Deepika
Encyclopedia
Deepika, a Malayalam language newspaper, is one of the oldest newspapers published in India. Started in 1887, it is the oldest Malayalam newspaper now in circulation. Deepika publishes editions from Kottayam
, Kochi, Kannur
, Thrissur
, Thiruvananthapuram
and Kozhikode
. It was controlled by the Syro Malabar Church
of Kerala from its inception till 1989. In August 1989, the Deepika and its sister publications came under the ownership of Rashtra Deepika Ltd., a public limited company. The readership of the newspaper is drawn mainly from the Syro Malabar Catholic
laity.
Mr. P P Sunny is the Managing Director and Fr. Alexander Paikada C.M.I is the Chief Editor
of the newspaper.
, under the masthead Nazrani Deepika. (Nazrani in Malayalam means a follower of Jesus, the Nazraene). The first issue came out on 1887 April 15, which coincided with Vishu (the spring equinox festival according to Kerala
tradition). The word "Deepika" in Malayalam means "lamp." Printing was on a crude handmade wooden press.
As its first name denotes, Deepika began as a paper of Syro Malabar Nasranis or Catholics of Kerala's Syran tradition. From its very inception it was run by Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
(CMI), a religious order within the Roman Catholic Church
. In 1989 its control was transferred to a Public Limited Company, "Rashtra Deepika Ltd".
Deepika has a long tradition of going for bold innovations. It introduced many changes in Malayalam journalism. The following is but a sample of its impressive achievements:-
Kuttikalude Deepika, Business Deepika, Children's Digest, Rashtra Deepika Cinema, Streedhanam, Karshakan, are the other publication of the Rashtra Deepika Ltd.
following its decision to sell shares through private placement. The loan was welcomed as a relief to the company which was going through a resource crunch. The then Deepika chairman, Bishop Mathew Arakkal, had sent out a note to the share-holders dated July 20, 2006 in which he made the following statement: "I made sincere attempts to mobilize funds from within the community, but the responses were very disappointing. In these circumstances, I contacted Mr. M A Pharis, a Muslim NRI
entrepreneur of considerable resources. He agreed to advance a small interest free loan of Rs. 2 crore to RDL for two years. He said if we were unable to repay the loan, it would be considered as zakat
." Pharis was allowed a seat on the board of directors and later was made a vice chairman of the company. In stages, he had advanced around Rs. 10 crore to the company and was practically calling the shots in its editorial policy.
It was then the Church leadership came to its senses and found that their traditional newspaper was now taking up a totally different role and was acting more like the voice of a group in the CPI(M). In the group war between senior Kerala CPM leaders Pinarayi Vijayan and VS Achuthanandan, Deepika was acting as the unofficial mouthpiece for Pinarayi. It was a curious turn of events for the newspaper which led the Liberation Struggle in 1958 against the Communists. Church was also concerned about the track record of Pharis who had emerged as the real power centre within the paper. He had lot of opposition from various church groups also.He was able to manage Deepika single Handedly without even stepping into its office.Worried, the Church decided to raise money to repay Pharis. At one point there was an agreement between the Church and Pharis that the Church would retain its properties at the headquarters at Kottayam while all other offices and other properties of Deepika elsewhere would go to Pharis as part of the settlement. According to conservative estimates, the assets the Church was willing to part with were worth more than Rs.20 crore, that is more than double his actual investment. It showed how desperate the Church was to salvage its public image. The church was later pressurised to put advertisement in Malayala Manorama newspaper claiming that Pharis is innocent and that Pharis will handover the newspaper whenever the Church wanted
which he did. Sathyadeepam, the official weekly publication of the Ernakulam arch diocese of the Syro Malabar Church, wrote a strong article condemning the affairs at Deepika and its loss to the Church because of mismanagement. MANY other catholic periodicals also raised their voice for the restoration of Deepika to the church.
As on 28 January 2008, the ownership was relieved from Pharis after a long series of hefty negotiations between the church and Pharis.
Major Share Holders
The current major shareholders include Deepthi Media Trust,Kakkanadu, Chavara Media Trust, Kakkanadu, Deepika Printers Society, Srothas India Trust (Malankara Archdiocese, Trivandrum), St. Joseph's Trust, Thalassery, Archrepharchial Trust (Changanachery), Mr. Joseph Kunju (NRI), Dr. Francis Cleetus (NRI), George Jacob Mannamplackal (Catholic[NRI]), C P Paul Chungath (a catholic Jeweller), Johny Kuruvila Padickamyalil (Catholic NRI) and several other dioceses and archdioceses.
External links
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
, Kochi, Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
, Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
and Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
. It was controlled by the Syro Malabar Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
of Kerala from its inception till 1989. In August 1989, the Deepika and its sister publications came under the ownership of Rashtra Deepika Ltd., a public limited company. The readership of the newspaper is drawn mainly from the Syro Malabar Catholic
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
laity.
Mr. P P Sunny is the Managing Director and Fr. Alexander Paikada C.M.I is the Chief Editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the newspaper.
History
Deepika has an illustrious history of over a century. It was first published by a Syrian Christian priest, Nidhirikkal Manikkathanar, or Father Emmanuel Nidhiri, or Nidhiry Mani KathanarNidhiry Mani Kathanar
Nidhiry Mani Kathanar alias Fr. Emmanuel Nidhiri was a colossus in the history of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani church in Kerala. He led the community against a fearless fight against the European hegemony over the Nasrani Christians...
