Sudharma
Encyclopedia
Sudharma is the only daily newspaper
published in Sanskrit
, a liturgical language for many India
n religions. The paper is published from the city of Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka
. Started in the year 1970, the circulation of the paper is mainly through post.
by convincing I. K. Gujral, the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Government of India
.Mr. Varadaraja Iyengar breathed his last in 1990. K. V. Sampath Kumar, the second son of Varadaraja Iyengar, is the current editor of the newspaper. K.V.Sreenivasa Prasad, the eldest son of Sri K.N.Varadaraja Iyengar, an engineer, before joining Bank service, from 1974 to 1981, was associating with Sri Iyengar in the publication of the daily, though he had ample opportunities to join employment. As the financial position of the paper weakened, at the advise of his father joined the Bank in 1981. The paper is currently published out of a press in the Ramachandra Agrahara locality of Mysore.
and the U.S.A with an annual overseas subscription fee of $50.
and the Sanskrit language. He has had to struggle to keep the publication afloat. The paper has also helped its readers to learn and improve their knowledge of the language. On 15 July 2011, the 42nd anniversary of the paper's publication was celebrated in Mysore. A unique feature of the celebration was that all speeches were in Sanskrit
, which is a rarity, and two Sanskrit scholars were honoured on that occasion.
This newspaper is available online as well.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, a liturgical language for many India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n religions. The paper is published from the city of Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Started in the year 1970, the circulation of the paper is mainly through post.
History
Kalale Nadadur Varadaraja Iyengar, a Sanskrit scholar, launched this paper in the year 1970 with a goal of propagating the language. He was also a publisher of Sanskrit books and the Sanskrit moving types that were sometimes lying idle with him were another motivation for starting the newspaper. When he discussed his venture with others, he had to face the wrath of skeptics who warned him of his 'misadventure' and predicted the newspaper's doom. This was because not many people believed that the Sanskrit language had a vocabulary sufficient enough to cover contemporary and complex day-to-day activities and developments. He was, however, supported in his venture by Agaram Rangaiah, who was an editor of a Kannada newspaper and also by P. Nagachar, who was a former Joint Director of Information. Sudharma Bapat. Ignoring the skeptics, Varadaraja Iyengar published the first issue of Sudharma on July 14, 1970 from a location called 'Ganapathi Totti' in Maharaja's Sanskrit College. He was also instrumental in starting a Sanskrit news bulletin on All India RadioAll India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
by convincing I. K. Gujral, the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
.Mr. Varadaraja Iyengar breathed his last in 1990. K. V. Sampath Kumar, the second son of Varadaraja Iyengar, is the current editor of the newspaper. K.V.Sreenivasa Prasad, the eldest son of Sri K.N.Varadaraja Iyengar, an engineer, before joining Bank service, from 1974 to 1981, was associating with Sri Iyengar in the publication of the daily, though he had ample opportunities to join employment. As the financial position of the paper weakened, at the advise of his father joined the Bank in 1981. The paper is currently published out of a press in the Ramachandra Agrahara locality of Mysore.
Circulation
The majority of the subscribers of the newspaper are Sanskrit scholars and students. The paper has a daily circulation of about 2000 copies. It has an annual subscription fee of Rs. 300 (about $7.5) and is circulated via post to academic institutions, public libraries and to readers throughout India. The paper is also subscribed to by readers in countries like JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the U.S.A with an annual overseas subscription fee of $50.
Current scenario
The profit gained by circulating the newspaper is negligible but Sampath Kumar wants to continue publishing the newspaper because of his passion for journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and the Sanskrit language. He has had to struggle to keep the publication afloat. The paper has also helped its readers to learn and improve their knowledge of the language. On 15 July 2011, the 42nd anniversary of the paper's publication was celebrated in Mysore. A unique feature of the celebration was that all speeches were in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, which is a rarity, and two Sanskrit scholars were honoured on that occasion.
This newspaper is available online as well.