Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi –
Media is the fourth pillar of democracy in a democratic and pluralistic society such as New Zealand, the other three being the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
As the legislative, the executive and the judiciary have evolved to address the changing needs of our population so has the media.
I remember the time when I was growing up in Delhi, when, unlike contemporary media, we had a few radio stations to listen to and even fewer television channels to watch. However, quality content to read in newspapers in English, Punjab and Hindi was and still is available in abundance.
It is through reading these daily printed publications that one kept connected with local, national and international events.
Fast growth
As the Indian economy liberalised in the 1990’s printed publications moved from black and white to coloured and eye catchy versions in order to attract the young and socially upward population.
There were city specific sections in National daily covering local news and events with a page filled of photos with the latest events and people attending these events.
I also remember addition of a section that had topics regards to tertiary as well as higher education. There were sections and even comprehensive publications on specific topics such as business and economics as well as social and political issues.
As time and technology has progressed so have the number of mediums that we now use towards accessing our daily dose of news, views and analysis.
Changing preferences
The contemporary reader, it seems, feels more comfortable accessing a news or current affairs website on their phone rather than paying a small amount of money to buy a physical publication.
This evolution of technology and with it readers of printed publications has meant adaption for all stakeholders. For printed publications it has resulted in smaller, magazine style publications as compared to the half a metre pages I grew up reading.
Even though the readership for printed publications may not be increasing as it was some decades ago I am still of the opinion that printed publications such as Indian Newslink provide us with quality content to read.
Loyal readership
The editor and management of this publication has continually strived to ensure that its loyal readers have topics of interest to look forward to in each of its publication.
I myself have been a loyal reader of Indian Newslink since arriving in New Zealand in 2001. As I continued my settlement in this beautiful country, I found Indian Newslink as a bridge, providing me with information about India and New Zealand.
Technological evolutions do mean that our reading patterns are changing however, I am confident that readers will strive for quality content, which a publication such as Indian Newslink can certainly provide.
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi has been a Member of Parliament on National List since November 2008. He is also currently Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Law & Order. He has been honoured by several organisations in New Zealand, Australia, India, Canada and the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, the Indian Government honoured him with the ‘Pravasi Samman Award’ at the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ held in Gandhinagar, Capital of the Indian State of Gujarat.
