This ppt is about the history of Malayalam Press, by studying a top Malayalam newspaper Malayala Manorama. Its history, the Readership, and the circulation of top newspapers of Malayalam language.

1. മലയാള മന ാരമ
Tanakshi
MALAYALA
MANORAMA

2. Malayalam Press – the history
■ The Malayalam script first
came into print in the
book Hortus Malabaricus
printed in Amsterdam in
The Netherlands. After
that Malayalam was
printed in Rome and
Mumbai.
■ Benjamin Bailey (1791-
1871), an Englishman
engaged in Christian
missionary work in Kerala,
established a printing
press in Kottayam in 1821
and printed the first
Malayalam book in 1824.
The book was a collection
of eight stories for
children translated from
English by Bailey himself.
■ The first Malayalam
printing press in Kerala, C.
M. S. Press, was
established by him in
Kottayam.

3. ■ The first Malayalam newspaper, named Njananikshepam, also
goes to Bailey ( 1848)
■ Njananikshepam was the third newspaper published in Kerala
and the first newspaper published in Travancore constituency. It
was published in November 1847 from CMS press in Kottayam.
It was the first newspaper in Kerala which started printing from
a printing press
■ The first Malayalam newspaper Rajyasamacharam(was first
published as magazine), which was published mainly for
Christian religious propagation, was printed there. It was
published from Illikkunnu press in Thalasseri in June 1847 and
continued till 1850 completing 42 editions.
■ Rajyasamacharam was published by Herman Gundert.
■ Paschimodayam was the second newspaper published in
Malayalam. Dr. Herman Gundert is again the publisher of this
newspaper from Illikkunnu Bangalow of Thalassery in October
1847
Malayalam Press – the history

4. ■ Keralamitram, launched in 1881 from Cochin by a Gujarathi business man, was different from
the early evangelical journals. It was the first systematic newspaper organised as a business
proposition with a full-time editor. However, the real pace setter in Malayalam journalism
was Kerala Patrika, a weekly founded in 1884 by Chengalathu Kunhirama Menon, often
referred to as the 'father of Malayalam Journalism'. The weekly had lively features on current
affairs, politics and literature.
■ By the end of the nineteenth century, the Malayalam press had overcome its teethin troubles,
printing material was readily available. People had begun to develop interest in contemporary
socio-political affairs. During this period emerged two prominent newspapers of
today. Nazrani Deepika was founded by the Roman Catholic Church at Kottayam in 1887, as a
weekly to promote the social, political and cultural uplift of the Christian community. In 1938 it
became a full fledged daily under its abbreviated title Deepika and with a cosmopolitan
outlook. Today it sells over 80,000 copies.
Malayalam Press – the history (
Additional)

5. AIR, the interviewee from the sample is asked which newspaper he/she read the previous
day. TR is calculated on the question : which newspaper he/she read in the last one month.
Indian Readership
Survey

8. List of Daily Malayalam Newspapers (in
circulation)

9. Top Malayalam Newspapers

10. HISTORY / ചരിത്രം
■ The Malayala Manorama newspaper
traces its roots to the pre-
Independence of India.
■ It was founded by Kandathil Varghese
Mappillai at Kottayam,a small town in
the princely state of Travancore on
MARCH 14, 1888.
■ Kandathil Varghese Mappillai brought
out the first edition of the Malayala
Manorama newspaper on 22 March,
1890 in Kottayam, Kerala.
■ The first edition was a four-page
weekly published every Saturday, the
newspaper became bi-weekly in 1901,
thrice a week in 1918 before
eventually becoming a daily
newspaper in 1928.
■ The newspaper is published by the
Malayala Manorma Company Limited,
owned and operated by the
descendants and the extended family
of Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, who
founded the newspaper in 1880.
■ It also publishes a prominent
national news magazine The Week
since 1982.
■ It is also the second oldest
Malayalam newspaper in Kerala in
circulation, after Deepika, which is
also published from Kottayam.
(April 15, 1887 witnessed a rare
moment in the history of publishing in
Kerala when Deepika, (Nazrani
Deepika- as it was initially named)
India's first Malayalam Newspaper was
first published.)
■ Manorama also publishes an
online edition.
■ The name Malayala Manorama
came out of a brain storming
session between great
poets,Kerala Varma,
Valitakoyhithampuram,
Vilvattathu Raghavan Nambiar.

