New Delhi warms to DH

Marking its first foray outside Karnataka, Deccan Herald on Sunday began publishing from the nation’s Capital.

At a glittering event attended by leading politicians, journalists and celebrities of the country, the Delhi edition of DH was launched by former India Test captain and star cricketer, Anil Kumble.

Kumble, the chief guest, unveiled the newspaper in the presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Labour Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, Food Minister K V Thomas and Corporate Affairs Minister M  Veerappa Moily among other dignitaries who graced the occasion.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani too attended the function.

Addressing the gathering, Kumble hailed the launch, saying he grew up reading DH. “I used Deccan Herald as a tool to ensure that I really got better...Wherever I go, I take Deccan Herald with me as it is also available on the net,” he said. He praised the newspaper’s objectivity in its content, saying, “That’s exactly what a sportsperson needs.” He recalled his visits to DH office in Bangalore in his formative days to deliver league match results.

He noted that DH promotes wildlife conservation and hoped that the newspaper will continue to give space to conservation issues. He said he would like to see the paper become “the voice of conservation.”

K N Tilak Kumar, Joint Managing Director of The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited (TPML) and Editor of Deccan Herald, and K N Shanth Kumar, Director of the TPML and Editor of Prajavani and TPML Director Kuldip Nayar, extended a warm welcome to the distinguished gathering that included senior journalists Vinod Mehta, Arun Poorie and K K Katyal.

Objective reporting

Speaking on the occasion, Tilak Kumar said,”We have always believed in objective reporting, informed and dispassionate commentary and have resisted the temptation for sensationalism.”

He said DH has stuck to the basic principles of journalism. “We have prided ourselves on our independence and professional excellence and independent editorial policy.”
He said DH had been a pioneer in many areas, especially technology, among the country’s newspapers. “We want to bring these values, and this experience to Delhi,” he added.

Kuldip Nayar said DH was an independent newspaper with no other interest than to serve its readers.

“Only our readers are our masters. We have no business houses to placate, no political party to please, no other interest. It’s an independent newspaper,” he said.

S M Krishna expressed his happiness over the launch of the Delhi edition. He said DH had survived very serious competition and succeeded in holding its sway over millions of readers, not only in Karnataka but all over the country.

Senior politicians Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Janardhan Dwivedi, Dhananjaya Kumar and Tariq Anwar were among those present, besides several MPs from Karnataka.