Friday Evenings at Press Club Hyderabad .... Conversations, Continuity, and Collective Memory .... Expanding Horizons of Memoirs and Updating : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Friday Evenings at Press Club Hyderabad

Conversations, Continuity, and Collective Memory

Expanding Horizons of Memoirs and Updating 

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

(February 21, 2026)

At 78, when mere reading and writing remain cherished companions, another thought came to me: why not step out once a week to meet like-minded friends, spend a few meaningful hours, exchange ideas, and recall journeys that shaped us? What began as a simple and casual ‘Thursday Evening Thought’ has now taken the form of purposeful ‘Friday Gatherings’ at the ‘Press Club Hyderabad.’ 

Over conversation and a social drink, it became the seed of this initiative. This initiative is neither about nostalgia alone nor about individuals seeking recognition. It is about creating a structured yet informal space where experience meets reflection, where memory becomes documentation, and where professional wisdom can be shared, preserved, and passed forward. The idea itself is what matters, and it is an idea that can be replicated anywhere.

The idea was first shared with GK Murthy, former Doordarsan Kendra Hyderabad senior official and former Vice-President of the Press Club. His immediate response was not only to join but also to facilitate the first meeting and invite others. 

Thus, the first Friday gathering took shape. Joining us was Devulapalli Amar, a 70-year-old senior journalist with five decades of experience beginning with Eenadu and Andhra Bhoomi, who later served as a journalists’ union leader at state and national levels, as Chairman of the AP Press Academy, and as National Media Advisor and Coordinator to the AP Government. A prolific writer and political analyst, he currently edits Mana Telangana.

We were also joined by 80-year-old veteran journalist Bhandaru Srinivasa Rao, whose career spans over six decades: from Andhra Jyothi in Vijayawada to news units of All India Radio and Doordarsan Kendra, including a four-year stint in Moscow. Known for his objectivity, he remains an active writer and commentator in Social Media. 

Another friend present was, Subhash Gowd, aged 69, began his career with Andhra Bhoomi before rising to Director in the AP Government Information and Public Relations Department. He too joined the gathering. GK Murthy, true to his word, attended along with his friend V Subba Rao. Both are in their mid-70s, bringing with them decades of memory.

The discussion unfolded naturally, through questions, recollections, memoirs, professional journeys, appreciations, and candid reflections on likes and dislikes. It was neither structured nor chaotic; it evolved through collective thought. Memories of early assignments surfaced. Amar recalled his days at Eenadu and spoke of a forthcoming collective memoir authored by 15 of 26 former colleagues. 

Despite mixed experiences working there: commitment to journalism profession and as Union Leader equally, he expressed a desire to visit the Eenadu office, perhaps first ever visit after he left the job there, with fellow colleagues to pay respects to its founder, the late Ramoji Rao.

The group fondly remembered Gora Shastri of Andhra Bhoomi, recalling his journalistic excellence and mentorship. Both Amar and Subhash acknowledged how he shaped their fundamentals in journalism. 

Subhash recounted how, early in his career, he successfully drafted an important official document at short notice, a confidence born of that foundational training. Experiences relating to TTD were shared, with Subhash having served as PRO and GK Murthy associated with a former TTD Chairman. These conversations revealed how journalism intersects with governance, faith institutions, and public communication.

Throughout the evening, Bhandaru Srinivasa Rao enriched the discussions with thoughtful insights drawn from his vast experience. Later, Press Club Secretary Ramesh Varikuppala and Vice-President Aruna Atthaluri joined and spent quality time with the group, encouraging the spirit of engagement. 

I for myself preferred more on eliciting experiences from others. The first meeting concluded with a shared understanding: these Friday gatherings would continue, and ideally expand. The long-term idea is to invite knowledgeable individuals from diverse fields to share experiences in an open, reflective setting.

Origins of the Press Club, established as a professional hub for journalists and communication professionals, providing space for work, networking, and dialogue was recalled. Memories were shared about the Club’s shift in 1994 from Basheer Bagh to its present premises in Somajiguda, marking an important phase in its growth. Also recalled how over time, successive executive bodies strengthened its infrastructure: such as meeting rooms, auditoriums, conference halls etc. The facility to relax over a social drink complements its professional character was what we felt.

The meeting resolved to meet certainly again the following Friday, not merely for camaraderie, but to consciously document insights that may serve present and future generations, especially in journalism, public relations, and allied fields. 

Finally, the evening concluded with a shared understanding: this should not remain a one-time event. Friday meetings would continue, and gradually expand. The long-term idea is simple yet powerful, to invite knowledgeable individuals from different fields and facilitate the sharing of lived experiences in an informal yet purposeful setting.

What emerged from this gathering is a model that can be replicated anywhere. A few committed individuals. Consistency of meeting. Conversations centered on lived experience rather than abstract debate. Rotational facilitation without hierarchy. Gradual inclusion of experts from diverse fields. 

Most importantly, documenting insights so they do not evaporate with time. In an age of instant messaging and fleeting opinions, sustained reflective dialogue is becoming rare. Yet professions grow when memory is respected, examined, and preserved. Informal conversations, when nurtured with intent, can become living archives.

These Friday evenings are not about nostalgia or looking back alone. They are about continuity and carrying forward. When experienced professionals sit together without competition or hierarchy, or agenda, knowledge flows freely. If replicated elsewhere, such gatherings can serve as quiet academies, as preserving professional ethics, narrating institutional histories, strengthening camaraderie, and inspiring younger generations in journalism, public relations, and allied professions.

              What stands out in this entire initiative is not merely that a few senior professionals met on a Friday evening. What stands out is the conscious effort to convert memory into meaning. In a time when speed dominates substance and reaction replaces reflection, such gatherings restore balance. They remind us that institutions are built not only by structures and positions, but by conversations, mentorship, disagreements, corrections, and shared experiences.

Professional communities often speak about ‘Legacy,’ yet rarely create simple platforms where legacy can be narrated, examined, and archived in a living manner. These ‘Friday Meetings’ demonstrate that one does not need grand seminars, formal resolutions, or elaborate funding to sustain intellectual continuity. 

A table, a few chairs, mutual respect, and the willingness to listen, and enough: these are sufficient foundations. If similar circles begin elsewhere: in press clubs, universities, literary associations, administrative services forums, or even small-town libraries, they may become informal academies of experience. The senior generation finds renewed engagement. The middle generation finds perspective. The younger generation finds direction.

Most importantly, professional ethics find reinforcement through lived examples rather than textbook prescriptions. However, a word of caution: Such initiatives must remain idea-driven, not personality-driven, and continuity-driven, not event-driven. When meetings become consistent, documentation becomes organic, and documentation gradually becomes collective memory. 

And collective memory strengthens institutions. Well, if this spirit continues, our ‘Friday Evenings’ may well evolve into something larger than anticipated: not in size, but in significance. Press Club maybe the Venue, but the idea transcends the venue. Wherever professionals value memory, meaning, and mentorship, such meetings should happen.

Meet. Reflect. Document. Continue. That is the essence.