Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Karpoor Chandra Kulish's Birth Anniversary


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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