Lokmat
Encyclopedia
Lokmat is the largest read & circulated Marathi language
newspaper. It is the fifth largest Indian daily and in Marathi
, it is the largest selling daily with 1.58 million copies a day. As per IRS 2010 Q3, Lokmat has a total readership of 23.67 million. Its registered and corporate offices are located in Mumbai, Maharashtra (India) and its main administrative center is located at Lokmat Building, Lokmat Square, Nagpur (India).
1. Nagpur (including Yavatmal,Wardha, Gondia, Amravati and Gadchiroli supplements)
2. Aurangabad (including Separate Hello Lokmat Supplement For 8 Distticts in Marathwada)
3. Mumbai (including Ratnagiri & Sindhudurg)
4. Pune
5. Ahmednagar (including Shirdi and Beed)
6. Solapur
7. Kolhapur (including Sangli & Satara)
8. Nashik
9. Jalgaon (inclusive of Dhule and Nandurbar)
10. Akola (including Buldhana, Washim and supplements)
11. Goa
Lokmat also caters to the Marathi speaking population outside Maharashtra. It has editions in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Belgaum (Karnataka). On 21 April 2009, Lokmat launched its Goa edition (Marathi) primarily for the Marathi-speaking population of north and north-east Goa.
Mr. Darda, along with brother Rajendra
, has been the chief visionary and driving force behind Lokmat’s growth over the last three decades. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards including the Feroze Gandhi Memorial Award for excellence in journalism in 1990-91, the Giant International Journalism Award in 1997, Ten Outstanding Businessmen, Industrialist and Professional Award in 2001, Late Vidyadhar Gokhale Memorial Award in 2003 and Shri. Brajlallji Biyani Journalism Award by Lions Club of Indore in 2006.
Mr. Darda is the Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulation (India) for the year 2010-11. He is a former President of the Indian Newspaper Society, Founder President of South Asian Editors Forum formed by the editors of dailies in South Asia, an ex-member of the Press Council of India and Managing Trustee of the Press Institute of Maharashtra. Currently, he is a member of the World Association of Newspaper, Paris, the Commonwealth Press Union, London, the International Advertising Association Inc., New York, the Indian Language Newspaper Association, the National Readership Studies Council and the Advertising Club of India.
In addition to being a journalist and an entrepreneur, Mr. Darda is also active in the political arena. He is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (upper house) since 1998, having been elected for three consecutive terms. Additionally, he is a member of numerous standing and consultative committees of the parliament such as Finance, Information and Technology, Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Railways.
Mr. Darda holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and a diploma in journalism and printing technology from Bhavan’s College, Mumbai.
Raikar, a 45-year industry veteran, started off with the Indian Express Group in Nagpur in 1963. He later moved to Mumbai in 1970 and continued to remain with the Express Group for the next 16 years, where he reported on political affairs for all editions of the newspaper. In 1992, he was made the City Editor of the Mumbai edition of The Indian Express. In 1994, Raikar made a move from English to Marathi journalism when he joined Loksatta, a sister publication from the same group, as Deputy Editor (Corporate). He retired from the Express Group in 2002 to take a brief sabbatical before joining the Lokmat Group, where he edited its Aurangabad edition. In 2006, he was given the additional charge of the Mumbai edition.
Besides the above, there are some special sections, which only appear in certain editions or on certain days. They are:
1. Lokmat Appointments (every Wednesday and Saturday for Mumbai)
2. Bruhan-Maharashtra
3. Oxygen- for youth
4. Urja- for adolescent children
5. Health and Fitness
6. Travel and Tourism News
7. Sakhi- for women
8. Manthan- literature
9. Almanac and Horoscope
10. Culture and Society
11. Business and Finance
12. Lokmat Shopping
13. Lokmat Birthday Wishes
The first magazine launched is G2- The Global Gujarati (in English) in a large international size. It is distributed in several national and international markets including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Singapore, Sydney, New York and London. The division intends to target several niche segments. It is edited by Pritti Kumar, and contains columns from top writers like Bacchi Karkaria, health specialist Naini Setalwad and others.
(MAET). Lokmat agreed to offer theoretical education and practical training in different disciplines of journalism as well as provide on-the-spot training in different departments of newspaper production.
The ‘Lokmat MyIndiaMyWay’ commenced from January 25, 2009. Lokmat dedicated two pages every day with separate format and design, taking up all kinds of issues for the debate.
The US Presidential elections were very keenly observed as well as the financial meltdown and the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks.
An extract from Lokmat Times says “While the majority is very clear that democracy is one of India’s key sustainable and competitive advantages, there are questions as to whether democracy in the current format is relevant and sufficient in addressing the issues confronting the nation. As a responsible media player, Lokmat Group has created a platform for conducting a discussion on these issues.”
