http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10050432.html
Mumbai's pioneering Gujarati newspaper completes 184 years By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent Mumbai: Asia's oldest newspaper, the Mumbai Samachar, a Gujarati language daily, will have much to celebrate tomorrow as it completes 184 years of uninterrupted existence. Though two cultural programmes are being held exclusively for its readers to mark the occasion, the newspaper itself is an integral part of the growth of this metropolis right from the British Raj. The once Apollo Street in the Fort area was recently renamed after the famous paper as the Mumbai Samachar Marg. Despite the challenges of running a paper through the years and facing up to stiff competition from TV channels, Mumbai Samachar (earlier known as Bombay Samachar) has held on its own. "Today, it publishes a colour broadsheet plus a supplement 16 pages of hard core news and eight pages of features and can proudly claim to have the most modern technology available in the publishing field," Pinki Dalal, editor of Mumbai Samachar told Gulf News. It is not merely a business-oriented paper but appeals to all segments of readers, she says. On July 1 1822, a Parsi scholar and priest Fardoonji Murazban, a pioneer in journalism in western India, started publishing the newspaper as Bombay Samachar. A weekly till 1832, it became a biweekly until 1855 and a daily after that, playing a significant role during India's struggle for independence. "It was respected by the British, too, for its fair, frank, objective and critical analysis of events," says Dalal. The paper passed through various hands before coming into the control of the Cama family, its present publishers since 1933. "The paper still has its connection with the Parsis," she says. "We have a column called 'Parsi Tari Arsi' which is published on Sundays." Enjoying a circulation of 150,000 in Mumbai, the paper, including its internet edition, is now read by Gujarati-speaking people here and abroad. "The newspaper reaches Dubai by 9am where many Gujaratis like to start their day with Bombay Samachar," she says. -- Members of the ZESTMedia list exchange news and views about the media in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. Write to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTMedia by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ Get all ZESTMedia mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ theZESTcommunity------------------------------------------------- ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/ ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/ ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/ TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
