Rev. Fr. Samuel Sequeira (Fr. Sam) is the Managing Director & Editor-in-chief of Kannada Daily "Janavahini".  He was previously editing the Diocesan Konkani Weekly "RAKNNO" and has been in the forefront in promoting the cause of journalism within the community.  He is instrumental in organizing a group of socially oriented generous community leaders to form a public limited company called Janamadhyama Prakashana Ltd., the publisher of Kannada Daily "Janavahini".

Of late, a lot of discussion was generated on "daijidubai.com / konkandaiz.com", which had mixed opinions expressed on the prospects and progress of this renowned Kannada Daily.  Gerry D'Mello of Muscat met Fr. Sam for an exclusive interview for daijidubai.com / konkandaiz.com during the latter's visit to the Middle East with a view to focus on the working of Janavahini.

Gerry: Fr. Sam, on behalf of "daijidubai.com / konkandaiz.com", I am privileged to take your interview.  Could you please brief me about  "Janavahini", the so-called "voice of the minorities in India"?
Fr. Sam: Mangalorean Catholic community is comparatively a small community. Yet members of this community, wherever they are, leave their footprints.  Being devout workers, we have been generous contributors to community-causes, more specifically church-sponsored projects.  This also includes supporting other cultural and social causes.  But in this changing world we, apart from our community members, require a broader response.  Janavahini was such a unique and far-sighted attempt to rope in the support of all secular minded groups, to address the prevailing socio-political issues facing us, more notably the problems faced by the minorities and the backward classes.  Like any other farsighted project, we expected the support and understanding of people at large.  I am happy to mention here that as days go by, awareness is growing and we see a lot of well meaning-socially well placed-people come to recognize our effort.
 
Gerry: What made you take this broad & bold initiative?
Fr. Sam: It all began ten years ago when the talk of "Hindutva" was being circulated in the society around us.  There were indications of societies being divided on religious grounds.  In order to gain political mileage out of this, certain political leaders, who had a leaning towards religious fundamentalism, started making statements against the religious minorities.  The burning issues like Ayodhya Temple, Babri Masjid and attack on Christian Churches disturbed the psyche of national polity.  Hitherto low-profile non-political organizations like RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal came to gain the political limelight.  We are also aware of the subsequent bomb blasts in the Mumbai Business District.  The Indian secular fabric was under attack.

At this critical time, we realized that it is juncture for us to take lead and work for the protection of our sacred secular constitution, by promoting communal harmony and secularism among our people.  We did not have a medium to reach the masses at large.  At this time the idea of an independent newspaper was born well aware of the writing on the wall.

Gerry: Didn't you think at that stage, that you were swimming against the tide, having such huge task and negative forces working against your concept?
Fr. Sam: Yes, we were quite aware of the risk factors.  Being a 2% minority in a population of one billion people, we were nowhere near to influence public opinion, but we had no choice. "Raknno" being a diocesan weekly in Konkani had its own limitations.  On the other hand we had a large number of service-oriented institutions like schools, colleges, healthcare centers, social work units catering to the needs and livelihood of millions of people of our country.  Yet what was their