For three crore Malayalees, K M Mathew was like the karanavar (eldest in the family) of their ancestral home. The visionary who changed the rules of the media industry in Kerala, was also a major force in the state’s literary, cultural, social and political fields. Mathew’s autobiography Ettamathe Mothiram (The Eighth Ring) extensively portrays the struggles of his early years. Born into an affluent family in Central Travancore, he had to pass through troubled times after Diwan C P Ramaswamy Iyer had launched an all-round attack against his father’s business establishment. As a result Malayala Manorama was closed down and its editor K C Mammen Mappila (Mathew’s father) jailed.
Mathew’s career in Manorama began in 1954, seven years after its second birth. The 37-year-old professional, who left his own business in Mumbai to take over the family-run newspaper, re-wrote the destiny of Malayala Manorama, which had only been a minor player among the many vernacular dailies published from Kottayam. With his elder brother K M Cherian, Mathew implemented a slew of reformative steps.
After Cherian’s demise, he took over as chief editor in 1973. Till last Sunday, when he died a peaceful death, Mathew was at the helm of a 17-edition newspaper that sells 1.8 million copies. The print juggernaut brings out as many as 46 publications in Malayalam, English and Hindi. Around a dozen of these titles are number one in India in terms of circulation. The company diversified into visual, radio and new media platforms before Mathew took leave. Mathew’s success becomes sweeter when you consider that he never compromised on ethical values for short term gains. When there was an employee strike at Manorama’s bitter rival years ago, Mathew ordered that not a single additional copy of Manorama be printed till that strike was over.
Apart from introducing professionalism in all areas of media management, Mathew successfully reduced the distance between the newspaper and its readers. For its readers, Manorama is more like a friend. Mathew’s initiatives to take up media advocacy campaigns on social issues earned him tremendous goodwill. His personal interest was the driving force behind the success of all such campaigns. The pala thulli campaign that advocated the benefits of rain water harvesting fetched Manorama a UN award. K M Mathew’s death is a loss to all who work in the newspaper industry.
