UP Deputy CM's journalism remark inspired by RSS belief?

NEW DELHI: Behind Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma’s claim that journalism began in ancient India, is there the RSS belief that mythical peripatetic sage Narada was the “first journalist of the entire universe”?

Sharma, who has a Ph.D in psychology, started his political career as a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. Linking modern technology to ancient India, he had on Wednesday said that journalism started in the Mahabharata era and equated Narada with the present-day Google.

Narendra Jain, the RSS’s regional publicity in-charge, corroborates: “Narada was the first journalist of the entire universe. No two ways about it. It’s a matter of faith. A debate on the issue will be futile.” “Naradaji worked for world peace. Both devtas and danavs respected him. He endeavoured to unite all into one family,” he says.

“Naradaji was a master communicator. He knew the crux of journalism. The Maharishi followed the basics tenets of journalism ages ago. He was omnipresent as journalists are required to be,” another RSS leader says.

According to Jain, the RSS celebrates Narada's birth anniversary across the country in May as per the traditional Hindu calendar.

Sharma, who was a professor in the Lucknow University before he took charge as UP deputy chief minister, had said that Narada was the epitome of information. He could reach anywhere and transfer a message from one place to another by saying ‘Narayana' thrice.