Kumudam (Magazine)
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: குமுதம்
Kumudam (1947) is a popular Weekly Magazine in Tamil, coming out from Chennai. Kumudam Group published many other magazines including Kumudam Reporter, Kumudam Theeranathi, Kumudam Snegithi, Kumudam Bakthi, Kumudam Jothidam, Kumudam Health Special and Malaimathi.
History
Kumudam Magazine was started in 1947 by S.A.B. Annamalai with Dr. M. Azhagappa Chettiar as honorary editor. In Thirty years, it was the third best-selling weekly magazine in India (Malayala Manorama, next to Rani weekly) and sold six lakh copies. S.A.B. Annamalai was its editor in chief and P.V. Varadarajan was publisher. When Kumudam Magazine became a limited company, one hundred percent shares were owned by S.A.B. Annamalai and his wife Kothai Achi.
Supplemental Magazines
Kalkandu, with Tamilvanan as its editor, emerged from the management of Kumudam magazine. Then different magazines came out,
- Malaimathi (Monthly Novel)
- Kumudam Reporter (Investigative Magazine)
- Kumudam Snegithi (Women's Magazine)
- Kumudam Bakthi (Astrology Magazine)
- Kumudam Health (Medical Magazine)
- Theeranathi (Literary Magazine)
Editors
Kumudam magazine's editor in chief S.A.B. Annamalai was a writer. With him Ra.Ki. Rangarajan, J.R. Sundaresan, Punithan were also part of the editorial board. They are said to be responsible for the success of Kumudam magazine. All three of them wrote in Kumudam magazine under different names. Later Sujatha, Malan, Priya Kalyanaraman asumed were editors of the magazine.
Kumudam's Uniqueness
There are many reasons given for the success of Kumudam magazine's sales.
- The popular magazines of that time like Kalaimagal, Kalki and Ananda Vikatan presented the Brahmin culture first and foremost. This is because the readers and writers were primarily Brahmins. Although Kumudam had Brahmins writing, it was conducted without the semblance of Brahmin culture. Hence it gained support from the educated and rising non-Brahmin communities of India after independence.
- Kalaimagal, Ananda Vikatan and Kalki confined themselves as family journals and restricted content on sexuality. Kumudam was consistently subtly transgressing the boundaries of sexual expression of the day. So it attracted younger readers.
- Kumudam formed itself through reactions. So it followed cinema very closely. It has adopted a style of presenting everything else using cinema along with messages about cinema. For example, when Kanchi Chandrasekhara Saraswati announced a Pidiyarisi thittam, the announcement was accompanied by a picture of the star of the day, Chaukar Janaki providing rice (Pidiyarisi).
Kumudam's Serials
After Kalki, Kumutham is the most successful weekly magazine that used serials.
- Chandilyan wrote a serial called Kannimadam. Later when Mannan Magal came out it received wider welcome. In continuation of it lengthy serials like Kadalpura, Yavanarani, Rajamuthirai, Rajathilagam, Jalatheebam, Raja Perigai came out in Kumudam. They brought huge readership to Kumudam.
- Ra.Ki. Rangarajan translated Henry Sharrier's Papillon novel and published it under the name Pattamboochi in Kumudam. It became one of the very liked serial.
- Mu. Karunanidhi's serial Romapuri Pandiyan was one of the famous serials.
- Sujatha made his Kumudam debut in August 1968 with the novel Nylon Kayiru. His Anitha Ilam Manaivi is his second successful serial. He continued to write detective stories in Kumudam. They were well received by the readers.
Kumudam's Columns
Kumudam's Columns are very famous.
Columns written by Kumudam's Editors
- Lights On - Vinoth (Cinema news written by Ra.Ki. Rangarajan)
- Arasu Bathilgal - Question & Answer section wrote by S.A.B.
- KisuKisu (Gossips about Cinema)
Columns written by Guests
- Variyar Virundhu
- Thirumbi Parkiren - Jeyakanthan
Debates
Kumdam Magazine was continuously creating various debates. Debates were generated depending on news about actors and politicians.
The primary controversy was the violent protest by caste unions in 1980 when Sujatha wrote a serial titled 'Sivappu Karuppu Veluppu' in the Kumudam magazine against the backdrop of the Sippoy riots, which they felt denigrated the Nadar caste. Sujata apologized and the serial got stopped. He wrote the novel under the name 'Ratham Ore Niram' without caste references.
Conflicts about Rights
Kumudam was started with the investment of S.A.B. Annamalai. It was held as a limited company. Managing Director S.A.B. Annamalai and his wife Kothai Achi were 100 percent shareholders. P.V. Parthasarathy is the publisher secretary of this company.
In 1994 when S.A.B. Annamalai passed away, his shares went to his son Javahar Palaniappan. Kothai Achi became Managing Director. P.V. Parthasarathy and his son P. Varadarajan looked after the day-to-day operations of the company. They were given 33.39 percent shares as per the will of late S.A.B. Annamalai. S.A.B. Annamalai and Parthasarathy were close friends. Both of them worked together for the development of Kumudam Company. Because of that connection, 33.9 percent shares were given to the Parthasarathy family. Javahar Palaniappan is a doctor in America. So in 2008, he handed over the Managing Director position to P. Varadarajan.
In 2010, Jawahar Palaniappan filed a complaint against P. Varadarajan in the police department, alleging that he had taken over the company by defrauding the company's funds and shares. P. Varadarajan argued that Javahar Palaniappan, an American citizen, cannot hold shares in Kumudam. The case lengthened several ways. Finally in June 2020 the National Company Law Tribunal has ruled that Jawahar Palaniappan owns the management of Kumudam[1].