Speaking on the initiative, Bharat Kapadia, Director, Lokmat, said, “The voice of the common people, who are actually owners of this country, are unheard on various occasions. So, we thought of empowering the common people’s voice through our initiative. In this, readers can participate in three ways – first, there is a question of the day, which can be answered by them; secondly, they can raise a question, which is basically getting answered by the Maharashtra Home Minister or Chief Minister; and thirdly, the reader can post their feedbacks on experts’ articles everyday. All three ways of communication can be done through SMSes, emails, and letters, or directly through phone calls. We hope to provide a positive angle to the developments and empower the citizens by providing them a platform like this for debate.”
Throughout the entire period of this exercise, the readership was highly interactive, intensive and also vibrant. Readers, who were not subscribers also participated. Readership and circulation went up during this period.
Lokmat Group promoted this initiative through TV, radio and hoardings. Lokmat is considered among the leading newspapers of Maharashtra state in India.
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
newspaper. It is the fifth largest Indian daily and in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, it is the largest selling daily with 1.58 million copies a day. As per IRS 2010 Q3, Lokmat has a total readership of 23.67 million. Its registered and corporate offices are located in Mumbai, Maharashtra (India) and its main administrative center is located at Lokmat Building, Lokmat Square, Nagpur (India).
Editions
Lokmat has 11 Marathi editions in Maharashtra.1. Nagpur (including Yavatmal,Wardha, Gondia, Amravati and Gadchiroli supplements)
2. Aurangabad (including Separate Hello Lokmat Supplement For 8 Distticts in Marathwada)
3. Mumbai (including Ratnagiri & Sindhudurg)
4. Pune
5. Ahmednagar (including Shirdi and Beed)
6. Solapur
7. Kolhapur (including Sangli & Satara)
8. Nashik
9. Jalgaon (inclusive of Dhule and Nandurbar)
10. Akola (including Buldhana, Washim and supplements)
11. Goa
Lokmat also caters to the Marathi speaking population outside Maharashtra. It has editions in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Belgaum (Karnataka). On 21 April 2009, Lokmat launched its Goa edition (Marathi) primarily for the Marathi-speaking population of north and north-east Goa.
Lokmat Group
Chairman: Vijay Darda.Mr. Darda, along with brother Rajendra
Rajendra Darda
Rajendra Jawaharlal Darda is a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Aurangabad East constituency and is a Cabinet Minister for Education, Government of Maharashtra in India.-Education:...
, has been the chief visionary and driving force behind Lokmat’s growth over the last three decades. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards including the Feroze Gandhi Memorial Award for excellence in journalism in 1990-91, the Giant International Journalism Award in 1997, Ten Outstanding Businessmen, Industrialist and Professional Award in 2001, Late Vidyadhar Gokhale Memorial Award in 2003 and Shri. Brajlallji Biyani Journalism Award by Lions Club of Indore in 2006.
Mr. Darda is the Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulation (India) for the year 2010-11. He is a former President of the Indian Newspaper Society, Founder President of South Asian Editors Forum formed by the editors of dailies in South Asia, an ex-member of the Press Council of India and Managing Trustee of the Press Institute of Maharashtra. Currently, he is a member of the World Association of Newspaper, Paris, the Commonwealth Press Union, London, the International Advertising Association Inc., New York, the Indian Language Newspaper Association, the National Readership Studies Council and the Advertising Club of India.
In addition to being a journalist and an entrepreneur, Mr. Darda is also active in the political arena. He is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (upper house) since 1998, having been elected for three consecutive terms. Additionally, he is a member of numerous standing and consultative committees of the parliament such as Finance, Information and Technology, Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Railways.
Mr. Darda holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and a diploma in journalism and printing technology from Bhavan’s College, Mumbai.
Editor-in-Chief: Dinkar Raikar
Dinkar Raikar is a veteran Marathi journalist, who was appointed Editor-in-Chief for the Lokmat Group of publications on July 30, 2009. He was previously Lokmat’s Editor for its Mumbai and Aurangabad editions.Raikar, a 45-year industry veteran, started off with the Indian Express Group in Nagpur in 1963. He later moved to Mumbai in 1970 and continued to remain with the Express Group for the next 16 years, where he reported on political affairs for all editions of the newspaper. In 1992, he was made the City Editor of the Mumbai edition of The Indian Express. In 1994, Raikar made a move from English to Marathi journalism when he joined Loksatta, a sister publication from the same group, as Deputy Editor (Corporate). He retired from the Express Group in 2002 to take a brief sabbatical before joining the Lokmat Group, where he edited its Aurangabad edition. In 2006, he was given the additional charge of the Mumbai edition.
