Narad, an ancient Indian sage who appears prominently in the Hindu epics and was known for disseminating relevant information, spreading gossip and carrying tales that often led to fights, has been projected wrongly and should be held up as a "role model for positive journalism", Pranav Bhonde, editor of the Mumbai-based Vishwa Samvad Kendra told. "Narad rishi not only used to ferry information from one place to another, but he also had the sense to ferry relevant information. He would not ferry the information for personal benefit, but for the good of the people, the country and the religion," Bhonde told.

Vishwa Samvad Kendra is in the process of organizing a series of events across the country and in Goa in May, to celebrate `Maharishi Narad Jayanti`. According to the lunar calendar, Narad`s birthday fell on May 5 this year. "Maharishi Narad followed the basic tenets of journalism ages ago. The information he sourced and passed on to the people, was difficult to obtain them, when means of communication were rare," Bhonde said. "It is mentioned in the old epics and texts that whenever big incidents occurred, Maharishi Narad was invariably there. He did not miss anything. He is an idol for positive journalism. We are trying to establish this across the country," he added.

Narad rishi, has been described in the old texts as having traversed across the "different worlds" and realms, ferrying and sharing his repository of information with the inhabitants. Naradasmriti, a well-known ancient text which also serves as an aggregation of social mores and rules of conduct, has been credited to the sage.

Bhonde preferred to describe Narad as someone who quizzes personalities of eminence, much like the relationship journalists share with Newsmakers of the day. "You cannot say mischievous; his image in the Puranas is of someone who quizzes," Bhonde said. "Whether it is in the Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata or any other text, what Narad has done is communicate society`s ills to people who can address them and resolve issues which are stuck," he added.

Believe it or not, Narad is depicted as a person who carries news and information to the whole universe, in the Hindus scriptures. The after effect of the delivery of the news and information, will mostly be the end of evil. That has to be the responsibility of the journalist. A journalist has to be true to the information without any bias.

By Premji