Hyderabad: Every 30 years is seen as a generation. Society changes. Its thinking changes. Filmmakers call it a trend. Those who understand this and usher in a generational change are called trendsetters. Those who carry forward new ideas are called torchbearers. In the Telugu media scape, Eenadu is undoubtedly the torchbearer. It revolutionised information, while adding freshness from time to time. Its daily circulation was 4,500 copies during the launch year. It climbed to the top and has proudly established itself as the number one Telugu daily with a circulation of over 13 lakhs. On August 10, 2024, 'Eenadu' is completing 50 years of its glorious journey in the world of words.
The Beginning
August 10, 1974. In a closed shed in the Seethammadhara area of Visakhapatnam, the neighbours heard a printing machine run. Little did they know that they would become part of Eenadu’s history. The unassuming neighbours had no clue of what was happening. Out came the first copies of the Eenadu. From thereon, the daily has been tearing through the veils of darkness, without skipping a beat. The shed that birthed 'Eenadu' will forever remain etched in the history of newspapers and will share the honour of playing its part in revolutionising the news industry.
The daily broke a variety of news to its readers every morning. It began its journey as a single edition newspaper. It peaked with the highest circulated Telugu daily, and is now celebrating its golden jubilee with pride.
"It is a matter of pride to play a role in the journey of the 50-year-old Eenadu and to work responsibly in the organisation for 35 years. This was possible due to the discipline instilled in the company by our Chairman. I think so because I have the same discipline as everyone else in the organisation. That's why this journey continues," Ch. Kiron, Managing Director, Eenadu said.
Wizard of Words Ramoji Rao!
The Chairman had no idea of starting a newspaper. It was an unexpected journey. A steady evolution by itself. "Eenadu" daily took its shape from a very casual circumstance. Ramoji Rao got acquainted with one T Ramachandra Rao, who was working in the field of advertising. The latter’s profession stoked an interest in Ramoji Rao to learn advertising skills. After completing his studies, Ramoji Rao joined an advertising agency in Delhi as an artist. After working there for three years, he came back to Hyderabad. In those days, Ramnath Goenka's Andhra Prabha had the highest circulation in Telugu media while the newspapers established by Telugus were contesting for the rest of the spots. Why should Telugu newspapers by Telugus lag on Telugu soil? Ramoji Rao asked himself. Thus, the idea of establishing a daily newspaper germinated in him. If you have to begin a daily newspaper, where to start? How to start it? These questions lingered on.
At that time, all the Telugu newspapers were published in Vijayawada. From there, they were transported to other places. The newspapers had to be sent to Visakhapatnam by train from Vijayawada. It was almost noon before the newspapers arrived by train and reached the readers. They used to reach other parts of North Andhra in the evening. If he were to start a newspaper in Vijayawada, he would also become one among the others. There wouldn’t be a niche about his publication other than his becoming a competitor to others? Ramoji Rao thought that he would become the ‘first’ in North Andhra, where people would not see the masthead of any morning newspapers until afternoon. He decided to take his first step from Visakhapatnam, where no newspaper was printed at that time. Later, Ramoji Rao used to recount how China's war strategy "No Man's Land" theory also served as an inspiration for his decision.
A Daring Start
If starting a newspaper in Visakhapatnam was daring, the name chosen for it was sensational! At that time, all the Telugu newspapers had the word 'Andhra' in their names - Andhra Patrika, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Janata, Andhra Jyoti, Visalandhra and so on. In such circumstances naming a paper deducting ‘Andhra’ was seemingly outlandish! Ramoji Rao’s style has always been unique. He was not used to imitating anyone. The adventure began. He chose ‘Eenadu’. 'Nadu' has two meanings - 'place' and also 'day'. Eenadu means this place or today. With this name, he made a strong regional connection.
At Nakkavanipalem in the Seethammadhara area of Visakhapatnam, a studio which was closed at that time was taken on lease. It was repaired. To print the newspaper, a second-hand duplex flatbed rotary printing press was bought from The Navhind Times, Mumbai. At that time, it cost one lakh five thousand rupees. The trial run was done about five or six days in advance. Everything was prepared as planned. The auspicious hour has come! On the evening of August 9, 1974, Ramoji Rao made a worker turn the switch on to print the first edition of Eenadu. The August 10 - first ever issue of Eenadu - reached the doorsteps of the people in Visakhapatnam before dawn, scripting history.
““Eenadu is your paper,” is what our Chairman Ramoji Rao Garu said during the launch. Readers have kept it close to their hearts, saying this is our paper. That became Eenadu's ethos. Eenadu's progress. It made Eenadu an important part of every Telugu family. Millions of readers repose their faith in Eenadu's coverage and on that of Eenadu Television(ETV). If they see some important news on some channel, they will tune in to ETV to find out whether it is a fact or not,” M. Nageswara Rao, Editor, Eenadu Andhra Pradesh said.
Simple Language
"Before the advent of Eenadu, a lot of Sanskrit words were used. The people did not understand that language and the readers stayed away from the newspapers. Ramoji Rao Garu is credited with making a change by introducing the use of easily understandable simple words into the language of the press. This helped in the news being communicated effectively to the masses as intended," DN Prasad, Editor, Eenadu Telangana said.
By 1974, the population of undivided Andhra Pradesh was one crore. The circulation of Telugu dailies accounted for two lakhs. Ramoji Rao told the staff that they should aim to reach the remaining 90 lakh people. Eenadu dawned in Hyderabad on December 17, 1975. The Hyderabad edition started in the presence of the then Chief Minister Jalagam Vengala Rao, then High Court Chief Justice Avula Sambasiva Rao and Telugu actors NTR and ANR.
On May Day 1978, the Vijayawada edition of Eenadu started with great fanfare at the hands of the then Governor Sarada Mukherjee. The Vijayawada edition crossed the one lakh milestone in circulation right from day one. It has taken the position of the leading Telugu daily, pushing back Andhra Prabha. Eenadu has been number one for 46 years! The fourth unit was started in Tirupati. On June 30, 2002, seven units were launched in a single day, setting a new trend. New editions have also emerged in the capitals of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. On September 11, 2002, Ramoji Rao launched the Delhi edition. With a total of 23 editions, Eenadu has not only expanded step by step but has taken root wherever Telugu people are.
In 1974, Eenadu's initial circulation was 4,500 with 32 agencies. In its 50 years of expansion, Eenadu is now published as the largest Telugu daily with more than 13 lakh copies with 11,000 agencies. It has settled on the pinnacle of circulation that is unmatched by anyone today.
Read More
- Ramoji Rao: A Media Mogul Who Touched Millions of Hearts
- Remembering Ramoji Rao Garu, Our Chairman, Who Lived And Breathed Professionalism
