Dainik Jagran

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Lore & Background

Dainik Jagran was first established in Jhansi, a district town in the United Provinces (later Uttar Pradesh), by Puran Chandra Gupta in 1942. Prior to this, Gupta had worked as the managing editor of a local magazine (1939–1942). Shortly after its launch, publication was suspended during the Quit India Movement of 1942. In 1946, Gupta decided to launch in Lucknow but, learning that National Herald and Pioneer were launching Hindi editions Navjeevan and Swatantra Bharat there, diverted machinery to Kanpur and launched on 21 September 1947. The newspaper took a slightly right-wing line from its inception, reflecting the beliefs of its founder. Early financial problems forced Gupta to borrow from family, cut editorial costs by relying on syndicates and free submissions from political players, and constantly visit metropolitan cities to sell advertisement space. His younger brother P. D. Gupta launched the Rewa edition in 1953 and the Bhopal edition in 1956 in Madhya Pradesh. By the mid-1950s, Gupta started making pitches for advertisements and advertising the newspaper itself. In the 1956 edition of The Indian Press Year Book, the newspaper was advertised as The Daily Jagran and claimed a circulation of 21,000 copies covering Uttar Pradesh and Vindhya Pradesh. Gupta registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India, joined the Audit Bureau of Circulation and the Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society (IENS), becoming an executive member by 1960, and inducted his six sons into management while they were still in school.

Reader's Guide

Dainik Jagran's expansion began with the Gorakhpur edition in 1975, bringing it into direct conflict with the newspaper Aj. The Kanpur edition had reached a limit in its regional market, and Gorakhpur was being covered by the Varanasi-based Aj. Aj responded by launching its own Kanpur edition in April 1975, just two months before the imposition of Emergency rule. During the Emergency, fights broke out on the streets of Kanpur between men hired by the two newspapers, who used batons and improvised firearms against each other for control over offices, territory and distribution. Hawkers gained significant influence, forcing commission rate negotiations; initially Aj was charged 20% and Jagran 30%, but hawkers forced Aj to increase its rate over Jagran. The conflict ended when the two newspapers joined hands against the hawkers and pushed the commission rate back down to a fixed 30%. By 1977, the number of newspapers selling more than 100,000 copies had risen to over 10 from three before the Emergency; Dainik Jagran and Aj were both among the new newspapers to join the 100,000+ club. In 1979, Jagran launched editions in Lucknow and Allahabad (the latter shifted to Varanasi in 1981), then Meerut in 1984, Agra in 1986, and Bareilly in 1989. In 1989–90, Navbharat Times discontinued all editions except Bombay and Delhi after an eight-month shutdown in Lucknow and Patna, allowing Jagran to rapidly increase circulation in the Lucknow region. In December 1995, Dainik Jagran published a story claiming Mayawati had an illegitimate 12-year-old daughter, based on an interview with a disgruntled party member, and called her a 'chamarin', a derogatory slur for Dalit women. The story caused resentment among Dalits and the BSP; supporters demonstrated around the newspaper's office in Lucknow, blockading it for a day, with reports of violence and the author threatened. It was condemned as sensationalist journalism by critics including Press Council chairman Judge P. B. Sawant and Jansatta editor-in-chief Prabash Joshi. Staff at the newspaper strongly rejected charges but were apologetic about the story; owner and editor-in-chief Narendra Mohan responded with an editorial defending the newspaper.

Did You Know?

• Dainik Jagran was first established in Jhansi in 1942, but publication was suspended during the Quit India Movement that same year.
• The newspaper launched in Kanpur on 21 September 1947 after Gupta diverted machinery from Lucknow upon learning that National Herald and Pioneer were launching Hindi editions there.
• In 1995, Dainik Jagran published a story claiming Mayawati had an illegitimate 12-year-old daughter and used the derogatory slur 'chamarin', sparking protests and a day-long blockade of its Lucknow office.
• During the Emergency (1975–1977), fights broke out on Kanpur streets between men hired by Dainik Jagran and rival newspaper Aj, using batons and improvised firearms.
• In 1989–90, Navbharat Times discontinued all editions except Bombay and Delhi after an eight-month shutdown, allowing Dainik Jagran to rapidly increase circulation in the Lucknow region.