MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC TRUST BY RAJIV MEHROTRA AT THE FESTIVAL OF FAITHS, 2016, LOUISVILLE

Rajiv Mehrotra urges consumers of media to be mindful of the authenticity and credibility of the information they encounter. They invoked Gandhi's idea that journalism's ultimate aim should be service and emphasized the need for internal control within the profession. As media consumers, he reminded us our power to influence change through our choices, notably the "switch off" button. This simple act of disengagement can send a powerful message and contribute to a collective effort to cleanse the media space of disinformation and bias.
Rajiv Mehrotra has been a personal student of HH The Dalai Lama for more than thirty years & describes himself as “a most unworthy chela” of his. Till 2012 he was the host one of the country’s longest running, and most widely viewed talk shows on public Television, In Conversations. It was rated the most watched programme in its genre across all television channels in India. He was a familiar face on Indian television for more than 40 years.
His books include The Mind of The Guru, The Spirit of The Muse, Understanding The Dalai Lama,The Essential Dalai Lama, Thakur - a biography of Sri Ramakrishna and Conversations with The Dalai Lama, on Life, Living and Happiness.
In the 1970’s he was a student of Swami Ranganathananda, who was later President of The Ramakrishna Mission and later of the yoga icon BKS Iyengar. He serves as the Secretary & Founding Trustee of The Foundation for Universal Responsibility of H.H. The Dalai Lama(established with the Noble Peace Prize) (furhhdl.org); ManagingTrustee of The Public Service Broadcasting Trust (www.psbt.org);and Chairman of The Media Foundation (www.thehoot.org).
Rajiv Mehrotra has twice addressed plenary sessions at The World Economic Forum at Davos and was nominated a Global Leader for Tomorrow by them. He was a Judge of the Templeton Prize for Spirituality and serves on the Boards of several institutions.
He works as an independent film maker, Producer & Commissioning editor. His films have won more than 170 international and forty national awards from the President of India. He was Chairman of the Jury for the awards during their 50th anniversary.
RajivMehrotra lives in New Delhi with his wife Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath.
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