Malayala Manorama

Last updated

Malayala Manorama
25years-of-manoramaonline.gif
Malayala Manorama front.jpg
Front page of the newspaper
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s)Malayala Manorama Company Ltd
Founder(s) Kandathil Varghese Mappillai
Editor-in-chief Mammen Mathew
Managing editorPhilip Mathew
Founded1888;136 years ago (1888)
Language Malayalam
Ceased publication1938
Relaunched1947;77 years ago (1947)
Headquarters Kottayam, Kerala, India
Circulation 1,908,612 Daily(as of June 2022) [1]
Readership8.47 million (IRS 2019) [2]
ISSN 0972-0022
OCLC number 802436310
Website www.manoramaonline.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Malayala Manorama is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has a readership of over 8 million (with a circulation base of over 1.9 million copies). [3] [4] It is also the second oldest Malayalam newspaper in Kerala in circulation, after Deepika , which is also published from Kottayam. Manorama also publishes an online edition. [5]

Contents

According to World Association of Newspapers, as of 2016, it was the fourteenth most circulated newspaper in the world. [6] According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations 2022 figures, it is the 2nd largest circulating newspaper in India (behind Dainik Jagran ) and the largest circulating newspaper in Kerala.

History

Beginnings in Kottayam

Malayala Manorama Company is a private LLC corporation, owned by the Kandathil family, an aristocratic Malankara Orthodox Syrian Christian family, [7] incorporated by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai at Kottayam in south-western Kerala on 14 March 1888. The company started with one hundred shares of ₹100 each. The investors paid in four equal instalments. With the first instalment, the company brought a Hopkinson and Cope press, made in London. A local craftsman, Konthi Achari, was hired to make Malayalam types for the imported press. [8]

Varghese Mappillai had worked for a year as editor of Kerala Mitram, a Malayalam newspaper run by Gujarati businessman Devji Bhimji, in Cochin and he took over the same position for Manorama. The Maharajah of Travancore Moolam Thirunal approved the logo of the newspaper which was a slight modification of the Travancore Coat of Arms. [9]

The first issue was published on 22 March 1890 from Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, while the town was hosting a popular cattle fair. It was a four-page weekly newspaper, published on Saturdays. The weekly newspaper became a bi-weekly in 1901, a tri-weekly on 2 July 1918 and a daily on 2 July 1928. [10] After Varghese Mappillai death in 1904, his nephew K. C. Mammen Mappillai took over as editor.

In 1938, Travancore state proscribed Malayala Manorama on charges of publishing news against the Diwan; Mammen Mappillai was convicted and imprisoned. Malayala Manorama re-commenced regular publication in 1947 after the Indian independence and the Diwan's downfall.

On Mammen Mappillai's death, his eldest son K. M. Cheriyan took over as the Editor-in-Chief in 1954. At this time, Malayala Manorama was produced in a single edition in Kottayam with a circulation of 28,666 copies. [11]

By the late 1950s, Manorama steadily increased circulation and overtook Mathrubhumi in circulation, the dominant Malayalam daily at the time.

Expansion across Kerala (1960s)

The struggle between Malayala Manorama (based in Kottayam) and Mathrubhumi (based in Kozhikode) demonstrated the forces that would drive the expansion of Indian regional newspapers. The contest also illustrated the difficulties if expansion had to rely on Gutenberg-style printing as with the case of Manorama. [12]

Comparison of circulation Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi(from India's Newspaper Revolution (2000) by Robin Jeffrey, Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature (1972) by K. M. George and Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) 2013)

500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
1927
1937
1947
1957
1960
1964
1968
1970
1981
1998
2013
  •  Mathrubhumi
  •  Manorama

In 1962, Mathrubhumi launched its second edition in Kochi. The new edition sent Mathrubumi to a circulation of 170,000 copies by 1964, 19,000 more than its rival, Malayala Manorama. With Mathrubhoomi's circulation rising, it became a compulsion for Manorama to expand its reach, and consequently, introduce new technology. The competition set off a keen struggle for more readers, faster equipment and national advertising from major consumer goods companies [such as Hindustan Unilever]. [11] Manorama launched its printing centre at Kozhikode, Malabar in 1966 with a cast-off press from the paper's base at Kottayam and hand-composed type. [13] But in the run-up to that event, it had installed an offset press at Kottayam and established a teleprinter line with New Delhi in 1965.

