KALIVIKKADAL

A house magazine for THIRUVALLUVAR FOUNDATION

 Its role in educational and social reform


The world is changing faster than we can comprehend. What was once just a means to connect and interact between friends has now become a phenomenon. And it’s called Social Media. On the periodicals front too, publications were once used purely for recreational purposes. It’s a whole new story today. The media is playing an important role in spreading the message of social change thereby  shaping the society. The media is playing catalytic role in education, science and commerce.   The global downturn that shook the world through the ‘08s and the ‘09s, may have made life difficult for traditional media folk, but it has revealed a whole new exciting world of opportunities through media.

     

At the time of the first war of independence, number of  papers were in operation in the country. which prompted  the need for social reforms and thus helped arouse national awakening. It was in 1857 itself that Payam-e-Azadi started publication in Hindi and Urdu, calling upon the people to fight against the British.  Again, the first Hindi daily, Samachar  Sudhavarashan, and two newspapers in Urdu and Persian respectively, Doorbeen and Sultan-ul-Akbar, faced trial in 1857 for having published a 'Firman' by Bahadur Shah Zafar, urging the people to drive the British out of India. 

 

Notable Role

 

In the struggle against the British, some newspapers played a very notable role. This included the Hindi Patriot! Established in 1853, by the author and playwright, Grish Chandra Ghosh, it became popular under the editorship of Harish Chandra Mukherjee. In 1861, the paper published a play, "Neel Darpan" and launched a movement against the British, urging the people to stop cultivating the crop for the white traders. This resulted in the formation of a Neel Commission. Later, the paper was taken over by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The paper strongly opposed the Government's excesses and demanded that Indians be appointed to top government posts. The Indian Mirror was the other contemporary of this paper which was very popular among the reading public.

 

 Revolutionary Movement and the Press

 

So far as the revolutionary movement is concerned, it did not begin with guns and bombs but it started with the publication of newspapers. There is not a single province in India which did not produce a journal or newspaper to uphold the cause of freedom struggle .

 

So it is very important to have newspaper for any community so as to induce revolutionary movement amongst its own people .Dr Ambedkar says,’ Men are mortal. So are ideas. An idea needs propagation as such as a plant needs watering. Otherwise both will wither and die’ This shows how important the need of a magazine for any organization for spreading its aims ,objects and purposes .The media plays an important role in strengthening and bonding the society.It also plays an emotional role in making positive strokes to bring its members under one umbrella.All advanced and progressed communities in India have their own media viz TV Channel, News papers etc. Through their own media , news, ideas, views, thoughts, opinions, commercial happenings are being transmitted to their people and make them more informed. Unfortunately, the Downtrodden do not have their own media worth its salt as to give social  impact on its people.

Keeping the above in mind, we at Thiruvalluvar Foundation decided to start a magazine. Initially we started a quarterly newsletter wherein the current topics about the happening in Thiruvalluvar Foundation, its members, views on educational and social front etc were printed and distributed among its members and well-wishers. It has received a lot of support from its members and sympathizers. So we went one step further to make this newspaper an official one by making application to the Register of Newspaper of India (RNI)..Mr M.Jeyam and Mr C.Panneer Selvam are front runners in running the magazine successfully. We have already received the title of the magazine –KALVIKKADAL from the RNI. .Steps are being taken to get registration of this magazine. Currently the Editorial Board consists of Mr.M.Jeyam (Editor), Mr.C.Panneerselvam (Associate Editor), Mr.M.Viswanathan, Mr.M.C.Kathiroli, Mr.A.Arachelvan, Mr.T.S.Kumar. Topics on current issues relating to education,social matters , poetry in Tamil and English contributed by members or other writers etc,are published after approval from the editorial board.

 

Contributions by way of essays on educational and societal matter, small poems either in Tamil or English, are welcome.