S.T. Sivanayagam, a giant and champion of Tamil journalism for more than half a century, passed away after making an immense contribution in the political, social, educational and economic fields. S. T. as he was popularly known was indeed a quiet and humble saint, saint in journalism. He was the guru of scores of journalists, working today in top positions in the press, radio and TV. Many of them were at Kanatte last Monday to say farewell and thank you to their mentor, guide and friend. The story of S.T.Sivanayagam and his contribution to journalism from the hot metal period of the fifties to the high tech internet era are indeed unpara-lelled if not unique. Starting at a time when printing was a primitive or laborious task with smudges all over and little or nor colour, S. T. Siv-anayagam was still able to build a wide circulation for the newspapers he edited, sometimes producing what his colleagues and staff saw as magical or mystical methods. During the past fifty years we have seen three eras in printing- the hand-setting period, the linotype era and the current computer offset printing. S. T. Sivanayagam was one of the few journalists who blazed their way through all three eras, maintaining the highest principles and the highest standards of integrity whatever the printing methods were. In the hand-setting era S. T. Sivanayagam was the editor of the Sud-anthiran, the official organ of the Federal Party. But the master journalist with a broad vision turned it into a powerful voice of the Tamil people, especially those who were voiceless or marginalised.
(“Tribute to S. T. Sivanayagam: editor, guru and father” தொடர்ந்து வாசிக்க…)
