PANAJI
Governor Mridula Sinha was the Guest Editor of 100th day edition of the English daily ‘The Goan Everyday’, Marathi daily ‘Govan Varta’ and children’s magazine ‘The Goan in School’ of Fomento Media. She visited the editorial office and interacted with the staff on Thursday.
The Governor shared her views on various issues with senior members of the staff, recalled her entry into the world of literature when she was hardly a girl of 13 and how her journey with the written word is still on at 73.
The Governor expressed her opinions on issues like literature, democracy, voluntary sector (NGOs), media, language, family, housing, television serials and moral/social values. Here are the excerpts.
Recalling that she wrote her first short story when she was in class VIII, she said that her husband motivated her to write, when after her MA in Psychology she asked him what she must do further. "Initially every writer has a fear of people which keeps him or her from expressing and I felt the same," she admitted. "Many say that one must not bother about the opinion of people, but I think one must be sensitive to it." She eventually wrote 46 books, served as a lecturer and principal and became founder-editor of a the magazine 'Panchwa Stambh'. Writing is now a habit and the Governor devotes at least two hours in the morning to writing.
Calling the voluntary sector as a catalyst between the people and the government, she said we must not reject all of them or neglect their work. To seek attention or recognition is but natural and media must give due space for such publicity, she felt. “We must respect genuine work. If one voluntary organisation or individual is working genuinely towards serving the society, we must appreciate such efforts. Good work must be highlighted so that others get motivated too,” she added.
"All four pillars of democracy are shaking and pulling each other, which should not happen. The voluntary sector can be the fifth pillar of democracy," the Governor emphasised. Working with village folk, she developed a strong connect with them, especially women and worked for spreading education, healthcare, sanitation and milk co-operatives. “The voluntary sector is doing great work and not all of them are publicity-minded,” she said, adding, “The intention with which the work is carried on is important.”
While highlighting Indian culture and tradition, she pointed out that people in our country are basically home loving and like to live in families. The family-oriented television serials or films like ‘Hum Aap Ke Hai Kaun’ become popular as they depict the family drama, which people can easily relate to. The middle-class families who live in small flats do not have enough space for elderly grandparents and those who request the builders to make space for their grandparents, must be given concessions or rewarded in some way, she felt.
“There cannot be democracy without people’s participation,” she said. "But one must not depend on the government to do all developmental work. The government is like salt in sambar. The British did not do everything, it was the people of India who built roads, libraries and schools," she said. "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan can be successful if one cleans his vicinity along with his home. Cleanliness should be from within “ not only our bodies but our mind must be clean and our thought process must be clear. This would take us to clean India. Eventually India would progress and lead the world.”
"Newspapers must devote space to positive news. No one likes preaching, so avoid it. The media can give direction to the society but it should be indirectly and subtly. Usually 80 per cent of the space goes for sensational news, catchy headlines can be given for positive news too. Instead of only catering to the likes or dislikes of the public, the media can choose what it wants to say and pass on the message to readers about the change it wants to see in the world," the Governor explained.
Stressing the importance of expressing through one’s own language, the Governor said, “Learn all languages but speak your own language at home. Learning English and other languages is important but one must not get cut off the root. Regional and local languages have all the words to express feelings, so why not use them? If languages are not spoken, they will die. Why let them die? Languages bind people’s minds and hearts."
Concluding on a positive note, the Governor stated, “The Indian culture is great. We may have faltered and consumerism may have penetrated our minds and lifestyle. There may be some shortcomings in our bureaucracy or our politics but there are solutions. There is a positive vibration in the country that something good will happen sooner or later, so let us ride on this wave and move forward. Let us execute that positively and not go for competition. If your aims and objectives are clear and clean you will emerge from the the mucky pool like a lotus."
