Today, we have changed our masthead. Today, on Human Rights Day, we are Free Rights. Why? Because we want to use our masthead to draw the nation’s attention to the issues that deserve to be addressed. Because we don’t just want to be writing about the changes that India witnesses daily but also play a part in changing India for the better.
We started this movement on 29 th August 2019, National Sports Day, by changing our 90-year-old brand name to Free Sports, followed by Free Food on 16th October, 2019, World Food Day, and Free Child on 14th November, 2019, Children’s Day. And today, we want every single one of us to read about and talk about our fundamental rights – the human rights that are the cornerstone of our democracy.
This day gives us a chance to acknowledge advocates and leaders and learn more about what human rights really mean for people from all walks of life. It gives us the opportunity to stand up for our rights, those which are under threat every day.
Press freedom becomes crucial to measure the level of overall freedom in the country. Of the 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index, India ranks 140 th. It is therefore only fitting that this Human Rights Day, Free Press Journal be the flagbearer of one of the most important rights of a democracy – freedom of expression – and remind people of their many other rights.
In today’s Human Rights edition, in the first two pages you’ll find our contributors talking about our human rights and looking at them from different points of view. Inside, you’ll see articles written by many prominent personalities. Acclaimed adman Prahlad Kakkar talks about gender equality, while actor Raveen Tandon writes about the current status of human rights in India, writer and TV personality Kunal Vijaykar writes about the freedom of expression, lawyer Zoru Bhathena writes about human rights and the environment, among many others.
There are plans to take this idea on social media, which is an ideal medium to add momentum knowing current state of the country’s mind set specially the youth, Free Press has roped in Isobar India as their digital partners, who are working on some big ideas that will add lots of fuel to initiative in coming few days.
“Though we are in the business of journalism, we want to focus on addressing the issues at hand. In a world that is increasingly becoming more open-minded, India is being close-minded. Which is why talking about human rights has become the need of the hour. And though it is impossible to speak about every right, our attempt is to highlight some of the key rights that we, as a country, find thwarted,” says our Chairman Director, Abhishek Karnani.
The idea was brought to us by Taproot Dentsu, one of India’s leading advertising agencies. Here’s what its Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Santosh Padhi, had to say: “Being from the creative industry I believe in the strength of creativity and its power to move people and change how they think. As a country, we are creatively gifted. But unfortunately, due to many religious and political agendas coming in our way, our creativity has been thwarted.
The last few years have seen it taking a backseat. Both Taproot and I have, over the years, faced issues that endangered our basic right of expression – there are a number of political parties and religious groups that exist to exercise their right to thwart ours. So, this particular issue is close to my heart.”
