The Press Club, Thiruvananthapuram is the hub of media activities in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

, capital of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. Established in 1965 with 20 members, which has now swelled into 350. Governor Sahay addressed the first ‘Meet-the-Press’ program on 8 February 1967.

History

E. M. S. Namboodiripad, the

Chief Minister of Kerala The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. '' De facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elections to the Kerala Legislative Assembly, the state's governor usually invites th ...

, laid the foundation stone of the Press Club Building on 17 April 1968, and Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

inaugurated the three storied building presently hosting the Press Club

on 19 May 1969.

Institute of Journalism

The Institute of Journalism, Thiruvananthapuram the first journalism institute in India to be run by professional journalists, started functioning in 1968. The founder-director of the Institute was M Sivaram, who had worked with the

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

. The Institute offers a one-year Post-Graduate Diploma in journalism (PGDJ) and a Certificate Courses in Electronic Journalism,

Radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

and TV jockeying, news photography and

Citizen journalism Citizen journalism, also known as collaborative media, participatory journalism, democratic journalism, guerrilla journalism, grassroots journalism, or street journalism, is based upon members of the community playing an active role in the pro ...

Facilities

A new bloc, with a cellar for recreational activities (Sanketam), was declared open by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ajit Kumar Panja on 9 January 1989, in the presence of Kerala Revenue Minister PS Sreenivasan and Leader of the Opposition K. Karunakaran. The air-conditioned conference hall of the building, with the capacity to seat 100 persons, is claimed to be largest of its kind in Press Clubs anywhere in the country. The foundation stone for the third building, replacing the original home of the club, was laid by President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma on 13 February 1996. A second centrally-air-conditioned conference hall with the latest acoustic facilities was inaugurated by Chief Minister E. K. Nayanar on 27 August 2000 on the third floor of the first building. A new building, which mainly houses the Institute of Journalism, was inaugurated by Chief Minister A. K. Antony in 2003. In 2005, Chief Minister

Oommen Chandy Oommen Chandy (31 October 1942 – 18 July 2023) was an Indian lawyer and statesman who served as the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the Leader of the Opposition, leader of the opp ...

inaugurated the gymnasium in its cellar. A year later, the Chief Minister inaugurated the information centre and library on the ground floor of the new building. The Club has instituted nine annual awards: the M Sivaraman Award for News Stories and Features, the KC Sebastian Award for Political Reporting, the Swadeshabhimani Award for Layout and Design, the News Photography Award, the Cartoon Award, the National Award for the Best Features in English and the V Krishnamoorthy Award for the Best News Story in English.

Activities

The activities of the Press Club include exchange programmes with fraternal clubs, provision of media-related consultancy services to the government, conducting seminars, Meet-the-Press programmes and workshops on development and mass media-related issues, creation of new recreational avenues for members and their families and skill-upgradation programmes. It also provides insurance cover for all its members and their families.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Kerala Press Club Website
Organisations based in Thiruvananthapuram Organizations established in 1965 Mass media in Thiruvananthapuram Press clubs Indian journalism organisations 1965 establishments in Kerala