Anandabazar Patrika
Encyclopedia
Anandabazar Patrika is an Indian Bengali language
daily newspaper published in Kolkata
, New Delhi
and Mumbai
by the ABP Group
. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations
, it has a circulation of 1.28 million copies making it the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language newspaper in India. According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS
) 2010, the Anandabazar Patrika is the most widely read Bengali newspaper in India with a readership of 65.32 lakhs. This ranks the Anandabazar Patrika as the top Bengali newspaper in India
by readership. The newspaper's principal rival is Bartaman Patrika
, which ranks second by circulation and readership.
Anandabazar is the most circulated Bengali newspaper in India. Other than Kolkata, it is also printed from various other towns in West Bengal. The paper was founded in 1922 by its inaugural editor Prafulla Chandra Sarkar. Presently, the newspaper is edited by Aveek Sarkar.
. It was initially printed in red ink and consisted of four pages, which was increased to six. In 1923, the newspaper was transformed to a morning daily, as it is still published now. In 1923, a bi-weekly named Anandabazar was also published for suburban readers. In 1925, the newspaper grew to a 16-page format.
In 1954, Anandabazar Patrika received special honours when the Press Commission report declared it to be the largest circulated newspaper in the country, published from a single location. In 1984, the Patrika publication was closed for 51 days due to a strike. The internet edition of the newspaper was launched in the year 2009.
Its supplements include the Sunday Supplement, Rabibasario, and the Saturday Supplement, Patrika. The Rabibasario has a children's page called Anandamela. Other supplements include Kajer Bazar(every Tuesday) and Prastuti(every Monday). In addition, its editions have a special supplement for the particular place from which the edition is published, e.g., "Kolkata" for the Kolkata edition. The paper has comic strips of Phantom and Mandrake
from Monday to Saturday. The newspaper brings out a special festive issue (Sharadiya) during Durga Puja
and also an annual issue.
which is being published since 1984. Bartaman holds second position after Anandabazar Patrika in West Bengal
, as per readership and circulation is concerned. Other competitors include Sangbad Pratidin
, Aajkaal
, Ganashakti
, Sakalbela
, Ekdin,NEWZ bangla
.
July–December 2008, the total circulation of Anandabazar Patrika is 12,77,801. As per National Readership Survey, 2006, the readership of Anandabazar Patrika was 72,95.000 which included a readership of 30,61,000 in Kolkata.
, a daily English newspaper, was launched on 7 July 1982 and is published simultaneously from Kolkata
. It is also published from Guwahati
(to cater to the entire northeast), Siliguri
(for North Bengal and Sikkim), Jamshedpur, and Ranchi
(for Jharkhand),Bhubaneshwar (for Orissa) and Patna(for Bihar).
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
daily newspaper published in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
by the ABP Group
Ananda Publishers
Ananda Publishers is a large publishing group with headquarters in Kolkata. It publishes numerous Bengali books by many renowned authors. It has one of the largest stalls in the Kolkata Book Fair, and is often awarded a prize for its stall. Ananda Publishers is the division of ABP...
. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations
Audit Bureau of Circulations
The Audit Bureau of Circulations of North America is a non-profit circulation-auditing organization. It is one of several organizations, operating in different parts of the world, that audits circulation, readership, and audience information for the magazines, newspapers, and other publications...
, it has a circulation of 1.28 million copies making it the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language newspaper in India. According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS
Indian Revenue Service
The Indian Revenue Service , abbreviated as IRS, is the revenue service of the Government of India. It is a Central Civil Service...
) 2010, the Anandabazar Patrika is the most widely read Bengali newspaper in India with a readership of 65.32 lakhs. This ranks the Anandabazar Patrika as the top Bengali newspaper in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
by readership. The newspaper's principal rival is Bartaman Patrika
Bartaman
Bartaman Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata by Bartaman Pvt. Ltd. Apart from the Kolkata edition, the newspaper has four other simultaneous editions, published daily from four major towns of West Bengal -- Siliguri, Burdwan, Malda and Midnapore...
, which ranks second by circulation and readership.
Anandabazar is the most circulated Bengali newspaper in India. Other than Kolkata, it is also printed from various other towns in West Bengal. The paper was founded in 1922 by its inaugural editor Prafulla Chandra Sarkar. Presently, the newspaper is edited by Aveek Sarkar.
History
Anandabazar Patrika was first published as an evening daily on 13 March 1922 on the auspicious day of HoliHoli
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
. It was initially printed in red ink and consisted of four pages, which was increased to six. In 1923, the newspaper was transformed to a morning daily, as it is still published now. In 1923, a bi-weekly named Anandabazar was also published for suburban readers. In 1925, the newspaper grew to a 16-page format.
