North East India, home to about 3.1% of India’s population, is a region where language and dialects change every few kilometres. Therefore, when the media scenario in North East India is discussed, it is said that statistics becomes less important than how the media actually functions. It does not suggest that the statistics relating to the media in the North East are not impressive. On the contrary, considering the diverse and colourful ethnic composition of the region, the statistics are quite impressive, at least, in terms of the number of newspapers and periodicals published. The region has many small newspapers. Apart from the dailies in the local languages, there are numerous national English dailies such as The Hindu, The Times of India, and The Telegraph that are widely read in the region.
Assam — the big player from North East
The story of printed news in the North East started in Assam with the publication of the Orunodoi in Assamese in 1846 by the American Baptist Mission. Today, Assam has over 130 daily newspapers in Assamese, English, Hindi and Bengali. Although most of the newspapers are circulated only within the state, dailies such as the Asomiya Khabar, The Assam Tribune and Asomiya Pratidin target a larger audience, and are circulated in other states of the region as well.
In Assam, the highest circulated Assamese daily, Asomiya Pratidin, which started publication in 1995, is also the highest circulated daily in the North East with a circulation of over 178,000 copies daily. The Assam Tribune, with a daily circulation of over 93,000 copies, is the highest circulated English daily
published from the state. The paper also has the distinction of being the highest circulated English daily in the entire North East. The Sentinel is another English daily from the state which has a wide reach across the region. Like The Assam Tribune and The Sentinel, the two leading local English dailies, most of the Assamese dailies too have multi-city satellite editions.
Arunachal, Mizoram and Sikkim
It is an interesting fact that Arunachal Pradesh, a state with 26 major tribes and more than 100 sub tribes, has no regional vernacular daily registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of
India (RNI). The state has ten English daily newspapers and one Hindi newspaper registered with the RNI. The oldest daily in the state, Echo of Arunachal, provides the best insights on rural Arunachal.
A one of a kind newspaper, the paper has also succeeded in its goal by covering not only the whole of Arunachal Pradesh, but even other states. It also has the distinction of being the first color English daily from the state.
In Mizoram, a state with one of the highest literacy rates in the country at 91.58%, there are about 47 daily newspapers, with only three being published in English. The Mizoram Post, an English daily, claims to be the largest circulated daily with a circulation of over 58,000 copies. It is also the only English newspaper that covers not only Mizoram, but international news as well.
Sikkim was integrated as the eighth North Eastern Council state in 2002. The state has 11 official languages — Nepali (the state’s lingua franca), Sikkimese, Lepcha, Tamang, Limbu, Newari, Rai, Gurung, Magar, Sunwar and English. The state has 17 daily newspapers. Sikkim Express the oldest and largest circulated English daily in the state, started as a weekly in 1976 and became a daily in 2003. It won the Best Small Newspaper (English) in India award at the All India Conference of Small and Medium Newspapers in 1986.
Manipur and Meghalaya
Manipur has more than 60 officially registered dailies. Of these, Imphal Free Press, Manipur Mail and The Sangai Express are in English while the others are in Meitei and other languages. The Sangai Express also has a Meitei edition.
The Meitei newspapers have much larger circulations than the English dailies. The three leading Meitei newspapers are Naharolgi Thoudang, Poknapham and The Sangai Express with Poknapham being the most widely read. In Meghalaya, The Shillong Times and Meghalaya Guardian are among the prominent English newspapers, with The Shillong Times dominating the print market with a daily circulation of more than 26,000. While among the Khasi dailies, Mawphor with a claimed circulation of about 53,000 dominates the market while other dailies of note are Daily, Rupang Daily and U Nongsain Hima.
The scene in Nagaland and Tripura
Nagaland has eight newspapers, six of them being English dailies — The Nagaland Post, Eastern Mirror, The Morung Express, Nagaland Page, The North East Times and The Naga Banner.
The Nagaland Post was the first daily in Nagaland in English beginning publication in December 1990. Today, The Nagaland Post, claiming a circulation of more than 70,000, not only covers the whole of Nagaland, but also reaches Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya, and enjoys high circulation in these states.
Most of the newspapers published from the state of Tripura are in Bengali
and they are the real opinion-builders in the state, rather than the English newspapers that hold sway in the other states of the North East. Ajker Fariad in Bengali is the leading daily in Tripura.
The future?
It is difficult to predict what the future has in store for the newspapers from the region. However, the media scenario in the North East has a
positive outlook with foreseeable growth in the future. With a number of new dailies coming up in the region and most of the established dailies reporting increase in circulations, the newspaper industry looks to be in a good shape. With ever increasing literacy rates in the region, it can be said that the only way for the newspapers from the region seems to
be up.
