PRESS CLUB OF SIKKIM CELEBRATES ITS 9TH FOUNDATION DAY

Khangchendzonga Kalam Puraskar for Bijay Bantawa, felicitations for Arun Rasaily and Homnath Dabari
GANGTOK, 17 July: The Press Club of Sikkim [PCS], which was formed in the year 2002, celebrated its 9th Foundation Day at Hotel Tashi Delek today. The programme had Justice SP Wangdi as the chief guest, Chairperson BB Gooroong as the guest of honour and the PCS chief advisor, CD Rai, as special guest.

The recently elected PCS president, Bhim Rawat, in his welcome address, said that the Kanchendzonga Kalam Puraskar was a unique initiative of the PCS to honour fellow journalists for their achievements and contributions to the society. Awards were earlier restricted to writers, artists, politicians and the like, so this award was instituted to fill that vacuum and secure peer-recognition for journalists, he explained.
Stating that seven journalists have been conferred the award so far, he informed that the PCS plans to confer the award to journalists from other Nepali-speaking regions as well in the near future.  He further informed that PCS plans to set up a Journalists Welfare Fund which will be used to provide financial aid to members in times of need.
“In the past decade, print media in the state has grown by leaps and bounds, with a rapid increase in the number of newspapers and magazines. However, there is still the need to further improve our skills and knowledge and we are working towards that. Court and Assembly reporting is one such training we will be focussing on in the coming days with the support of the IPR Department, ” Mr Rawat added.
The highlight of the programme was the Khangchendzonga Kalam Puraskar to senior journalist, Bijay Bantawa. Mr Bantawa, dedicating the award to his wife Kamala Ashu, spoke of his days of struggle as a young journalist.
“Although we had the passion and the interest there were many things we could not do due to the lack of opportunities. The scenario is different today, I see a lot of young and promising journalists who are making use of the opportunities that come their way,” he said.
Thanking PCS for the honour conferred on him, he went on to also thank his guru, the late Ram Patro [founder-editor and publisher of Sikkim Express], under whose tutelage he learnt some of the finer details of reporting, he shared.
Nepali daily, Samay Dainik’s reporter, Homnath Dabari, was conferred with the Most Promising Journalist of the Year Award on the occasion.
Mr Dabari, in his address, said that having worked both in the capital as well as Namchi in his seven years as a reporter, he has noticed that news reportage is becoming more and more ‘Gangtok-centric’.  Although this is due to certain financial constraints that plague the media industry, rural reporting also needs to be given priority, he commented.
The PCS also felicitated senior journalist from Kalimpong, Arun Kumar Rasaily, on the occasion.
Mr Rasaily, in his address, said that a journalist’s job is to point out the problems and injustices in the society and in doing so, one should be fearless. Expressing his gratitude towards PCS he called for unity amongst the press fraternity in the region.
Congratulating the PCS for instituting these awards to encourage fellow journalists, the chief guest, Justice Wangdi, expressed happiness over the progress of journalism in the state. He went on to say that maturity in the standard of language in journalism in the state indicates growth in the standard of journalism as a whole.
 “The role of the media is not only to disseminate information but also to give opinions and the correct message to the people. The manner in which an issue is handled by the press can either create turbulence or contribute positively in the development of a society,” he expressed. 
He urged media-persons to also highlight legal awareness issues that are related to the people and ensure truthful and correct reporting towards building the society, the state and the nation as a whole.
The programme was also addressed by the guest of honour, Mr Gooroong and special guest, Mr Rai.