Award announced on the Republic Day, on January 26, saying that Journalists should avoid being identified with any particular establishment.
Chakravartty who was away in East Europe when the award was announced, in a letter on his return here Monday, told the President that he was deeply touched by the honor.
“I am grateful to you and those who have advised you. If I may add, this has come to me as a surprise as I was never sounded beforehand about it.”
Chakravartty said in the letter, a copy of which was released to the press that he was unable to accept the award on two counts.
Firstly, he was one of those who had supported a move in the past to abandon the practice of announcing annual honors list “which hardly fits with the concept of democratic republic.”
The editor of the “mainstream” weekly said that, moreover, the awards in recent years had sometimes been coloured by narrow party considerations.
Secondly he had personally come to realize that political leaders should try to avoid being identified in the public eye with any particular establishment,
Chakravartty said that this had “become all the more imperative today when political life in the country has become sharply polarized.”
He said that for over 47 years he had endeavored “in my modest way to honestly serve this vocation. Of a communicator without fear or fervor and it is this personal.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 9, 1990