Timeline
- 1922 – Anandabazar Patrika comes out as a four-page evening daily. A cartoon strip appears. Printer’s line appears (1 June) — an amendment of the Press Act makes it mandatory. Becomes a six-pager.
- 1923 – Anandabazar Patrika becomes a morning daily. Ties up with ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and the Free Press of India. A bi-weekly Anandabazar starts for suburban readers.
- 1925 – First byline appears: Our special correspondent. Anandabazar Patrika becomes a 16-page wonder. A new Saturday section, Shanibarer Chithi, starts. It evolves into Rabibashoriyo. First 120-page special supplement on Calcutta Congress — sold out within two hours. Second edition printed on demand.
- 1926 – Anandabazar Patrika kicks off its first PujaDurga PujaDurga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
special issue, Sharadiya shankhya.
- 1930 – Birth of Ananda Press. Faced with a draconian Press Ordinance, goes out of circulation for a few months (May 2 – October 31).
- 1931 – Closed so long on Sundays, Anandabazar Patrika starts coming out every day of the week.
- 1932 – Office shifts to 1 Burman Street, near Burrabazar. Circulation soars. The company invests in a fast-paced rotary machine. Crabtree machine is installed to print 25,000 copies in an hour.
- 1940 – Anandamela, the children’s section appears in Anandabazar Patrika.
- 1941 – Anandabazar Patrika was the first to inform about Subhas Chandra Bose’s dramatic escape. No ads carried on the front page, the day after Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
’s demise.
- 1942 – Dailies not printed to protest against regulations imposed on newspapers (August 21 – September 5). Lack of newsprint during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
results in abridged dailies (June 1 – March 30, 1943).
- 1948 – Mahatma GandhiMahatma GandhiMohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
’s assassination rocks the nation. Anandabazar Patrika echoes the sentiment with its landmark coverage. Lord MountbattenLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
calls it the greatest homage to the Mahatma.
- 1951 – DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
edition of Hindusthan StandardHindusthan StandardHindusthan Standard was an English daily published from Kolkata by the ABP group. It was headquartered at 3, Burman Street, Kolkata. It stopped publication in 1982....
published.
- 1954 – Anandabazar Patrika becomes the largest circulated newspaper in the country published from one location, according to the Press Commission report.
- 1955 – Anandabazar Patrika has a separate chief reporter now. The ABP Group has a new home — a new building at Sooterkin Street. Ananda Press begins publishing Anandabazar Patrika from 6 Sooterkin Street. An automatic rotary machine is installed with a capacity to print 40,000 copies of the newspaper in an hour. The double-plate technique is used to print Anandabazar Patrika.
- 1958 – First Ananda Purashkar. Bibhutibhushan MukhopadhyayBibhutibhushan MukhopadhyayBibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay was a renowned Bengali author. He was born in Darbhanga, Bihar, India.-Life:Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay was born on 24 October 1894 in a village of Mithila of Bihar....
and Samaresh BasuSamaresh BasuSamaresh Basu was an Indian Bengali writer based in Kolkata, India. He was born on December 11, 1924 and spent his early childhood in Dhaka, Bikrampur in what is today Bangladesh...
felicitated. A new and improved rotary machine installed.
- 1960 – Anandabazar Patrika publishes the serial countdown of the successful Nanda GhuntiNanda GhuntiNanda Ghunti is a 6,309 metre high mountain in Garhwal, IndiaIt lies on the Outer Rim of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. It was first surveyed by TG Longstaff in 1907. Eric Shipton surveyed it from West in 1931. First serious attempt was made by BP Goodfellow J Buz , in 1944...
expedition patronised by ABP. It was the first publishing house to undertake such an enterprise. The team for the mission included a journalist and a photographer who provided first-hand reports of the expedition. Entertainment gets a fillip with the Anandalok section introduced in Anandabazar Patrika.
- 1963 – Anandabazar Patrika and DeshDesh magazineDesh is a Bengali language literary magazine published by Anadabazar Patrika Limited from India. This magazine, which is in publication since 1933, has been edited by editors like Sagarmoy Ghosh in the past. The present editor is Harsha Dutta...
jointly publish the first large-scale readership survey in India — nine years before the first NRS survey. The Plamog machine is brought from Germany with the double plate white technology.
- 1965 – Colloquial Bengali in narrative prose begins. Formal Bengali only in the editorials now.
