Kolkata: What would Mahatma Gandhi make of journalism today?
In an age of television debates, social media, misinformation, algorithms and artificial intelligence, it is a question worth asking.
The inaugural eNewsroom Conclave in Kolkata will attempt to do just that on October 3, with a conversation around a side of Gandhi that often gets less attention — Gandhi the journalist, editor and publisher.
The theme of the conclave is:
Gandhi the Journalist: Why India Needs His Media Vision Today
The conclave will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Bhasha Bhavan Hall, National Library, Kolkata.
Organised by eNewsroom India, an independent public-interest media platform and an initiative of DigiPrism Media Foundation, the event will look at Gandhi’s journalism not simply as part of his political journey, but as an important part of his understanding of public life.
Gandhi edited and published Indian Opinion, Young India, Navjivan and Harijan. Through these publications, he wrote about politics and social reform, but also used journalism to communicate directly with ordinary people and to engage with questions of truth, responsibility and public service.
Those questions have not disappeared. In fact, many of them have become more difficult in today’s media environment.
Five voices for the conversation
The conclave will bring together people from journalism, public life and cinema.
Actor and director Parambrata Chatterjee will be the first speaker in the line-up. Known for his work in Bengali and Hindi cinema, Chatterjee has worked across acting and direction and has also been involved in writing and production. His participation brings cinema and popular culture into a conversation that is primarily about journalism and public communication.
He will be joined by senior journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani, former Rajya Sabha Member and former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, senior journalist and author Rasheed Kidwai, and fact-checker and Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha.
The discussion will look at some simple but difficult questions: What is journalism meant to serve? What responsibility does a journalist have towards ordinary citizens? How should the press deal with power? And can truth and public service remain at the centre of journalism when news is increasingly shaped by speed, social media and algorithms?
Honouring journalists who stayed with the profession
The eNewsroom Conclave will also be the occasion to institute two journalism honours by DigiPrism Media Foundation.
The ND Sharma Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Abdul Aziz and Kamal Nayan Chapria.
At 77, Abdul Aziz is one of Kolkata’s veteran Urdu-language journalists. He has spent more than five decades in journalism, headed three newspapers, wrote more than 6000 articles and has remained associated with the profession through major changes in the media landscape.
His career represents a generation of Urdu journalists who continued to report on political, social and community issues without losing their connection with the people they wrote about. His journalism has also been known for its bold and forthright approach.
Kamal Nayan Chapria, 57, has been a journalist since 1992. He has worked with several Hindi dailies and agencies.
A resident of Giridih, Jharkhand, Chapria is a familiar and respected name among journalists and people in the region. Despite having friends and acquaintances across political and social circles, including a former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, he has remained committed to journalism and maintained his simple way of life.
The Biswajit Roy Memorial Emerging Journalist Award will be presented to Rokibuz Zaman.
Zaman’s reporting, particularly from Assam and the Northeast, has focused on citizenship, identity, displacement and the lives of people caught in complex legal and administrative processes. His work has also taken him to West Bengal, where he has reported on citizenship-related issues and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
His reporting has consistently tried to put the people affected by these processes at the centre of the story, rather than treating citizenship and electoral issues only as political or statistical questions.
Remembering ND Sharma and Biswajit Roy
The two journalism honours are named after ND Sharma and Biswajit Roy, two senior journalists who were associated with eNewsroom.
Both played a role in encouraging the organisation during its journey, and both believed in journalism that remained connected to people and their everyday concerns.
Through these awards, DigiPrism Media Foundation wants to keep their contribution alive by recognising journalists who have stayed with the profession and whose work deserves greater recognition.
Two books will also be released
The evening will also see the release of two books associated with the two journalists being remembered through the awards.
The first is a book by late senior journalist Biswajit Roy on Rabindranath Tagore’s engagement with Jewish-Arab relations.
The second is Chor Ka Shastr Gyan, by late veteran journalist ND Sharma.
The two book releases will add another personal dimension to the evening, allowing the work of both journalists to reach a wider audience even as their contribution to journalism is remembered.
Not just another Gandhi Jayanti programme
We do not want this to be another Gandhi Jayanti programme where Gandhi is remembered for a few hours and then forgotten.
For eNewsroom, the reason for choosing Gandhi’s journalism as the subject is quite simple. He believed that a newspaper had a responsibility towards society. He used journalism to explain, question, persuade and, at times, to challenge his own readers.
Today, journalism is facing a very different set of pressures — misinformation, polarisation, commercial pressures, declining trust and the growing influence of technology.
That makes it worth asking what Gandhi’s ideas can still teach journalists.
“Gandhi Ji was not merely someone who wrote in newspapers. He thought deeply about why journalism existed and whom it should serve. We want to bring that question back into the public conversation — not as nostalgia, but as a question for journalism today,” said Shahnawaz Akhtar, Managing Editor, eNewsroom.
Shabina Akhtar and Bimal Sharma, Directors of DigiPrism Media Foundation, are also associated with the organisation and the conclave.
The evening will bring together journalists, editors, media professionals, students, academics, researchers and members of civil society for a conversation about journalism, democracy and public responsibility.
EVENT DETAILS
The eNewsroom Conclave 2026
Theme: Gandhi the Journalist: Why India Needs His Media Vision Today
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Bhasha Bhavan Hall, National Library, Kolkata
Organised by: eNewsroom India
An initiative of: DigiPrism Media Foundation
SPEAKERS
Parambrata Chatterjee — Actor & Director
Arfa Khanum Sherwani — Senior Journalist
Jawhar Sircar — Former Rajya Sabha Member & Former CEO, Prasar Bharati
Rasheed Kidwai — Senior Journalist & Author
Pratik Sinha — Co-founder, Alt News
JOURNALISM HONOURS 2026
ND Sharma Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award
Abdul Aziz
Kamal Nayan Chapria
Biswajit Roy Memorial Emerging Journalist Award
Rokibuz Zaman
BOOK RELEASES
Biswajit Roy — Book on Rabindranath Tagore’s engagement with Jewish-Arab relations
ND Sharma — Chor Ka Shastr Gyan
Media Contact
Shahnawaz Akhtar
Managing Editor, eNewsroom India
An initiative of DigiPrism Media Foundation
