Karpoor
Chandra Kulish, born on 20
March 1926, is a celebrated doyen of Hindi Journalism and the founder of
Rajasthan Patrika. He was a man who donned several hats in his lifetime. He was
a poet, a writer, a journalist, a Vedic allegorist and a prolific social
thinker. Born in the Tonk district of Rajasthan, India, Kulish was informed by
a deep regard for the Hindi language which made him gravitate towards a career
in scholarship, pedagogy and Hindi literature.
A pervading concern for deep societal issues and
ailments, however, pushed Shri Kulish into a career in journalism. In 1951, he
began working as a clerk at a newspaper in Jaipur called ‘Rashtradoot’ before
his flair for journalism shone through and he was progressively tasked with
various responsibilities such as handling the magazine, editing, reportage and
penning a weekly column under the pseudonym of ‘Ghumakkar’. After five years of
working at ‘Rashtradoot’, he faced a mounting realization that there was a
pressing need for an independent regional newspaper in Rajasthan that could
compete with national dailies and that would most importantly, be free of
political influence.
To realize this dream, Rajasthan Patrika was set
up as an evening newspaper in 1956 with humble borrowings of Rs. 500 (roughly
equivalent to USD 40 at the time). “In the press corridor with the help of two
chairs, one table, one typewriter and two and a half men, a tabular-sized two
paise-a-page Rajasthan Patrika took shape. Like a paper boat, it embarked on
the grand sea of journalism, riding on the strength of good wishes and
blessings.” Since then, Shri Kulish painstakingly developed Patrika as a synonymy
for journalistic grit and courage. Under his helm, Patrika gained the adage of
being ‘the newspaper with a soul’. Kulish retired from Rajasthan Patrika
on 20 March 1986.
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