- 1968 – Sooterkin Street renamed Prafulla Sarkar Street by the Calcutta Corporation.
- 1973 – Birth of Sunday, an English magazine.
- 1975 – PhototypesettingPhototypesettingPhototypesetting was a method of setting type, rendered obsolete with the popularity of the personal computer and desktop publishing software, that uses a photographic process to generate columns of type on a scroll of photographic paper...
introduced. Anandalok magazine is born. Business Standard, the business daily, is born. Popular section Anandamela, is now a magazine.
- 1978 – Sportsworld is launched.
- 1979 – The ABP Group celebrates 200 years of printing and publishing in Bengal with a grand exhibition at the MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
.
- 1981 – Phototypesetting starts in Bengali. Businessworld, a fortnightly business magazine enters the fray.
- 1982 – Printing takes a giant leap forward with the first full offset printingOffset printingOffset printing is a commonly used printing technique in which the inked image is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface...
of Anandabazar Patrika. The Telegraph is born. The first in India to have a modular layout. The last issue of Hindusthan StandardHindusthan StandardHindusthan Standard was an English daily published from Kolkata by the ABP group. It was headquartered at 3, Burman Street, Kolkata. It stopped publication in 1982....
is printed.
- 1983 – The first colour printing — the features section of Anandabazar Patrika.
- 1984 – News comes to a standstill as ABP faces a 51-day strike
- 1992 – Anandabazar Patrika does not carry a single advertisement as a mark of tribute to Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, who had died the previous day.
- 1993 – The district pages of the Anandabazar Patrika are launched.
- 1995 – Weekly Knowhow supplement comes out with The Telegraph.
- 1996 – Weekly Telekids and ETC supplements come out. ABP creates a programme to run Bengali with all its conjuncts on Windows 95Windows 95Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
.
- 2000 – Anandabazar Patrika’s internet edition is launched. The Telegraph in Schools (TTIS) is born.
- 2001 – Prestige software introduced to upgrade page production. Kolkata section appears in Anandabazar Patrika. The beginning of customised split editions.
- 2002 – The first INFOCOM — an IT exposition organised jointly by NASSCOMNASSCOMThe National Association of Software and Services Companies of IT software and services related activities for use of both the software developers as well as interested companies overseas....
and Businessworld, takes an initial step towards becoming a giant annual event.
- 2003 – A new-look Anandabazar Patrika hits the stands. Unish Kuri magazine is launched. ABP enters electronic space. Adds STAR NewsSTAR NewsSTAR News is the Hindi language news channel of STAR TV based in Mumbai. The channel is a co-production of STAR Group and ABP Pvt. Ltd...
to its bouquet. The Telegraph wins the SNAP certificate — the first non-US newspaper to do so.
- 2004 – The Telegraph appears in a new international look. Prastuti comes out with Anandabazar Patrika. Launch of Unish Kuri Career. ABP claims a place in the highly acclaimed IFRA-International Newspaper Colour Quality Club (INCQC) for The Telegraph for 2004–2006. Computer to plateComputer to plateComputer to plate is an imaging technology used in modern printing processes. In this technology, an image created in a Desktop Publishing application is output directly to a printing plate....
technology (CTP) introduced in printing.
- 2005 – Boier Desh hits the stands. The Telegraph wins the SNAP certificate again. STAR AnandaSTAR AnandaSTAR Ananda is a Bengali language 24-hour cable and satellite television news channel. The channel is a joint venture between STAR Group and Anandabazar Patrika...
, the 24-hour national news channel in Bengali, begins broadcasting. Anandabazar Patrika reaches the one-million circulation benchmark. Anandabazar Patrika wins the SNAP certificate. The Telegraph wins the Bronze award for the Best in Print at the Asia Media Awards. Hey Ya is launched.
Through the years
The Saturday section called "Shanibarer Chithi" and the Sunday section "Rabibasariya" came into being in 1925 only. The Robibasorio section still appears in the same name, though the Saturday supplement has changed it name. In 1926, the first festival issue - Puja special issue was published - Sharadiya Sankhya. Sharadiya Sankhya is still published regularly. In 1940, a children's section under the name "Anandamela", was introduced. In 1960, an entertainment section mainly composed of movie news, called "Anandalok" was introduced. In 1965, the language of reporting changed to colloquial Bengali (Chalit Bhasha) though the editorial continued to be written in formal Bengali (Sadhu Bhasha).In 1954, Anandabazar Patrika received special honours when the Press Commission report declared it to be the largest circulated newspaper in the country, published from a single location. In 1984, the Patrika publication was closed for 51 days due to a strike. The internet edition of the newspaper was launched in the year 2009.
