India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his visit to the UK launched the 70 years anniversary celebration of the Indian Journalists' Association (IJA) at St James's Hotel. Speaking at the launch on 27 February, the Minister said that Indian journalists based in London are 'more than a mainstream player'.
IJA was founded on May 29, 1947- just a few weeks before India’s independence in August, as a representative body for Britain-based correspondents and journalists reporting on and covering India and South Asia-related issues. Its 100 odd members now comprise of foreign correspondents of major Indian outlets as well as Indian origin reporters of the British Media.
Recalling its 1947 founding, Jaitley said: “That must have been a period when your counterparts at that time may not have exactly been in the same frame of mind as you are today.
“In 1947, though, the decision had been taken that India will get independence, the Radcliff mission must have been working, there would have been a lot of tension as to what goes to what is now Pakistan and what comes to India. At least the border cities were living on the edge. Those were the days when the size of the media itself was very small,” reported the Hindustan Times.
During his visits to London over the last 25 years, Jaitley said he would meet the Indian media fraternity around a small table. But technology and economy had changed the news media over the years, and also the size of the fraternity.
The newly elected President Ashis Ray told Asian Voice, “IJA is planning to host an event on 29th May to celebrate its birthday and a major function in November. It is also contemplating organising an international seminar on a media related subject in course of the year.”
Over the years, various heads of state, heads of government, members of royal families and eminent persons in various walks of life have attended IJA events, which have ranged from media conferences to celebrated annual dinners.
The distinguished guests have included Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Morarjee Desai, P V Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Clement Atlee, Harold McMillan, Alec Douglas Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Wilson, twice British prime minister, said to IJA: “I must record the great debt both India and Britain owe to your Association, which does so much to enable our peoples to understand each other, and by so understanding, come even closer together.”
IJA was reinvigorated on 17 August 2009 with the adoption of a new constitution, which considerably expanded the base of the organisation. It also introduced hitherto non-existent gender equality and its first Women President-Secretary team was elected in 2013 for 2 years.
