Journalism, known as the fourth pillar of democracy, has been held up in India by the courageous hard work and resilience of many journalists throughout the decades. Many names have been added to the growing list of those who have selflessly done their job to uphold the common interest of freedom of speech and the right to information. One such name is that of Mr. Prem Prakash, the founder of Asian News International (ANI).
With a journalism career that spans decades, Prem Prakash has faced numerous challenges in his profession as a journalist. At the age of 93, he has also seen the country through different eras, either of development or turmoil. Covering three deadly wars, an emergency and a near arrest, Mr Prakash has a life full of adventures and a job that has taken him around the world. Read on to learn more about his 70-year career as a journalist.
Prem Prakash started his career in colonial India
In an interview with podcaster, Vinamre Kasanaa, Prem Prakash revealed the circumstances under which he started his career as a journalist. He stated that he had seen the last days of the British in India, which many people today have not seen. Mr Prakash had the opportunity to see dignitaries like former PM, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma (Mohandas Karamchand) Gandhi and more, up close. Talking about how his career started, the veteran journalist said that during his college days in British India, he was an active student worker and wrote a report that was well-liked by his principal. This marked his foray into the world of photojournalism. In the interview, he said:
“They okayed the report, and I seemed to enjoy it. I was a part of the Hindu College. They encouraged public speaking, writing and photography. Of course, my father also had a photography store. I picked photography from there. Enjoyed it, and that’s how I started my career. ”
Prem Prakash worked on the field during three deadly wars
During his days as a journalist, Prem Prakash covered three wars: the Indo-China War of 1962, the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and the Afghan War of 1978. While on the field and covering the 1962 war, the journalist admitted that he could have been killed many times there. When asked in the interview about which was one of the deadliest situations he was embroiled in, the journalist said that it was in Afghanistan. During his reporting days in the country, Mr Prakash’s car was hit with bullets. In the interview, he was also asked if he carried any firearms or had training for such situations, the photojournalist pointed at the camera and cleverly said, “This is my weapon”.
Prem Prakash started his own media agency, ANI, to counter the stereotyped image of India being projected by Western media
In 1971, Prem Prakash established India’s first television news feature agency, TVNF, which was later renamed ANI. Now, nearly 5 decades later, ANI is the biggest television news agency in India. In his book, Reporting India: My 70-year journey as a journalist, Mr Prakash revealed the reason behind starting his own TV news agency. The journalist penned down:
“I had seen India’s image projected abroad as a country of snake charmers and elephants. This image, as I was to find later, was deliberately chosen by the British to humiliate India… Thus, when preparing to launch my own agency—later to become ANI—my aim was to correct this distorted image of India.”
Prem Prakash revealed his experiences during the Emergency
A national Emergency was imposed on India, from 1975-1977. Talking about the situation then, Prem Prakash said that there used to be a ‘full-fledged censor set-up’ and a Chief Censor Officer to look over what was being published and printed. The journalist was friends with the officer however, and was tipped off that he was going to be arrested for flouting censorship rules. Mr Prakash had to leave the country along with his wife within 24 hours. Their phone line was cut off as well, and they had no way of connecting with the outside world. The couple came back to India after the Emergency was lifted. Recollecting his memories of those two years, Prem Prakash said:
“I hope and pray that you guys never see any time like that, which people like me have seen. And we have lived through it. Aisi tragedy kabhi aaj tak nahi ayi. It was unprecedented. ”
Prem Prakash’s last coverage was an assassination attempt on former PM, Rajiv Gandhi
Prem Prakash’s last on-field coverage was during the Sri Lanka conflict in the late 1980s. The journalist was on the same plane as former PM, Rajiv Gandhi during his visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka. As per the reporter, an assailant fired at the then Prime Minister, who barely dodged the bullet. Mr Prakash got the whole ordeal in his camera reel. This marked the last on-field coverage of the journalist. To note, former PM, Rajiv Gandhi unfortunately succumbed to a later assassination attack made on him.
Prem Prakash talked about life after retirement and gave advice to future journalists
Prem Prakash said that once he decided to take retirement, he left the on-field life behind. He also focused more on managing ANI and writing books based on his experiences. He also gave advice to upcoming journalists and said that they should know and read a lot about history and economics. Politics and current affairs everyone learns eventually and is informed day by day, the veteran journalist further mentioned. Mr Prakash also humbly stated many times during the interview that he did nothing and it was a job. However, the revolution that he brought to India’s news media front will forever be irreplaceable.
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