Hyderabad: Fifty years ago Eenadu came into being on August 10, 1974. The Golden Jubilee publication did not restrict its role to a mere news provider but also a socially responsible media organisation, by playing the guardian for the voiceless and the distressed. This has remained as its core ideal for half a century and it will continue to do so for many to come.
The daily has breathed life into various public movements. It has always remained on the forefront, leading the way whenever society seemed rudderless. At times of humanitarian crises, the newspaper had expressed its solidarity with the affected. It fed those affected and has doled out relief measures, running into several crores to uplift the affected populace.
The publication believes in its social responsibility and has never shied away from it in the past five decades. It has been showing the same sincerity since its inception in its letter and spirit, true to its founding ideals.
In 1976, Eenadu was still in its nascent stages. Three back-to-back storms pounded the Telugu region, leaving a huge trail of destruction including lakhs of acres of standing crops, and cattle. Eenadu, helmed by Ramoji Group Chairman late Ramoji Rao, stepped in. It started a relief fund contributing Rs. 10,000 and ran an awareness campaign seeking help. The call resonated with its loyal readers, prompting them to make hearty contributions. The relief fund gathered Rs 64,756 in a month. Eenadu handed it over to the then government.
It was the Diviseema flood in 1977. The flood-ravaged thousands of homes, leaving them homeless and with nothing. Eenadu launched a Rs 25,000 relief fund. This time the readers became more generous. The total relief fund collection was Rs 3,73,927. The fund was utilised to rehabilitate the dilapidated Palakayatippa village in Kodur Mandal of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh. The state government also used the funds to build 112 houses. The Ramakrishna Mission too contributed to the construction of houses. The fishing village was rechristened as Paramahamsapuram. The remainder of the funds were spent on the village reconstruction. In addition to this, 22 more houses were built in Krishnapuram near Koduru.
The group served food to the affected. The group employees delivered food parcels to 50,000. The premises of Dolphin Hotels, Visakhapatnam, was used as a central kitchen. This was hailed as an act of humanity by many.
In 1996, cyclones wreaked havoc in Prakasam, Nellore, Kadapa districts in October and Godavari districts in November. This time Eenadu opened the relief fund coffers with Rs. 25 lakhs as its contribution. The fund ended up collecting Rs. 60 lakh. Eenadu decided that most of this should go to flood victims. It built ‘Surya’ buildings which will act as relief shelters during calamities, while acting as schools during the rest of the year. It chose 60 such villages which required such shelters and constructed them. It sent out a call for construction material which too received a warm response from its readers. They offered cement, iron, metal and sand.
In October 2009, Krishna, Tungabhadra and Kundun rivers were in spate, wiping away parts of Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts. Eenadu hit its relief trail again. This time around, it distributed over 1.2 lakh food as immediate aid. It managed to raise Rs. 6.05 cr from donors. It utilised the funds to buy looms to 1,110 handloom families in Mahbubnagar. In Kurnool, it built 'Ushodaya school buildings'. With the generous contributions from its readers, an additional fund of Rs 3.16 cr was collected. It built 80 houses in Tantadi-Vadapalem village of Visakhapatnam district, 36 houses in old Meghavaram of Srikakulam district and 28 houses in Ummilada, costing Rs 6.16 cr.
The 2020 deluge left severe damage in the Telangana region. Eenadu group donated Rs 5 cr to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
As the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, the group donated Rs 20 cr - Rs 10 cr each to both the Telugu states - Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Through Ramoji Foundation, two villages – Pedaparupudi of Krishna District and Naganpalli of Ranga Reddy District – have been adopted.
Ramoji Group Chairman late Ramoji Rao has built old-age homes at a cost of Rs 5 cr. To provide shelter to farmers, he donated Rs 10 lakhs and the fund collection crossed Rs. 45 lakhs. The money was used to build 60 houses in Konagulli village of Jagatsinghpur district, through Ramakrishna Mission.
The group started a relief fund with an initial Rs 25 lakh contribution for the Gujarat earthquake in 2001. The donations rose to Rs 2.12 cr. This was shared through Swami Narayan Trust, which utilised it to construct 104 houses, besides building shelters for the homeless.
In 2004, Tsunami struck Tamil Nadu. Eenadu, which has editions in the southern state, started a relief fund with Rs 25 lakhs. This fund grew by ten times. Through Ramakrishna Math, the group built 104 houses in Vadakku Mudasalodai hamlet in Cuddalore district. It provided housing to 60 families in Nambiar Nagar of Nagapattinam district.
In 2018, a relief fund was started with Rs. 3 cr to help the flood victims of Kerala. The fund collection touched Rs. 7.77 cr. The group built houses to flood victims with that money.
Eenadu called for ‘Shramadanodyam’ in 1995. It raised awareness among the people to solve their day-to-day issues by themselves. The spark ignited by the group led to laying of roads to several villages. Bridges were built and canals were desilt. The ‘Jalayajna’ call by Eenadu gave a new lease of life to many ponds. Similarly, ‘Vanayajna’ continues to inspire and help the local communities.
The group’s rainwater harvest and ground-water recharge call in 2016 became a solid step towards water conservation. Eenadu-ETV also engaged the masses in social service with the ‘Sujalam-Suphalam’ programme, aimed at improving water bodies and groundwater. Eenadu found its mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat radio address for its service in digging lakhs of wells and taking up water conservation. The group also created awareness on the Swachh Bharat. Appreciating Ramoji Rao's commitment, PM Modi appointed him as an Ambassador of Swachh Bharat.
A news story can solve problems and shape lives. Many lives changed for good after 'Eenadu' brought them to light. Many who could not pay their fees got their sponsors after Eenadu’s intervention and many who were terminally-ill patients got their second shot at life. Many things which were deemed impossible were made possible with Eenadu’s initiative. The words that got printed on the pages of Eenadu brought light to tens and thousands of families. A multitude of inspiring stories have been showing a new path for future generations while rousing the imagination of others. Ramoji Rao's diktat was to prioritise the news that helps the people in need. Eenadu's stories inspired winners of the civil services and group examinations. We are confident its rays of light will continue to radiate forever.
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