By 1970, it was the leading daily in Kerala. The circulation of the newspaper rose from around 30,000 to 300,000 by this expansion across the Malabar Coast. [10] [14]

1980s

K. M. Mathew, who took charge as editor in 1973, began a series of renovations, just as the Anandabazar Patrika did in Bengal. He brought in a series of consultants in the management [1979], technical and editorial areas, and accepted their guidance. He conducted frequent training sessions for Manorama journalists and other employees. The company restructured their organisation in 1980. [15] K. M. Mathew said that the decision stemmed from the realisation that the daily had either to become "fully professional" or "risk decline". Mathew sent his best journalists and managers to training schools around the world and imported the most effective techniques in international journalism and newspaper production, which brought a contemporary look and feel to Malayala Manorama. [11] In 1979, a new printing centre was launched at Kochi and in 1987, the Thiruvananthapuram edition was also launched. By 1998, the circulation of Malayala Manorama was increased to 1 million. In the mid-2000s, the daily started units in the Middle East, focusing on the large Malayali population in the region. Mathew is credited with the introduction of the concept of "editionalising" with a larger share of local news and reader-friendly packaging through professional page designing in Manorama, which in turn impacted the entire newspaper industry in Kerala. By 2007, Manorama become the only non-English and non-Hindi daily newspaper in India to cross 1.5 million copies in circulation. [16] [17]

K. M. Mathew was succeeded by his son Mammen Mathew in 2010. In their obituary The Hindu praised Mathew as,

"In what could only be described as a rarity then in Indian language journalism, Mathew showed an unusual commitment to modernisation and professionalism and became a role model for the newspaper industry, which in the early 1980s was at the critical juncture of embarking on a phase of unbelievable expansion." [11]

According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations's (ABC) January–June 2013 figures, Malayala Manorama holds a circulation of 2.1 million readers. [18]

1990s

Malayala Manorama launched its official Malayalam language news website called Manorama Online [19] in 1995. After three years, in 1998, Malayala Manorama launched its English News Website Onmanorama . [20]

Controversies

ISRO espionage case

Mangalam Publications, Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama were among the media houses that were blamed for the coverage of the ISRO Spy case against Indian scientist Nambi Narayanan. In 2018, the Supreme Court of India absolved Dr Nambi Narayanan and said the arrest of Dr Nambi over the 1994 espionage case was needless, and it also granted him ₹ 50 lakh compensation. [21] "Mangalam, picked up the story and began connecting the arrested woman with various businessmen and scientists. This strategy proved successful for Mangalam in terms of creating buzz around a (non-existent) story. Soon, other news houses, such as Malayala Manorama and then Mathrubhumi, also picked it up," writer and veteran journalist Paul Zacharia told TNM. [22]

Chief editors

Printing centres

Malayala Manorama office and Press in Kollam city Malayala Manorama New Press in Kollam-3, Apr 2016.jpg
Malayala Manorama office and Press in Kollam city

Subsidiaries

Office of Malayala Manorama at Pathanamthitta, Kerala Malayala Manorama office at Pathanamthitta, Kerala.jpg
Office of Malayala Manorama at Pathanamthitta, Kerala
NameFrequencyLanguageType
ArogyamMonthly Malayalam Health Magazine
Balarama Weekly Malayalam Children's Magazine
Balarama Amar Chitra KathaFortnightly Malayalam Comics
Balarama DigestWeekly Malayalam Children's Magazine
Bhashaposhini Monthly Malayalam Literary Review Magazine
KalikkudukkaWeekly Malayalam Children's Magazine
KarshakasreeMonthly Malayalam Agriculture and Gardening Magazine
FastTrackMonthly Malayalam Automobile Magazine
Magic PotWeekly English Children's Magazine
The ManMonthly English Men's Lifestyle Magazine
Manorama Weekly Weekly Malayalam General Interest Magazine
SampadhyamMonthly Malayalam Personal Finance and Investment Magazine
Smart LifeMonthly English Lifestyle and Health Magazine
Tell Me WhyMonthly English Children's Magazine
Thozhil VeedhiWeekly Malayalam Career Guidance Magazine
LivingetcMonthly English Interior Design Magazine
Manorama TravellerMonthly Malayalam Travel Magazine
Vanitha (Hindi)Fortnightly Hindi Women's Magazine
Vanitha Fortnightly Malayalam Women's Magazine
Vanitha PachakamMonthly Malayalam Food Magazine
VeeduMonthly Malayalam Architecture and Interior Design Magazine
National Geographic Kids IndiaMonthly English Children's Magazine
Watch Time IndiaMonthly English Luxury Watches and Trends Magazine
The Week Weekly English News Magazine
ManoramaMAX OTT Platform Malayalam News, Shows, and Movies
Manorama News Television Channel Malayalam News and Current Affairs
Mazhavil Manorama Television Channel Malayalam Entertainment
Radio Mango 91.9 Radio Station Malayalam Music and Entertainment
Onmanorama [23] News Portal English News and General Interest
Manorama Online News Portal Malayalam News and General Interest

