Greater Kashmir

Greater Kashmir is the leading English language newspaper printed daily from Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The newspaper started Publication in the 1987 as a weekly newspaper. At that time the only English newspaper that was considered as important force was The Kashmir Times, which was published from Jammu.

Greater Kashmir was the first English language Newspaper from Kashmir which was owned by a Kashmiri Muslim. In the late late 1980s the press in Kashmir was dominated by Kashmiri pandits, who were educationally much ahead than the Muslims. However, following the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley following the militancy, the participation of Kashmiri Muslims in the press increased dramatically.

The newspaper became a daily in 1993, and since then has emerged as the leading English language newspaper in the Kashmir valley. This position remained un-challenged till recently when New English language newspapers were started in the valley.

The department of Mass Communication and Journalism of Kashmir university provided the man power of this newspaper. This was unprecedented. English Journalism was domain of Kashmiri Pandits, and the Urdu press had very few professional journalists. But Greater Kashmir set a new trend in the valley of Kashmir. Fresh journalism graduates form spent sleepless nights at this newspaper to make it a success. It was like a joint dream. However, the paper went through some very rough moments in the initial stages when it was banned by some groups. The state government stopped issuing advertisements, and political parties used their owns means of coercing and gaging it. Paper received many threats, but due to sheer dedication of a core group of people lead by its editor Fayaz Kaloo, Greater Kashmir survived this tubulent period.

Greater Kashmir started at the most appropriate time in contemporary Kashmir. At a time when Kashmir was hitting international headlines and a new, bold and vibrant Kashmiri identity was emerging from the wrecks of political inertia Kashmir had seen for decades, Greater Kashmir reflected the good, bad and ugly shades of these aspirations.

At the same time a new generation of English reading people emerged on the scene who were rooted in local tradition but had an internationalist outlook....to be continued (FM)