'National Herald' launches its Mumbai edition on Pt. Nehru's 132nd birth anniversary

English newspaper National Herald launched its Mumbai edition on Sunday on the occasion of the 132nd birth anniversary of its founder and the country's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

A number of prominent personalities including former Union minister and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) Chairman Pawan Bansal, Maharashtra Ministers Balasaheb Thorat, Amit Deshmukh, Vishwajeet Kadam, Nawab Malik and former chief minister Ashok Chavan besides a number of writers, and journalists graced the occasion.

Started in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru as a daily newspaper, National Herald played an important role in the freedom struggle and went through a series of censorship battles, choosing to shut down rather than submit to British diktats. Nationalism was at the core of its publishing philosophy.

In the present scenario, the newspaper endeavours to fill the vacuum for independent and impartial media at a time when the freedom of expression has been under an unprecedented threat.

It is in that spirit that National Herald comes to Mumbai to offer readers a fiercely independent journalism committed to truth, courage and honour.

The weekly newspaper will function out of its building in Bandra. In addition to the editorial offices, the building houses a library, a cafeteria, an auditorium and a wall dedicated to the history of National Herald.

The building was inaugurated on Sunday by AJL Chairman Pawan Bansal in the presence of AJL board member Suman Dubey, Group Senior Editorial Advisor Mrinal Pandey, Senior Consulting Editor Uttam Sengupta, Mumbai Resident Editor Sujata Anandan and business head Piyush Jain.

The National Herald group includes 'Navjivan' in Hindi and 'Qaumi Awaz' in Urdu.