The trials and tribulations of Urdu dailies
Circulation figures put out by the government paint a picture of revival, growth and hope but the ground reality of Urdu newspapers is completely different.
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Editor's note: Modood Siddiqui receives me outside his office in Daryaganj, Old Delhi, and ushers me to what, he says, used to be the VIP room for receiving guests at one time. Immediately after, he sinks himself in his newspapers. “Main zara haath ka kaam nipta loon, fir aap se mukhatib hota hoon (I will get back to you soon as I finish the thing at hand),” he says. I nod and take a seat. As he goes back to his morning routine, I can't help but notice the VIPs around us. The walls of the room are adorned with photos of Mohammed Afzal, better known as Meem Afzal, a journalist—Afzal is the managing editor of Urdu weekly Akhbar E Nau—politician and former diplomat. In one photo, a young Afzal is shaking hands with the late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, scientist and former Indian President; in another, he is sharing a laugh with the late K.R. Narayanan, another former President. He is handing a bouquet to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a third photo and meeting former US president Bill Clinton in …
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