See also

Related Research Articles

Malayalam journalism encompasses journalism published and broadcast in the Malayalam language. Modern Malayalam journalism can be traced to the publication of the Raajyasamaachaaram and the Pashchimodhayam under the direction of Hermann Gundert in June 1847. Kerala has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages, mainly English and Malayalam.

<i>Deshabhimani</i> Indian newspaper

Deshabhimani is a Malayalam newspaper and the organ of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M). It started as a weekly in Kozhikode on 6 September 1942 and converted to a daily in 1946. The paper now has ten different printing centres: Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kottayam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Kollam and Malappuram. At present, Puthalath Dinesan State Secretariat Member of the CPI(M) is the Chief Editor of the paper, K.J. Thomas, CPI(M), secretariat member of the CPI(M), the General Manager and V. B Parameshwaran, the Resident Editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kottarathil Sankunni</span>

Kottarathil Sankunni was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Best known as the author of Aithihyamala, an eight-volume compilation of century-old legends about Kerala, Sankunni's writings cover prose and poetry, including verses for Kathakali and Ottan Thullal. He was one of the founding members of Bhashaposhini Sabha founded by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai and was also involved with Bharata Vilasam Sabha, another literary initiative. He died on July 22, 1937.

Kattakayam Cherian Mappillai (1859–1936) was an Indian poet and playwright of Malayalam literature. He was known for the epic poem Shreeyeshu Vijayam, which earned him the title of Mahakavi. He was the founder editor of Vijnaana Rathnaakaram, one of the earliest literary magazines in Malayalam language. Pope Pius XI presented him a gold medal in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorkoth Kumaran</span>

Moorkoth Kumaran (1874–1941) was a social reformer, a teacher and a writer in Malayalam. He came from a Thiyya family of Telicherry. He was a disciple of Narayana Guru and wrote the first biography of Guru. He also published some of the earliest short stories and novels in Malayalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. C. Mammen Mappillai</span> Indian journalist

Kandathil Cherian Mammen Mappillai was an Indian journalist, who became editor of the Malayalam-language daily Malayala Manorama after the demise of his paternal uncle Kandathil Varghese Mappillai. Besides being a noted journalist, he was an Indian independence activist and served a member of the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly in Travancore. He also went into development of plantations, and was the inspiration behind the various enterprises of his sons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annamma Mathew</span>

Annamma Mathew, also known as Mrs. K. M. Mathew, was the founder chief editor of Vanitha, the largest selling women's magazine in India, and wife of K. M. Mathew, Chief Editor of Malayala Manorama. She died after a brief illness at a private nursing home in Kottayam, Kerala in India.

Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II was the Malankara Metropolitan of the Malankara Church, was born into the family of Pulikkottil (Kunnamkulam). He was the 14th Malankara Metropolitan.

Balarama is an Indian weekly comic magazine published by M. M. Publications, of Malayala Manorama Group from Kottayam, Kerala in Malayalam language. It is one of the most widely read children's magazines in India. Balarama celebrated its 50th year of publication in the year 2022.

