Deepika (newspaper)

Deepika, a Malayalam newspaper, is one of the oldest newspapers published in India. It is also the first Malayalam daily. Deepika publishes editions from Kottayam, Kochi, Kannur, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. It has a circulation base of over 180,000 copies.

History

Deepika has a history of over a century. It was first published by a Roman Catholic priest, Nidhirikkal Manikkathanar, under the masthead Nazrani Deepika, in 1888. The word "Deepika" in Malayalam means "oil candle." It was then printed on a crude handmade wooden press.

As its first name denotes, Deepika is more popular among Nasranis or Syrian Catholics in Kerala. For many years Deepika was run by Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), a religious order within the Roman Catholic Church. In the mid 90s the daily was taken over by a Public Limited Company, Rashtra Deepika, which consists mostly bishops and priests as board of directors.

Despite of its religious background Deepika introduced many changes in Malayalam journalism. It was the first to introduce many innovations.

Deepika was the first newspaper in Malayalam to be published on a daily basis.
It was the first among Malayalam newspapers to go online.
Deepika was the first Malayalam newspaper to start a full page for sports news.

Other publications

Rashtra Deepika Evening Daily
Kuttikalude Deepika
Children’s Digest
Business Deepika
Rashtra Deepika Cinema
Karshakan
Sthreedhanam
Deepika.com

External links

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