Asian Tribune Chennai Correspondent honored

Gopal Ethiraj, Special Correspondent of Asian Tribune at Chennai and President of The Hindu Employees Union, was honoured with “Life-time Achievement award” by the Lions Club Region Eight District 324 A 6 on Monday.

Region Chairperson Ln.B.Santhanam and District Governor Ln. G. Gajendran presented a shawl and a memento to Mr.Gopal while the citation read Gopal had been a multi faceted personality.

First Vice District Governor Ln P Vijayan, 2nd Vice District Governor Ln D.Sridharan, Cabinert Treasurer Ln. Dr. Suresh Chander Pal and Council Coordinator Ln. P. Elangovan were among those present and felicitated.

Profile of Gopal Ethiraj

While Mr. E.Gopal has been a journalist throughout his service and continues to be a scribe even after retirement, he has always involved himself in many roles, making him a multi-faceted personality.

During his service in media spanning over 38 years, Mr. Gopal holds the distinction of having served in all media—print, electronic and new media, which is rare for one of his time.

He started as a film journalist in 1970, served as special correspondent of “Screen,” a sister publication of The Indian Express; has been first Reporter of Doordarshan News in Chennai, and switched over to “The Hindu” in 1978 and retired in 2007 as Chief Sub Editor.

During his service time, his special interest has been trade unionism, fellowship of journalists, working for their upliftment, etc. As a Trade Union leader of journalists, he was always in one post of the other of the Madras Union of Journalists—President, General Secretary, Vice President.

Also with its parent all-India body-- the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ), he had been its South Secretary, Working Committee member and all, playing a pivotal role at National level in the interest of the working journalists. He has represented four wage boards for journalists and other newspaper employees.

During this period he has been Newsprint Advisory Committee member of the I & B Ministry, Govt. of India, Telephone Advisory Committee member of Tamil Nadu Telecommunications and I & B Ministry’s Media Committee preparing a White Paper on Media in India, etc. He is presently member of the Tamil Nadu government’s Newspaper employees wage implementation monitoring committee.

He is also the President of the Indo-Sri Lanka Journalists Friendship Association, which he founded in 1999 with Lankan scribes, and has been exchanging journalist groups between both countries.

He has visited Sri Lanka seven times, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

After retirement Mr. Gopal has become the President of The Hindu Employees Union, a prestigious position. After retirement, he has enrolled himself as an Advocate and is practicing in the Madras High Court. He is attached to the Free Legal Aid Services Centre of the Madras High Court, and is also Panel Member of the Lok Adalat.

His love of journalism is not leaving him. He is Special Correspondent of a popular Web daily, Asian Tribune, published from Sweden, where besides contributing the latest news, he writes a column on “Sunday Celebrities” (on Chennai personalities) which is carried by Print media elsewhere, and the same appears on Google site too.

He has been a visiting lecturer of journalism attached to Madras Christian College for three years.

His other interest is editing books. Mr. Gopal has edited about ten books and helped publications, translated books from Tamil to English and has written English sub titles for documentaries.

Mr. Gopal was honored among seven leading journalists by the Tamil Nadu Government on the “National Press Day and the Growth of Press in the 50 years of Indian Independence” celebrations on January 24, 2001.

- Asian Tribune -