HT @ 100: A nation’s chronicler continues its crusade

On this long and thrilling journey, we have strived to never compromise on the promise we made 100 years ago – that Hindustan Times is a crusade, not a business

People, communities, societies and nations develop gradually over time by how they respond to events – those that surprise them, challenge them, elevate them, and even those they themselves spark. The calling of a chronicler is to document these happenings with honesty, compassion, perspective and prescience – putting a lens on the micro, painting the big picture, revealing shortcomings, and celebrating milestones. The chronicler must, therefore, be a bearer of tidings, good and bad; an advocate of the people; a mirror to society; and the voice of the nation.

Women in 1974 protect trees in Raini village in what is now Uttarakhand. This came to be known as the Chipko Movement (HT Archive)

One hundred years ago, born in the freedom movement with a mission to echo India’s aspirations, Hindustan Times resolutely took on this mantle. Today we proudly celebrate a century of our existence – of being true to the values of trust, clarity and credibility that we had vowed to uphold.

The India of 2024 could not be more different from that of 1924: a land longing for self-determination is now a country determined to play its part in shaping the future of the world. We are the most populous nation, the fifth-largest economy, and a robust democracy where leaders are held to account in a manner that the icons of the freedom movement would’ve hoped they would be in the India they were fighting to create.

We have achieved a lot. We are Oscar, Grammy and Booker winners; we are world champions and Olympic gold medallists; we have manufactured vaccines for the world; and landed a spacecraft on the moon.

Of course, there are problems. From corruption and nepotism to sectarianism and communal violence, from crime and terror to the relative emaciation of the weakest sections, several ills continue to dog India – even as wider issues such as wars, misinformation, forced migration and the climate crisis continue to add to global concerns.

For 100 years, as we’ve chronicled these changes around us, tracking history as it unfolds on our pages, Hindustan Times has transformed as well. The broadsheet you hold in your hands is now narrower than before, hazy black-and-white photos have made way for colour, the news can be packaged in real-time (till the time of going to press), and our strong digital products offer text, pictures, podcasts and videos 24x7.

On this long and thrilling journey, we have strived to never compromise on the promise we made 100 years ago – that Hindustan Times is a crusade, not a business. And we’re determined to carry forward that pledge as HT chronicles another century for its readers.