Bhopal. Senior journalists Kamal Nayan Chhapariya and Abdul Aziz were honored with the Lifetime Achievement Journalism Award in memory of the late senior journalist N.D. Sharma at the first eNewsroom Conclave 2026 held in Kolkata. The conclave also witnessed discussions on the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s journalism in the growing era of AI, deepfakes, social media, and misinformation.
Organized by eNewsroom India at the Bhasha Bhawan of the National Library, the theme of the conclave was “Gandhi the Journalist: Why India Needs His Media Vision Today.” Former Rajya Sabha MP and former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, journalist Rasheed Kidwai, Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha, senior journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani, and Dr. Mohammad Reyaz shared their views at the event.
Jawhar Sircar stated that Gandhi’s newspapers were not merely a medium for political views. They engaged in communication with the common people and raised questions regarding social reform and public service.
Rasheed Kidwai said that today, rather than a news story merely going viral, it is important for it to be meaningful. The core job of journalism is to bring issues and problems to the fore.
Pratik Sinha mentioned that the algorithms of social media platforms pose a major challenge to digital media today. Meanwhile, Arfa Khanum Sherwani stated that alternative media plays a crucial role in highlighting issues that do not receive adequate coverage in the mainstream.
Speakers at the conclave noted that alongside the increasing speed of news, misinformation and political polarization have also emerged as challenges. In such a scenario, accuracy, context, and public interest are more important for journalism than ever before.
Journalist Rokibuz Zaman was presented with the first Biswajit Roy Memorial Emerging Journalist Award at the conclave. He was honored for his people-centric reporting related to Assam, the Northeast, and West Bengal. The award carried a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
Kamal Nayan Chhapariya and Abdul Aziz were conferred with the N.D. Sharma Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award. Abdul Aziz has spent more than five decades in Urdu journalism, while Kamal Nayan Chhapariya began his career in journalism in 1992 and has worked with several Hindi newspapers and news organizations.
A book by the late journalist Biswajit Roy was also released at the event. The entire eNewsroom team played an important role in organizing the event.