Journalists in Chennai marked 10 years since the death of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam 'Taraki' Sivaram by holding an event to celebrate his life this week.

Organised by the Centre of Media Persons for Change (CMPC), young journalists from across the state discussed their experiences and paid tribute to the life of the slain Tamil journalist, screening a documentary on Sivaram entitled “You can't kill an idea”.

Manikandan, chief of the CMPC, led discussions at the event, which also marked May Day and World Press Freedom.

Tamil Nadu based journalist Maga Tamizh Prabhagaran spoke on Sivaram's journalistic integrity and accuracy when reporting. “Some Tamil Nadu based media and channels were hiding the facts of the Sri Lankan war by following Indian government policy or getting bribes from the state intelligence source during the time of war,” said Mr Prabhagaran. “But what Taraki did was independent reporting which checked the facts in real time conflict... That's why his credibility was widely accepted,” he added.

Fellow journalists Arun Mozhi Varman, Tamilarasan and Anand were amongst those who also addressed the event, discussing topics such as workers rights, humanitarian concerns and the role of the mainstream media.

World Press Freedom Day marked with airing of documentary on Sivaram in India (05 May 2015)

'Where else should I die but here?' (29 Apr 2015)