Published on Mar 26, 2018
Punjab Kesari
Sunil Sharma, Himachal; Harish Sharma, Sr. Business Executive, Chandigarh; Rajendra Kumar, Aslam S

Published on Mar 26, 2018
Punjab Kesari
Sunil Sharma, Himachal; Harish Sharma, Sr. Business Executive, Chandigarh; Rajendra Kumar, Aslam Siddiqui, Bureau Chief, Delhi, Punjab Kesari
Making a beginning with a print run of just 3500 copies in 1965, Punjab Kesari has come a long way, now selling 743,000 copies a day. With simultaneous editions published from Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Palampur, Panipat, Hissar, Jammu, Bathinda, Rohtak and Shimla, the Hindi daily is undoubdetly one of the most influential vernacular paper of this region. It may have a daunting reputation, but when Pushp Sharma met two of its officials it did not take much effort for him to discover they were equally eager to secure business.
At the outset, the journalist made his agenda clear to Sunil Sharma. He wants to polarize the electorate in Punjab through his newspaper? Do they have a digital platform to promote speeches of firebrand Hindutva leaders? Sunil without batting an eyelid says: ''Digital hai Sir (Yes we have a digital [platform]).'' And it is cheaper, he adds. But tell me then, asks the journalist, if your management will not cut short our Hindutva agenda as they may have a deal with Akalis. ''Aisa kuch nahi hai (No, that is not the case).'' It is means your paper will fulfill its commitment with me? Reassures Sunil with a rider: ''Bilkar Sir. Haan beech mein agar wo bhi chhapna chahte hain kuch toh hum usko bhi nahi rokenge (Sure Sir. Yes, if they [Akalis] want our newspaper to publish something we will not stop them, either).''