K. M. Mathew

August 1, 2011

A commemorative postage stamp on K.M. Mathew, former Chief Editor of the ‘Malayala Manorama‘ :

Issued by India

Issued on Aug 1, 2011

Issued for : India Post is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on K.M. Mathew.

Credits :
Stamp/FDC/Cancellation : Nenu Gupta

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.3 Million

Printing Process : Wet Offset

Printer : ISP Nasik Road

Name : Kandathil Mammen Mathew

Born on Jan 2, 1917 at Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kerala, India

Died on Aug 1, 2010 at Kottayam, Kerala, India

About :

K. M. Mathew was born on 2^nd January 1917, the seventh son of Sh. K. C. Mammen Happillai. He had his early schooling in Kottyam, Kerala and his degree in Economics from Madras University.
Mathew joined the ‘Malayala Manorama‘ as Managing Editor in 1954 and became Chief Editor in 1973. Under his stewardship, the newspaper achieved many milestones. He launched many best selling publications such as ‘Vanitha‘ in Malayalam, the English news magazine ‘The Week‘ etc. and revived the elite literary magazine ‘Bhashaposhini‘ and a popular magazine ‘Manorama Weekly’ which became the largest selling weekly in India. He also led the Malayala Manorama Company into electronic media.
Thorough professional that he was, he restructured every aspect of newspaper production and inducted new and appropriate technology. He had also rendered professional consultancy to many Indian newspapers.
‘Journalism with a Human Face’ was his motto. In 1993, when an earthquake flattened Latur in Maharashtra, Mathew rose to the occasion by raising funds and rebuilt Banegaon village in a record 15 months. When Gujarat suffered a massive earthquake in 2001, his helping hand reached the people of Chapredi and Adipure villages and rebuilt their homes. Similarly, he built houses for 153 tsunami-hit families on the Kerala coast in 2005. In another humanitarian initiative, he helped more than 1000 poor heart patients, most of them children, to undergo free heart surgery.
His campaign in 1993 for Kerala‘s development brought rich dividends. He was instrumental in bringing Kochi International Airport at Nedumbassery, Kayamkulam Thermal Power Plant and Ezhimala Naval Academy to Kerala. He had a deep passion for his mother tongue, culture and traditions.
In 1998, the President of India conferred the ‘Padma Bhushan‘. He has received many other awards such as Foundation of Freedom of Information Award in 1991, National Citizens Award in 1992, Ramakrishna Jay Dayal Award in 1995, Durga Prasad Choudhary Award in 1996, B.D. Goenka Award in 1996 and Kerala Press Academy in 1997.
During his tenure as the President of the Kerala Amateur Athletic Association for six years he started a talent spotting scheme and funded the education and training of several youngsters. Mathew has worked in several capacities as Chairman of Press Trust of India, President of Indian Newspaper Society, Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations, Vice-President of Indian Language Newspaper Association and founder-trustee and Chairman of Press Trust of India and Research Institute of Newspaper Development (RIND).
His book of memoirs, ‘Annamma‘, published in Malayalam (2004) and English (2005) has been highly appreciated for its literary and historical value. His autobiography, ‘Ettamathe Mothiram‘, gives an insight into the social and political evolution of the state. He breathed his last on 01 August, 2010.
Text : Based on materials provided by the proponent.