, under the masthead Nazrani Deepika. (Nazrani in Malayalam means a follower of Jesus, the Nazraene). The first issue came out on 1887 April 15, which coincided with Vishu (the spring equinox festival according to Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
tradition). The word "Deepika" in Malayalam means "lamp." Printing was on a crude handmade wooden press.
As its first name denotes, Deepika began as a paper of Syro Malabar Nasranis or Catholics of Kerala's Syran tradition. From its very inception it was run by Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
The Carmelites of Mary Immaculate is an religious order for men in the Syro-Malabar Church. It is the first Catholic religious congregation founded in India. The first monastery of the order was established on 11 May 1831 at Mannanam, Kerala, India...
(CMI), a religious order within the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. In 1989 its control was transferred to a Public Limited Company, "Rashtra Deepika Ltd".
Deepika has a long tradition of going for bold innovations. It introduced many changes in Malayalam journalism. The following is but a sample of its impressive achievements:-
- First newspaper in Malayalam to be published on a daily basis.
- First among Malayalam newspapers to go online. It is still the largest Indian vernacular online newspaper.
- First Malayalam newspaper to devote a full page for sports and agriculture news.
- Rashtra Deepika, its sister-eveninger, is the largest circulated of its kind in India according to ABC.
- Online edition-Deepika.com, Deepika global, Deepika global Radio are also popular among Malayalees the world over.
- Altogether, Rashtra Deepika group has more than 15 million readers all over the world.
Kuttikalude Deepika, Business Deepika, Children's Digest, Rashtra Deepika Cinema, Streedhanam, Karshakan, are the other publication of the Rashtra Deepika Ltd.
Ownership Troubles (2004-2007)
M.A. Pharis, a real estate entrepreneur, came into the financially ailing Rashtra Deepika Private Limited in 2004 with a loan of Rs. 2 croreCrore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
following its decision to sell shares through private placement. The loan was welcomed as a relief to the company which was going through a resource crunch. The then Deepika chairman, Bishop Mathew Arakkal, had sent out a note to the share-holders dated July 20, 2006 in which he made the following statement: "I made sincere attempts to mobilize funds from within the community, but the responses were very disappointing. In these circumstances, I contacted Mr. M A Pharis, a Muslim NRI
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
entrepreneur of considerable resources. He agreed to advance a small interest free loan of Rs. 2 crore to RDL for two years. He said if we were unable to repay the loan, it would be considered as zakat
Zakat
Zakāt , one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.-History:Zakat, a practice initiated by Muhammed himself, has played an important role throughout Islamic history...
." Pharis was allowed a seat on the board of directors and later was made a vice chairman of the company. In stages, he had advanced around Rs. 10 crore to the company and was practically calling the shots in its editorial policy.
It was then the Church leadership came to its senses and found that their traditional newspaper was now taking up a totally different role and was acting more like the voice of a group in the CPI(M). In the group war between senior Kerala CPM leaders Pinarayi Vijayan and VS Achuthanandan, Deepika was acting as the unofficial mouthpiece for Pinarayi. It was a curious turn of events for the newspaper which led the Liberation Struggle in 1958 against the Communists. Church was also concerned about the track record of Pharis who had emerged as the real power centre within the paper. He had lot of opposition from various church groups also.He was able to manage Deepika single Handedly without even stepping into its office.Worried, the Church decided to raise money to repay Pharis. At one point there was an agreement between the Church and Pharis that the Church would retain its properties at the headquarters at Kottayam while all other offices and other properties of Deepika elsewhere would go to Pharis as part of the settlement. According to conservative estimates, the assets the Church was willing to part with were worth more than Rs.20 crore, that is more than double his actual investment. It showed how desperate the Church was to salvage its public image. The church was later pressurised to put advertisement in Malayala Manorama newspaper claiming that Pharis is innocent and that Pharis will handover the newspaper whenever the Church wanted
which he did. Sathyadeepam, the official weekly publication of the Ernakulam arch diocese of the Syro Malabar Church, wrote a strong article condemning the affairs at Deepika and its loss to the Church because of mismanagement. MANY other catholic periodicals also raised their voice for the restoration of Deepika to the church.
As on 28 January 2008, the ownership was relieved from Pharis after a long series of hefty negotiations between the church and Pharis.
Other publications
The Rashtra Deepika group of publications include the following:- The Rashtradeepika - Evening Daily
- Business Deepika - Complete Business Weekly
- Karshakan - Agricultural monthly
- Sthreedhanam - Women's monthly
- Rashtra Deepika Cinema - Film Magazine
- Kuttikalude Deepika - Children's Fortnightly
- Children's Digest - Children's Monthly (English)
- www.deepika.com - Online newspaper
- www.deepikaglobal.com - Online English newspaper
- Chocolate - Educational Supplement
Major Share Holders
The current major shareholders include Deepthi Media Trust,Kakkanadu, Chavara Media Trust, Kakkanadu, Deepika Printers Society, Srothas India Trust (Malankara Archdiocese, Trivandrum), St. Joseph's Trust, Thalassery, Archrepharchial Trust (Changanachery), Mr. Joseph Kunju (NRI), Dr. Francis Cleetus (NRI), George Jacob Mannamplackal (Catholic[NRI]), C P Paul Chungath (a catholic Jeweller), Johny Kuruvila Padickamyalil (Catholic NRI) and several other dioceses and archdioceses.
External links