Asia's oldest newspaper Mumbai Samachar enters 200th year

Mumbai Samachar, Asia’s oldest newspaper still in print, has registered a mark of durability by entering its 200th year on Thursday (1) and its editor is confident that the journey will continue for another 500 years. However, a tragedy awaited the newspaper at its moment of glory as Muncherji Cama, a director of the newspaper, passed away on Saturday (3) due to old age and illness. He was in his mid-60s.

Mumbai Samachar (formerly called Bombay Samachar), which means ‘Mumbai News’ in Hindi, is a Gujarati-language daily which was founded on July 1, 1822. The paper originally served as a weekly for businessmen living in Mumbai, India’s financial capital and a key port city. Printed in a British-era building in the city’s financial district, Mumbai Samachar has seen two world wars, the anti-colonial movement, a serious global financial slump and now looks strong to survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

The office building of the Mumbai Samachar newspaper (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

“The newspaper was started for traders and still today, traders are our first readers,” Nilesh Dave, the newspaper’s current editor who is doing the job for the last nine years, told AFP.

“We call it the ‘trader's newspaper’,” he said.

Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru letters to editor

Mumbai Samachar’s rich history has seen it attracting luminaries like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, whose letters to the editor are treasured in the daily’s archives.

Over the years, the paper became a daily broadsheet covering politics, business and general news for the Gujarati audience across 12 states in India. The paper claims a daily circulation of more than 150,000 and it is believed that the paper’s fiercely loyal readers has helped it overcome the slump that has hit the newspaper industry, AFP added.

Dave said many of its readers have remained loyal to Mumbai Samachar since childhood. Asserting the trust that the newspaper still enjoys among its readers, he said. “There is a saying in Gujarati: ‘If it is published in Mumbai Samachar then it is true’. This is the confidence of our readers.”

He added a series of “mother tongue initiatives” including Gujarati book fairs, theatrical performances and essay competitions have helped engage new readers and boosted the paper’s circulation.

In an age when digital news has taken over and at a time when the pandemic has clobbered the newspaper industry, Mumbai Samachar has refused to lower its prices. It actually increased its cover price during the pandemic from Rs 7 to Rs 10 (nine to 13 cents), making it one of the most expensive dailies in India, the AFP report added.

One of paper's employees 87 years old

Also, while several newspapers have reduced their work forces in times of the pandemic, Mumbai Samachar hasn’t even made a compulsory retirement age for its 200 employees.

“One of our employees is 87 years old and still writing... He joined Mumbai Samachar at the age of 18,” Dave added.

The newspaper has been owned by the Cama family since 1933, when they took over the then bankrupt publication. The editor said the newspaper is profitable though stopped short of sharing the revenue details. When asked about the newspaper’s future, he said, “Definitely we will survive. My newspaper is going to complete another 500 years.”