The patriarch of one of India’s largest circulating newspaper houses the Malayala Manorama, Mr. K.M. Mathew passed away last Sunday in Kottayam, Kerala. He was 93.
Mr. Mathew was Chief Editor of the Malayala Manorama until only a few months ago when age-related ailments made him stop work. Under his stewardship, the newspaper sold 1.8 million copies daily from 17 printing centres in Kerala and elsewhere. The paper circulated even in West Asia where there were thousands of people from Kerala, working.
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| K.M. Mathew |
The Malayala Manorama Group, founded in 1888 now has publications in Malayalam, English and Hindi, a television channel and FM radio station and a well-known school of journalism to which several Sri Lankan journalists have gone over the recent years. Currently, the Lakshman Kadirgamar Foundation in partnership with the Sri Lanka Press Institute and the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka sends a journalism award winner annually on a scholarship to the school, for training.
Mr. Mathew served as president of the Indian Newspaper Society, chairman of the Press Trust of India, founder trustee and chairman of the Press Institute of India and Research Institute for Newspaper Development, executive committee member of the Paris based Federation of International Newspaper Publishers and Editors and a consultant to the International Press Institute. He has visited Sri Lanka several times and met former Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawela among other VIPs during his stays in the country.
Indian President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi among several Indian VIPs sent their condolences on the death of Mr. Mathew. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that “Mr. Mathew was a leading light of the Indian press fraternity. In his death, particularly the State of Kerala has lost a true champion of the highest traditions of Indian journalism”.
Media organisations also condoned the death of Mr. Mathew. “As Chief Editor of the Malayala Manorama Group, K.M. Mathew set new benchmarks in language journalism and spearheaded a media revolution”, president of the Editors’ Guild of India Rajdeep Sardesai said.
The funeral took place last Monday in Kottayam, Kerala. |
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