Sections and Features
Main sections: Local, Maharashtra, National, International, Agriculture, Sports. These sections are covered in every day all editions of Lokmat.Besides the above, there are some special sections, which only appear in certain editions or on certain days. They are:
1. Lokmat Appointments (every Wednesday and Saturday for Mumbai)
2. Bruhan-Maharashtra
3. Oxygen- for youth
4. Urja- for adolescent children
5. Health and Fitness
6. Travel and Tourism News
7. Sakhi- for women
8. Manthan- literature
9. Almanac and Horoscope
10. Culture and Society
11. Business and Finance
12. Lokmat Shopping
13. Lokmat Birthday Wishes
Entry into the Magazine Sector
In 2006, Lokmat formed Cymbal Media, their magazine division in Mumbai. Cymbal Media will create a series of world-class publications to satisfy the readers' changing expectations from the print media. The magazine division is intended to create up-scale lifestyle brands to showcase the ultimate insider experience - an original approach to fashion, beauty, society, art, culture, travel and entertainment.The first magazine launched is G2- The Global Gujarati (in English) in a large international size. It is distributed in several national and international markets including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Singapore, Sydney, New York and London. The division intends to target several niche segments. It is edited by Pritti Kumar, and contains columns from top writers like Bacchi Karkaria, health specialist Naini Setalwad and others.
Entry into the Broadcast Sector
Lokmat extended its media business to television through a 50-50 joint venture with IBN18 Broadcast Limited (“ibn18”). The joint venture company, IBN-Lokmat Private Limited (“IBNL”), operates IBN-Lokmat, a 24 x 7 Marathi news and current affairs television channel which went on air on April 6, 2008. The channel’s editorial team is led by notable multimedia journalists Nikhil Wagle, editor of IBN-Lokmat and Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-in-chief of IBN Network.Lokmatwall
In August 2009, Lokmat announced a new online graffiti portal to encourage people to use the web to express their views and voice their opinions through scribbling messages, scrawling names or painting abstract caricatures. The Marathi daily has decided to call the new portal Lokmatwall. More details on this are awaited.Tie-up with Journalism Colleges
In April 1999, Lokmat entered into collaboration with the Horniman College of Journalism and Mass Communication run by the The Maulana Azad Education Trust AurangabadThe Maulana Azad Education Trust Aurangabad
Dr.Rafiq Zakaria started the Maulana Azad Education Society at Aurangabad with Maulana Azad College of Arts and Science in 1963 which is affiliated to Dr...
(MAET). Lokmat agreed to offer theoretical education and practical training in different disciplines of journalism as well as provide on-the-spot training in different departments of newspaper production.
Jawaharlal Darda Fellowships for Marathi Journalism students
The group selects five students (undergraduate) and three (post graduate) students, who are awarded the Jawaharlal Darda fellowships of Rs 1,000 per month. These students are also provided intensive training in the Lokmat office at Aurangabad and are involved in the day-to-day production of the newspapers.123456Jawaharlal Darda Excellence Awards
Lokmat has also instituted two prizes of Rs 2,500 each to be known as the Jawaharlal Darda Excellence Awards to be given to the best male and female student on the basis of merit in the university examination, each year, in the Marathi journalism course through ought Maharashtra.MyIndiaMyWay Pre-Election Campaign
During the 2009 General Elections, Lokmat launched a special campaign ‘MyIndiaMyWay’ in all its editions across the 3 languages.The ‘Lokmat MyIndiaMyWay’ commenced from January 25, 2009. Lokmat dedicated two pages every day with separate format and design, taking up all kinds of issues for the debate.
The US Presidential elections were very keenly observed as well as the financial meltdown and the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks.
An extract from Lokmat Times says “While the majority is very clear that democracy is one of India’s key sustainable and competitive advantages, there are questions as to whether democracy in the current format is relevant and sufficient in addressing the issues confronting the nation. As a responsible media player, Lokmat Group has created a platform for conducting a discussion on these issues.”
Speaking on the initiative, Bharat Kapadia, Director, Lokmat, said, “The voice of the common people, who are actually owners of this country, are unheard on various occasions. So, we thought of empowering the common people’s voice through our initiative. In this, readers can participate in three ways – first, there is a question of the day, which can be answered by them; secondly, they can raise a question, which is basically getting answered by the Maharashtra Home Minister or Chief Minister; and thirdly, the reader can post their feedbacks on experts’ articles everyday. All three ways of communication can be done through SMSes, emails, and letters, or directly through phone calls. We hope to provide a positive angle to the developments and empower the citizens by providing them a platform like this for debate.”
Throughout the entire period of this exercise, the readership was highly interactive, intensive and also vibrant. Readers, who were not subscribers also participated. Readership and circulation went up during this period.
Lokmat Group promoted this initiative through TV, radio and hoardings. Lokmat is considered among the leading newspapers of Maharashtra state in India.