The Fourth Annual Function of the P.D. Tandon Foundation Trust was held at Jaipuria Institute of Management Auditorium on 9th March 2025.
The programme commenced with floral tributes to Mr. P.D. Tandon and his son, Late Mr. R.K. Tandon (who passed away in May 2023), offered by family members in a solemn and respectful atmosphere.
The event was elegantly compered by renowned author, poet, and motivational speaker Mr. Chandra Shekhar Varma. The programme began with an address by noted photo-journalist Mr. Pradeep Kapoor, who shared his memoirs featuring his father, Late Bishan Kapoor, and P.D. Tandon.
This was followed by reminiscences and anecdotes about P.D. Tandon shared by his grandson Mr. Rohit Tandon.
A specially curated 13-minute video presentation titled “Glimpses of P.D. Tandon” was then screened, featuring reflections and memories shared by family members and close acquaintances.
A new and engaging segment, “Ask The Editor”, was introduced this year. Mr. Sudhir Mishra, Editor, Navbharat Times, interacted directly with the audience, responding thoughtfully to questions on a wide range of local and social issues. His candid and insightful responses were highly appreciated.
For the selection of Outstanding Journalists, along with the regular panel of five senior journalists, a The Readers’ Choice Panel comprised of was introduced this year.
The panel comprised:
For the year 2025, the P.D. Tandon Foundation Awards for Outstanding Journalism were presented to:
Senior journalists Mr. Sharat Pradhan and Mr. Govind Pant Raju also addressed the gathering, sharing valuable insights and engaging anecdotes highlighting the importance of ethical journalism.
Continuing with the ‘Student Journalists’ initiative introduced in 2022, the Foundation organized a writing competition for students of Mass Communication.
The topic was
“Describe in 500 words, in first person, any significant event witnessed by you in 2024.”
Winners:
In the online ‘कहानी लेखन प्रतियोगिता
participants were asked to continue the following paragraph:
“वह एक सामान्य सी शाम थी, हम अपने दफ़्तर से घर लौट रहे थे। वही सड़क, वही दुकानें, वही शोर गुल और तभी…. तभी एक ऐसी घटना घटी, जिसने सबकुछ बदल दिया। एक अनजान नंबर से आई फ़ोन कॉल ने हमारी ज़िंदगी को एक नए मोड़ पर लाकर खड़ा कर दिया। आमतौर पर हम अनजान नंबर से आयी कॉल का उत्तर नहीं देते हैं, पर उस दिन न जाने क्या हुआ कि हमने लाइन कनेक्ट करके हेलो बोल ही दिया…..”
Winners:
The competition was judged by Ms. Meenu Khare, Former Deputy Director and Programme Head, All India Radio, Lucknow. The prize-winning story was beautifully narrated on stage by Radio Jockey Ananya Srivastava.
As part of its social outreach, the Foundation handed over stationery and vocational training material worth ₹21,000 to four specially-abled children of Drishti Samajik Sansthan, in the presence of the Sansthan’s Director, Mr. Dhiresh Bahadur, and Manager, Mr. Rohit Tripathi.