11. HISTORY / ചരിത്രം
■ The company started with 100 shares for 100 Rs. each,
which was paid by the investors in four installment.
■ THE FIRST INSTALLMENT WAS ENOUGHTO BUY A
PRESS. A small treadle (small platen press,(jawline
motion)), a Hopkinson and Cope, Made in London.
■ It was a pedal powered press installed in a vacant building
later on supposed to be turned to cathedral.
■ A local craftsman, Konthi Achari, was hired to make
Malayalam types.
■ Malayalam has 800 characters, the typecast delayed the
birth of the newspaper by two years.
TODAY / ഇന്ന്
• One of the worlds largest daily (regional) newspaper.
• It sells more than 1.5 million copies daily.
• PUBLISHED FROM 16 centres- ten Kerala towns,four Indian Mega
cities,and two Foreign countries ( GULF AND DUBAI)

12. MASTHEAD
• Because of KandathilVarghese Mappillai dedication to
publish a newspaper, even the Maharaja ofTranvancore ,
Sree MoolamTirunal gave Manorama a Royal coat of
Arms, and with slight modification it the newspaper’s
logo, till date.

13. CHARITY, OUR HOUSEHOLD
DIVINITY
ദാനധർമ്മമാണ് നമ്മുടെ ആഭ്യന്തര
ദിവ്യത്വം
• Dharmosmat Kuladaivatam (translated by the
source as, "Charity,Our Household Divinity") is
the motto of Malayala Manorama
• Varghese Mappillai was particular that
Malayala Manorama should be deeply rooted
in Indian culture that visualised a unified
human race devoid of differences in the name
of caste, creed and region.
• Manorama opened its pages to all castes and
creeds as well as to the three geopolitical areas
of Kerala.

14. SHAREHOLDERS /
ടെയർഹ ാൾഡർമാർ
■ More than 200 members of the family hold shares in
the Company with varying percentages, amounting
to 99.29% of the total shares in the Company.
■ Of this, the K.M. Cheriyan family holds 11.59% stake
in the Company, P.V. Jacob family holds 7.89% stake,
Mammen Varghese Family holds 6.82%, E.J. Lukose
Family holds 3.64%, K.S. Joseph Family holds 4.63%,
T. Thomas Family holds 3.26%, the G.K.O. Philips
family holds 5% stake, Peter Philip, the Director in
the Company holds 5.67 % stake, the Philip Mathew
Family (3.23%), Mammen Eapen Family (4.50%),
while Mammen Philip holds 5.42% shares. Jayant
Mammen Mathew, who is also the Deputy Editor
and Director of the Group, holds 3.73% stake in the
Company. The remaining 33.92% shares are with
other members of the family.
K M MATHEW
K JOHN CHERIAN
K.C. Mammen
Mapillai
K M
MAMMEN
MAPILLAI

15. EDITORS /
എഡിറ്റർമാർ
Kandathil
Varghese
Mappillai
(!890- 1904)
K.C. Mammen
Mappillai
(1904-1954)
K.M. Cherian
( Chief
editor)
(1954)
K.M. Mathew
( Managing editor)
(1954)
K.M. Mathew
(1973 - 2010)
Mammen Mathew
(Till date)
Philip Mathew
Managing
Editor
Jacob Mathew
Executive Editor