Edition
Three editions of Anandabazar Patrika are published from the Indian metropolitan cities of Calcutta, New Delhi and Mumbai. In addition, during the six days of the week, it has divided the state into six parts district: North Bengal (Malda, Jalpaiguri, South and North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling), South Bengal (Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas and Hoogly, Bankura-Birbhum-Purulia, Nadia-Murshidabad), Burdwan, Midnapore. Four days a week tabloids are published for Kolkata and its adjoining areas namely South Calcutta, Howrah, North Calcutta, and East Calcutta. The newspaper edition is also available on the Internet.Its supplements include the Sunday Supplement, Rabibasario, and the Saturday Supplement, Patrika. The Rabibasario has a children's page called Anandamela. Other supplements include Kajer Bazar(every Tuesday) and Prastuti(every Monday). In addition, its editions have a special supplement for the particular place from which the edition is published, e.g., "Kolkata" for the Kolkata edition. The paper has comic strips of Phantom and Mandrake
Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
from Monday to Saturday. The newspaper brings out a special festive issue (Sharadiya) during Durga Puja
Durga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
and also an annual issue.
Competition
Anandabazar Patrikas major competitor is BartamanBartaman
Bartaman Patrika is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published in Kolkata by Bartaman Pvt. Ltd. Apart from the Kolkata edition, the newspaper has four other simultaneous editions, published daily from four major towns of West Bengal -- Siliguri, Burdwan, Malda and Midnapore...
which is being published since 1984. Bartaman holds second position after Anandabazar Patrika in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, as per readership and circulation is concerned. Other competitors include Sangbad Pratidin
Sangbad Pratidin
Sangbad Pratidin is an Indian Bengali newspaper published from Kolkata, India. It started publishing from 9 August 1992, owned by Swapan Sadhan Basu....
, Aajkaal
Aajkaal
Aajkaal is a Bengali newspapers in Kolkata, India. The newspaper was started in 1981 by Abhik Kumar Ghosh, and was part of the transformation of the Indian newspaper industry in the 1980s...
, Ganashakti
Ganashakti
Ganashakti Patrika is the official mouthpiece of the Communist Party of India West Bengal State Committee, which first appeared as a fortnightly in 1967...
, Sakalbela
Sakalbela
Sakalbela is a Bengali daily newspaper published from Kolkata. Published since 29th June, 2010, the newspaper is owned by the Saradha Group . Sakalbela is publishing from Kolkata, Silliguri, Durgapur, Guwahati & Agartala...
, Ekdin,NEWZ bangla
NEWZ bangla
NEWZ BANGLA [NEWZ বাংলা] is a daily Bengali newspaper published from Kolkata. Its evening edition 'SANDHYA NEWZ BANGLA' [সান্ধ্য NEWZ বাংলা] is more popular than its morning edition, although the latter is also growing very fast. It was first published on 30 November, 2009. Then it was an evening...
.
Readership circulation
As per Audit Bureau of CirculationsAudit Bureau of Circulations
The Audit Bureau of Circulations of North America is a non-profit circulation-auditing organization. It is one of several organizations, operating in different parts of the world, that audits circulation, readership, and audience information for the magazines, newspapers, and other publications...
July–December 2008, the total circulation of Anandabazar Patrika is 12,77,801. As per National Readership Survey, 2006, the readership of Anandabazar Patrika was 72,95.000 which included a readership of 30,61,000 in Kolkata.
Sister publication
The TelegraphThe Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
, a daily English newspaper, was launched on 7 July 1982 and is published simultaneously from Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. It is also published from Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
(to cater to the entire northeast), Siliguri
Siliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
(for North Bengal and Sikkim), Jamshedpur, and Ranchi
Ranchi
-Climate:Ranchi has a humid subtropical climate. However, due to its position and the forests around the city, it is known for its pleasant climate. Its climate is the primary reason why Ranchi was once the summer capital of the undivided State of Bihar...
(for Jharkhand),Bhubaneshwar (for Orissa) and Patna(for Bihar).
See also
- The Telegraph (Kolkata)The Telegraph (Kolkata)The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
- Ananda PublishersAnanda PublishersAnanda Publishers is a large publishing group with headquarters in Kolkata. It publishes numerous Bengali books by many renowned authors. It has one of the largest stalls in the Kolkata Book Fair, and is often awarded a prize for its stall. Ananda Publishers is the division of ABP...
- List of newspapers in India by circulation
- List of newspapers in the world by circulation