Innovation most satisfying

 

 

 

Journalism changed 25 years ago. A new trend came into being. And in all the past 25 years, it is still trending. The product that the trend produced has technically become 25 years old. But it is still fresh, as if it was started just yesterday. That a daily newspaper gets refreshed every day, is all right. But in this particular case, ‘The Hitavada CityLine’ -- and also ‘The Hitavada VidarbhaLine’ -- emerges fresh from the oven of complex life, reporting it in straight columns, serving the people’s needs to have news and views beyond bias, beyond nexus.

That was one innovation most satisfying, most elevating in every sense of the term.

For, when ‘The Hitavada’ introduced these two local and regional news supplements, it set a new trend in Indian journalism. The idea was simple -- to offer the readers a reading fare straight from their own lives, their own aspirations, their own inspirations. Hungry readers lapped up the innovation in nano-seconds. Their numbers kept growing, their demands from ‘The Hitavada CityLine’ and ‘The Hitavada VidarbhaLine’ also kept increasing. Both the supplements kept assuming fresher look and outlook. Newer dimensions of local coverage kept coming in. ‘The Hitavada’ -- empowered by these two supplements -- kept growing in strength,in its outreach, in its popular appeal.

In the last 25 years, the local reporting style underwent a massive transformation, setting newer trends. The use of visuals -- particularly of photographs -- in ‘The Hitavada’ in all its supplements assumed a pioneering role. The concept of photo-feature started assuming newer polish, deeper meaning, and wider appeal.

The local or regional supplements of ‘The Hitavada’ started covering their respective domains -- in Nagpur, in Vidarbha, in Jabalpur, in Raipur, in Bhopal -- like never before and by like nobody else. Journalism was never

so exciting! In the past 25 years, it has continued to be exciting -- and also exacting, since the people working at ‘The Hitavada’ never lost sight of their responsibility towards the readers, towards the region, towards the nation, towards the larger Indian society.

Soon, others in the field started imitating the concept -- only superficially, never being able to replicate the ‘CityLine’ (in Nagpur, Jabalpur, Raipur and Bhopal) or ‘VidabhaLine’ or ‘MPLine’ or ‘Window on Chhattisgarh’ in

news coverage and reader-response. There were some in the field claiming that they would change the reading culture of the people of Nagpur and Vidarbha. When they made those claims, they did not realise that they were soon to meet the harsh reality that they did not have the wherewithal to outmatch ‘The Hitavada’ news supplements to specific regions. So, they started making a shallow copy of what ‘The Hitavada’ was doing, and in some time, they folded up that attempt.

We do not wish to state this as a matter of pride, but only as a matter of fact -- meaning no prejudice, suggesting no denigration. But over time, the readers have understood the difference!

Today, the ‘CityLine’ or ‘VidarbhaLine’ are complete newspapers by themselves. They offer the readers a great scope to express their news through ‘Readers’ Response’, through City Mail or Vidarbha Mail. The readers, their children becoming heroes on our pages. The ‘CityLine’ became the first city-based supplement to give one full page each to business news and sports news, thereby creating two powerful constituencies. Others in the field followed -- which is

welcome.

‘The Hitavada’ feels flattered, to say the least. As we recall the passage of the past quarter of a century, our heads bow in humility and thanksgiving. For, whatever we did by way of this innovation, was lapped up by the people of Central India. We, therefore, feel humbled and overwhelmed. What innovation has this been. Very satisfying!