Greetings and felicitations on Prothom Alo's 24th founding anniversary. Over the past 24 years it has been a pleasure to greet you on this special day. You are our readers, our friends. It is with your support that we march ahead.
Prothom Alo was first published on 4 November 1998. We were committed to reveal the truth with courage and determination. Within three years Prothom Alo became the No. 1 newspaper of the country. We became financially self-reliant too. There has been no looking back since then.
In 1998 very few people had mobile phones, but today almost everyone has a cell phone, internet at their fingertips. You can grab any information within seconds.
Prothom Alo today is no longer simply a newspaper in print. It is one of the largest digital news media platforms. Along with Kishor Alo, Biggyan Chinta, the Math Olympiad, sports awards, Meril-Prothom Alo Awards, Prothom Alo Trust, Bondhushava and more, Prothom Alo forges ahead with the youth of today, on the path of all that is good, on the path of enlightenment.
Just two years ago, with the outbreak of Covid, we had to close the doors at the Prothom Alo office and start to Work from Home, what we would term, 'home office'. Everything was so uncertain, our lives were uncertain, we had no idea when we would be able to emerge from our homes! But we did not stop, we never moved away from our readers.
Over the past couple of years, during the Covid pandemic, we held firmly to the conviction of our faith in humankind. Our conviction was not misplaced.
Today the world is rocked by war, energy crisis and a crisis of dollars. There are sounds of a global food crisis in the offing. If Bangladesh is to brave these crises, each and every one of us must muster up courage and move ahead. We must come up with innovative ideas and look for ways to advance.
The news media faces innumerable new challenges too. Readers' demands have also diversified. Technology is changing and developing every day. There is so much to consider, how to present the news, what headlines will catch the readers' attention and so much more.
The people of Bangladesh know no defeat. The people of Bangladesh have a love for humankind. The farmer who toils all day by the sweat of his brow, the garment industry workers who spend their youth working under glaring lights, the workers who labour tirelessly under the scorching sun of the Middle East to send foreign exchange back to the country, the young men and women who come up with new innovations and enterprises -- all of them are our hope. Our farmers have created records in fish, fruit, milk, and egg production. Our girls have amazed South Asia in the football field.
There are the negativities too. Bangladesh has clinched a spot on the world list of countries producing billionaires, money laundering and massive corruption too. All these problems, large and small, have taken root inside and outside of the government, an alarming predicament for the state indeed.
This is where the news media must play its role. It must reveal the truth with firm integrity. It must protect the country's democracy, revive democracy. As a news media outlet, we must carry out our duty to render effective the indispensable institutions of democracy.
We are well aware of the obstacles that will arise in the face of truth. But the truth has a strength of its own. Today 5 million readers read Prothom Alo's print newspaper every day, prothomalo.com is the world's No. 1 Bengali portal, Prothom Alo's Facebook page has around 19 million followers. Why is this so? It is because you believe in Prothom Alo, you believe it speaks the truth. If there is any motive behind telling the truth, it is the welfare of the people, the desire to see a successful Bangladesh. We believe the strength of Prothom Alo is undoubtedly its countless readers.
Readers, you have been with Prothom Alo for the past 24 years because of your love for the truth. That is our strength, that is our inspiration.
At Prothom Alo we are extremely vigilant about verifying and confirming any news before we publish it. That is where our courage lies. In the flurry of fake news and false stories, the readers want the truth. They want analysis and commentaries.
That is why we say, this is the time for independent and objective journalism. Our journalists must come forward with even more investigative and bold journalism. That will take Prothom Alo forward. That is why this year we are saying, we are with truth and news for 24. Not only 24 years, but our news portal prothomalo.com is active 24 hours. We even meet the demands of our English readers with en.prothomalo.com. We have strong and active presence in the social media too.
Prothom Alo will never falter in its role to take Bangladesh ahead on a winning path by publishing the truth with courage and honesty. On this 24th anniversary, we once again reiterate this commitment.
Bangladesh will achieve victory. It is the 170 million people of this country that will ensure this victory. Prothom Alo is just a humble partner in this forward journey of the people. Prothom Alo, with all due humility, always wants to remain as a partner. It will forever remain honest and bold. It will remain indomitable in the truth.
We have never for once forgotten that commitment we made 24 years ago. We never will forget it.
* Matiur Rahman is the editor of Prothom Alo