August 11, 2001

    The Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the centenary celebrations of a Telugu newspaper 'Krishna Patrika' here today. Former Prime Minister Shri P.V. Narsimha Rao, Union Minister of Rural Development Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of State for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation Shri Bandaru Dattatraya were among those present on the occasion. Following is the text of the speech of Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered on this occasion:

    "I am pleased — indeed, I am privileged — to participate in this function to mark the centenary of Krishna Patrika, one of the great nationalist publications of our country.

    These days it is rare to find publications that survive for a hundred years.

    If some do survive, it is rarer still to find publications that remain wedded to their founding ideals.

    Krishna Patrika is one of those few journals that has not only survived, but has continued to serve the cause of Indian nationalism through various phases of our country’s history.

    This could happen only because it was

• founded by the vision of a great patriotic-editor, Deshabhakta Konda Venkatappaiah Pantulu;
• nurtured and developed by the life-long tapasya of another great nationalist editor, Mutnuri Krishna Rao;
• and is being sustained by the present editor, Shri Piratla Venkateswarulu, who deservedly belongs to the same fine tradition.

    The fact that even the renowned Congress leader, Dr. Pattabhi Seetharamaiah, was the editor of this journal shows what a great stature and prestige it enjoyed during those days.

    Krishna Patrika was a torch that was lit by the flames of India’s Freedom Struggle.

    This torch in turn lighted the fire of nationalist passion in the hearts and minds of millions of people in Andhra Pradesh.

    I am told that it began as a paper to create mass awareness about nationalist politics, social reforms, and cultural revival.

    Above all, it highlighted the plight of farmers under the British rule.

    It is when newspapers and journals touched the hearts of the kisans of India that the Freedom Movement acquired a mass character.

    Mahatma Gandhi understood this very well. That is why, he dressed and lived like the ordinary Indian and spoke in the idiom that Indian farmers understood.

    It is not surprising that Mutnuri Krishna Rao, who edited Krishna Patrika for four long decades from 1905 to 1945, came under the profound influence of Mahatma Gandhi.

    He was also deeply influenced by Bipin Chandra Pal and Yogi Aurobindo.

    Like the "Bande Mataram" of Aurobindo in Bengal, or the "Kesari" of Lokamanya Tilak in Maharashtra, or numerous other nationalist publications of that time, Krishna

    Patrika was not concerned with India’s political independence alone. Every language of India had such courageous journals, which strove for the all-round resurgence of the Indian nation based on Indian values and a revival of Indian agriculture and industry.

    All the great editors of those times wielded their pens with the persuasive power of good teachers when they addressed Indians, and with combative firmness when they addressed the colonial rulers.

    Frequently, they went to jail on charges of sedition.

    What is notable is that, unlike the trend that is in some fashion these days, the editors and writers those days did not write for self-projection or for creating a sensation.

    I am told that Mutnuri Krishna Rao was, indeed, so self-effacing that he was respectfully called a "Mauna Yogi", a silent meditator and worker.

    It is only such self-less striving that produces great publications, publications that stand the test of time.

    The editors of the Swaraj era were also men and women of firm personal convictions. They did not hesitate to express their views even though these were at times unpopular.

    The situation in India today is very different from the one that prevailed during the Freedom Movement. The conditions in which the press works, and the tools that it uses, have also dramatically changed. Nevertheless, the fundamental responsibilities of the press are no different from those that editors like Mutnuri Krishna Rao so creditably discharged.

    The basic function of a newspaper is still to educate and create informed awareness about the citizen’s duties towards themselves, their communities, and their country. Commercial success or cheap popularity cannot be the criteria for judging the worth of a publication or a media activity. Such activities cannot even sustain themselves for decades, let alone a century.

    Krishna Patrika may not be a nationally famous publication. But, it is a nationalist publication. Herein lies its true and proud success.

    A word about the current editor. Dr. Pattabhi and Mutnuri Krishna Rao belonged to the Congress tradition. Shri Piratla      Venkateswarulu, on the other hand, comes from the tradition of the RSS and the JP movement. But he has continued to serve the basic nationalist ideals of his great predecessors. I especially appreciate his bold writings on extremist violence in Andhra Pradesh.

    The river Krishna in the south, like the river Ganga in the north, receives many tributaries into it as it meets the ocean. Our national life is also like our great rivers, enriched by different intellectual and political traditions but all merging into the common cause of nation-building.

    No wonder, the Krishna-Godavari delta is one of the most fertile basins in India. It is true also in terms of its intellectual and cultural output. Krishna Patrika is a proud example of this robust fertility.

    With these words, I once again convey my appreciation and best wishes to the readers, editor, his staff, and the management of this great publication. May it live to celebrate its bi-centenary."