Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh): The much-awaited second edition of the three-day Khajuraho Literature Festival (KLF2020) that was held on January 18, began with a session on "Media Ka Dharm", in which a select few of the finest journalists in India were present at Mint Bundela Resort.

Describing the role of media, senior journalists and editors spoke about the 'dharma' of media professionals in the current complex scenario. The speakers included Samir Abbas, executive editor, TV9 Bharatvarsha; Aalok Shrivastava, senior journalist, poet and lyricist; Pranay Upadhyay, associate editor, ABP News; Prakhar Shrivastav, TV journalist, Swati Goel Sharma and Priyanka Deo from New India Junction. Television journalist Pramila Dixit moderated the session.

During the interaction, Samir Abbas said, "Social media has been influencing mainline journalism to a great extent. However, a journalist should remain honest to the profession of journalism."

Novelist Saiswaroopa Kumar, author Shantanu Gupta and Ramkrishna put forward their views. Shantanu said, "Social media plays a big role in the thought process, but for a while. However, the books are used as a reference, and they are forever. Everyone should write a book during their lifetime."

Among the speaker was Abhinav Khare, CEO of Asianet News Networks who shared his opinion on the opportunity that the Khajuraho Lit Fest gave to people.

Speaking to MyNation, Khare said, "We all really enjoyed the Khajuraho Literature Festival and it gave a lot of opportunities to handicraft workers across the country to exhibit their art. It also allowed us to have interaction with media and students. Also, lots of misconceptions on CAA and other policies were discussed. It was a great learning opportunity for many people from different sectors and ideologies."

A cultural festival and traditional exhibition were also part of the literature festival. The KLF2020 was held under the aegis of LokNiti. The theme of the event was 'Celebrating Indian Culture'.