16. OTHER MEDIA
OUTLETS
Other Print Outlets
■ TheWeek
■ Vanitha
■ Manorama Arogyam
■ Balarama, Kids comics
■ Balarama Amar Chitra Katha
■ Bhashaposhini, Arts and Literature magazine
■ Kalikkudukka, Children’s Weekly
■ Karshakasree, Agriculture Monthly
■ The Man, Men’s Lifestyle
■ Manorama Weekly
■ Sampadhyam, Business Magazine
■ Smart Life FastTrack, Auto magazine
■ ThozhilVeedhi, Career
■ Manorama Traveler
■ Vanita, Hindi Women’s fortnightly
■ WatchTime India,Technology Monthly
OtherTV Outlets
• Mazhavil Manorama (Missing Data)
• Manorama News (Missing Data)
Other Radio Outlets
• Radio Mango, 91.9 FM (Missing Data)
Other Online Outlets
• https://www.manoramaonline.com/home.html
• https://english.manoramaonline.com/home

17. CONTROV
ERSY
• For many days now, different organisations related to the Kerala
Catholic Church have been protesting against the Malayala
Manorama Group after their magazine, Bashaposhini, published
TomVattakuzhy’s artistic interpretation of "The Last Supper".
• Vattakuzhy’s painting shows a half-naked dancer occupying the
place that Jesus does in Leonardo da Vinci’s classic 15th century
mural. The dancer is seen surrounded by nuns who replace the
disciples of Jesus in the original.
• Though the magazine was withdrawn from circulation after sending
a few copies to its subscribers by post, the church started a
campaign to ban Manorama publications. This move was made
even though Manorama had withdrawn the magazine before the
painting became a controversy. The Manorama Group has been
known for its close association with Christian churches and groups.
Many a time, they've even been criticised for being the
"mouthpiece of church". This setback was therefore unexpected and
Manorama has been unable to appease the church by apologising
and even withdrawing the circulation of the magazine.

18. ■ 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.
■ In the autumn of that year, Mathew was an ‘utterly
shattered’ 21-year-old student of Madras Christian College
waiting at Tambaram station for a train that would take his
remarkable father, K.C. Mammen Mappillai, to prison.
Mappillai’s newspaper, the Manorama, edited by him for 34
years, had been banned a few weeks earlier; a bank he
headed, the Travancore National and Quilon Bank, had been
forced into liquidation; and a Travancore court had ordered
Mappillai’s arrest.
■ The Travancore Dewan, Sir C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar, had
directed these steps. He was enraged by the Manorama’s
support for joint action by Travancore’s diverse groups
against his policies, which were aimed at acquiring total
power for himself, bypassing both populace and palace. As
freedom approached, Aiyar tried openly to create an
independent Travancore state, a reckless move that aroused
great hostility. All-powerful in Travancore until the summer
of 1947,Aiyar fled the state in secret on August 19.
■ Though Mammen Mappillai had come out in 1941 from the
prison into which Aiyar had forced him, it was not until
November 1947 that the Manorama reappeared.
2 3
• The defamation case was registered on a complaint filed
by C Preetha of Padanayarkulangara North in
Karunagappally. She was working as an agricultural
officer and was the coordinator of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas
Yojana intended for alleviation of food scarcity. A
complaint was filed before the agricultural minister
raising imputations against the agricultural officer.
‘Malayala Manorama’ published two news items, one on
October 29th and another on December 22nd of 2009,
based on the complaint filed before the minister.
• In the case filed by Preetha alleging defamation by the
newspaper, she said the allegations raised were
absolutely false and the newspaper published
defamatory news items insinuating her.

19. POLITICAL STANCE
■ When the Congress split in 1969,Cherian, then the editor-in-chief, took the call to support
Indira Gandhi’s side. Six years later, when she imposed the Emergency, inclusive of
censorship, Mathew, who had taken over followingCherian’s death, responded by
withholding support for it.The Emergency was not directly criticised by the Manorama,
which sought to spotlight non-political stories that did not interest the censor.
END