.
Darda's involvement with the newspaper community goes much beyond Lokmat. He has promoted the cause of small newspapers as the President of the Indian Newspaper Society, as member of the Indian Languages Newspaper As sociation and of the Audit Bureau of Circulation, as life member of the Advertising Club of India, Mumbai and member of the International Advertising Association, Inc, New York.
The combined roles of businessman, newspaper baron and politician can sometimes be incestuous but Darda is very vocal about any criticism on such grounds.
playing hockey all his life, Darda today smoothly transits from global forums to panchayat level committees. "I have learnt a lot from attending international conferences like the World Economic Forum which I attended with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1992, SAARC Editors' Forum in Colombo and printing technology exhibitions the world over. But I have learnt even more by mixing with people at the grassroots level, knowing their needs and problems."
The learning continues and Darda's mission is expanding - from fighting for cheaper newsprint prices and protecting the interests of small newspapers to more national issues which include safeguarding the sovereignty of the country by barring foreign equity in media.
"I am a survivor, a long distance runner. And I feel as if the marathon has just begun," he concludes.
107 VARDHAMAN
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