Vennikkulam Gopala Kurup (1902–1980) was an Indian poet, playwright, translator, lexicographer and story writer of Malayalam. He was the author of a number of poetry anthologies, besides other works, and he translated Abhijnana Shakuntalam, Tulsi Ramayana, Tirukkuṛaḷ, the poems of Subramania Bharati and two cantos of The Light of Asia of Edwin Arnold into Malayalam. He also contributed in the preparation of a dictionary, Kairali Kosham. A recipient of the Odakkuzhal Award and Thirukural Award, Kurup received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry in 1966. Sahitya Akademi honoured him with their annual award in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. M. Mathew</span> Newspaper editor

Kandathil Mammen Mathew was an Indian newspaper editor who served as the editor-in-chief of the Malayalam-language daily, Malayala Manorama.

Kandathil Eapen Mammen was an Indian freedom fighter. He was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and K. Kelappan is often referred to as the Kerala Gandhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kandathil Varghese Mappillai</span> Indian journalist

Kandathil Varghese Mappillai was an Indian journalist, translator and publisher who was the founder of the newspaper Malayala Manorama and the magazine Bhashaposhini.

Kandathil Mammen Cherian was an Indian media person and former chief-editor of Malayala Manorama, the Malayalam daily, ranked the first in Malayalam, the fourth in India. and the eleventh in the World, in terms of circulation. He is a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the third and fourth-highest Indian civilian awards.

Kandathil Mammen Philip is an Indian entrepreneur from the South Indian state Kerala and a director of MRF Limited and Malayala Manorama group with business interests in tea, coffee and cardamom plantations and processing. He is also a director of many other companies such as Rembrandt and Vandykes Limited, Commercial Broadcasts Limited, India Coffee and Tea distributing Company Limited and Balanoor Plantations and Industries limited. Born to K. C. Mammen Mappillai and Kunjandamma as the sixth of their nine children, Philip is considered by many as the father of Indian rubber industry. Philip was honored by the Government of India, in 2001, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. His eldest brother, Kandathil Mammen Cherian and one of his younger brothers, Kandathil Mammen Mathew are recipients of Padma Bhushan awards while another younger brother, K. M. Mammen Mappillai and one of his nephews, K. M. Mammen Mathew have won Padma Shri awards.

Kerala Mithram was one of the earliest Malayalam language newspaper published from Cochin, Kerala, India during 1881. It was printed in the beginning of the month as three, then one week later. Devji Bhimji, from Gujarat was the patron of the newspaper. Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, the founder of Malayala Manorama, was editor-in-Chief and T.G. Paily was deputy editor.

Manorama School of Communication, also known as MASCOM, is a journalism school in Kottayam, India. Established in 2002 by K. M. Mathew with the support of Manorama group, it offers postgraduate diploma courses in print and broadcast journalism.

<i>Onmanorama</i> Indian digital news platform

Onmanorama is the online English news portal of Malayala Manorama group, which publishes the Malayala Manorama newspaper read by over 20 million Malayalis across the world, Vanitha, the largest circulated women's magazine in India, The Week, an English weekly, and several other periodicals and children's books.

References

  1. "Highest Circulated Daily Newspapers (language wise)" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  2. IRS 2019 Q4 Highlights Archived 2 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  3. International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations and ABC India (National Newspapers Total Circulation-2018) Download Archived 25 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) (January-June 2013)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. "Malayala Manorama EPaper". epaper.manoramaonline.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  6. Milosevic, Mira (2016). "World Press Trends 2016" (PDF). WAN-IFRA. p. 58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  7. "K.M. Mathew Laid to Rest". The Hindu. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  8. Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000
  9. "Manorama Online (About Us) Slideshow". Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Manorama Online (About Us) Page 1". Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 R Krishnakumar OBITUARY: Mathew touch. The Hindu Vol: 27 Iss: 17
  12. Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 81
  13. Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 82
  14. Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 94
  15. Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000 pp. 67
  16. Robin Jeffrey. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Indian-language Press, 1977-99 C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000
  17. K.M. Mathew, doyen of Malayalam journalism. 1 August 2010 The Hindu Archived 31 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) (January-June 2013)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  19. manoramaonline.com Archived 21 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  20. Onmanorama Archived 3 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "'CBI Can Act Against Ex-Kerala Cops In ISRO Spy Case, Says Supreme Court". Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  22. "'The criminal here is the media': Journalists recount how ISRO spy case was concocted". 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  23. "Onmanorama". Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2020.