Dr. Mrinal
Chatterjee
Conceived as the mouthpiece of India’s freedom movement, Mathrubhumi (which means mother land in
English) is one of the front-runners among the Malayalam newspapers in present
times with fourteen editions, including the ones at New Delhi, Bangalore,
Chennai and Mumbai; its circulation over
one million copies. In fact it is presently the second most widely read daily
in Kerala after Malayala Monorama.
Mathrubhumi has a long and glorious history. Mathrubhumi was published on 18th of March 1923 -- the day before the first anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s arrest for the first time by the British police from Calicut (known presently as Kozhikode) (Calicut). Led by K.P. Kesava Menon, the prominent and K. Madhavan Nair as Managing Director, Mathrubhumi was to spread the message of the National Movement and fight for the freedom of the country.
The history of Mathrubhumi
is synonymous with the history of the state's freedom movement, and that of
Indian National Congress. Before Mathrubhumi came into being, there were four
Malayalam News Papers (‘Kerala Patrika’,
‘Kozhikodan Manorama’ , ‘Kerala Sanchari ’ and ‘Mithavadi ’) and three English News Papers (‘Champion’, ‘West Coast Reformer ‘and ‘Spectator’), which were being published from Kozhikode. But none of
these papers favoured the freedom movement spearheaded by the Congress.
Instead, they supported the British Rule.
K.P Kesava Menon, who was then Secretary of Kerala State
Congress Committee, realized the urgent need for a pro-freedom movement
publication from the Malabar region. And he, along with his confidants like
K.Madhavan Nair, Kuroor Neelakandan Nampoothirippad, K. Kesavan Nair and P.
Achuthan, resolved to register The Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Company
Limited with an authorized capital of Rs.1, 00,000/- in 20,000 shares of Rs.5/-
each. However, the Company was able to collect an amount of Rs.15, 000/- only. It
was registered on 15th of February 1922.
K. Madhavan Nair became the first Managing Director of the
Company. But, months later, he resigned from the position due to personal reasons
and K.P Kesava Menon assumed that responsibility.
The first edition of
the paper carried a strong message of support for the National Movement and a
pledge to unify the un-organized Malayalees. The editorial had an intense
patriotic tone; stressing on the need for real freedom from disparity,
divisions and distortions. Moreover, it expressed a willingness to stand with
the common people. In its news columns it prominently published news about the
freedom movement across the country.
It also provided a forum for people writing and fighting for
the freedom of the country. Great Poets
like Vallathol Narayana Menon often expressed their patriotic feelings through its
columns inspiring the freedom fighters. Many patriotic songs, stories and
features were popularised among the masses as it were published in its pages.
Built on strong journalistic ethics, a distinctly
nationalist outlook and an emphasis on aesthetic layout and design, Mathrubhumi grew fast. Soon its circulation
surpassed others. It has not looked back ever since.
Besides raising voice for freedom of the country, it has
consistently played crucial roles in social reformation movements such as the
'Vaikom Satyagraha' and the 'Guruvayur Satyagraha'. The day the Vaikom
Satyagraha began (April 1, 1924), the Mathrubhumi came out with a harsh and
sharp criticism against the social discrimination practiced in Kerala.
Moreover, while actively participating in the Satyagraha, K.P Keasava Menon was
arrested and sent to the Pujappura Central Jail at Thriuvananthapuram. Eminent
personalities like P. Ramunni Menon, K. Kelappan, P. Narayanan Nair, C.H.
Kunjappa, V.M Nair and K. A Damodara
Menon served as Editors of the paper.
On a number of occasions Mathrubhumi
had run into trouble for supporting the National movement. The Madras
Government ordered to endow a bail of Rs.2000/- for an editorial piece that
appeared on 7th September 1932, which reprobated the British rule. As a result
the paper was forced to publish without the editorials until January 11, 1933. It
was banned in the Travancore region for nine years for a series of articles it
wrote against the dictatorship of Diwan Sir. C.P Ramaswami Iyer.
Mathrubhumi has a great contribution in the nourishment
of Malayalee literature. In 1932, it launched
'Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly' that
nurtured the careers of many titans of Malayalam literature, like Jnanpith
laureates G.Sankara Kurup, S.K.Pottakkad, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and M.T
Vasudevan Nair. It is still the premier literary magazine in Malayalam,
publishing some of the most exciting voices in the poetry and fiction.
In 1940, the Mathrubhumi launched a humorous
magazine, Viswaroopam, with Sanjayan
(M.R.Nair) as the Editor. Yugaprabhat,
a bi-monthly in Hindi, was also published with N.V Krishna Warrier as Editor.
These two publications are no longer in print.
In 1979 the Company
launched Grihalakshmi, a Women’s magazine
and in 1982 Chitrabhumi, a film
magazine. The weekly for job prospects Thozilvartha was launched in 1992. After
two years, it launched Mathrubhumi Sports Masika. Balabhumi
for children came out in 1996 and in 1997 the health magazine in Malayalam, Mathrubhumi ArogyaMasika was published.
Mathrubhumi Books, the publishing house, has already made a
mark of its own in Malayalam Publishing industry. The house has published both
the fictions and non-fictions of almost all the well known writers in
Malayalam.
With time Mathrubhumi
kept pace with the development of ICT and forayed into other media other than
print. On 5th September, 1997 the Company launched the online edition
www.mathrubhumi.com for the Malayalees living across the world and in 2005 the
internet edition was upgraded as a portal with many channels.
The group has launched FM stations in four major districts
of Kerala, namely Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kannur. It entered the world of television with a
significant production house, MBTV (Mathrubhumi
Television), which has been producing Serials and Telefilms.
The group organizes annual events such as 'Mathrubhumi
Kalotsavam' and 'The Mathrubhumi Film Award Functions' for the promotion of
culture and films.
Mathrubhumi was one of the first Indian media houses to
have provided a platform to net-savvy young generation to share their thought
and expressions. It has started YUVOG which stands for stands for YOUR VIDEO
BLOG. It is a vibrant and dynamic video sharing site of genres like news,
feature, entertainment, information, etc.
Moving with the times, but foot firmly entrenched in the
traditional journalistic values and Malayalee culture Mathrubhumi is moving
ahead.
***
Published in Communication Today, Oct-Dec 2015
