Shinde to unveil statue of 'Freedom of Press'

A statue of 'Freedom of Press', claimed to be the first of its kind in the world, will be unveiled by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde at Lokmat Media's state-of-the-art printing plant in Butibori, about 30 kms from here, on October 13.

Lokmat is a product of the Freedom Movement. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak had named it; Mahatma Gandhi guided it and great freedom fighter Loknayak Bapu Aney influenced it culturally.

The founder of Lokmat group and veteran freedom fighter late Jawaharlal Darda accepted the guardianship of the paper. As a symbol of Group's trust in the concept of freedom, the Lokmat group is dedicating the statue of 'Freedom of Press' to the nation on the occasion of Vijayadashmi, a release from Lokmat Group said here today. The black marble statue shows a man and a woman reading a newspaper and it is installed atop a jet black granite pedestal.

It has been put up amidst lush green surroundings with a water body and water fountain nearby in Lokmat's sprawling printing press complex spread over 10.6 acres of land at an industrial estate in Butibori near here.

In the statue, printed word is regarded as truth and so the newspaper here represents knowledge and truth.

Acknowledging the contribution of hawkers to press and society, a statue of a newspaper hawker alongside the Freedom of Press statue is also installed.

This is for the first time in the world that a newspaper organisation is honouring hawkers who are a crucial link with readers in the supply chain of newspaper industry.