The Hindu

National voice with southern accent

The Hindu holds the distinction of being one of the few major news shops operated by a single family of journalists (the Kasturi family) for more than a century. From humble beginnings in Madras in 1878, it now ranks among the world’s leading journals. With a circulation topping 1.4 million, The Hindu is the fastest growing English-language newspaper in India.

The Hindu’s traditional stronghold is the Dravidian south, and the paper has been described as a "national voice with a southern accent.” While rival Times of India dominates the west and north, both are national papers of record, equally influential in Delhi. Together, their impact is vast: between them they sell roughly five million copies daily, in an unusual market where the audience for printed newspapers is expanding. 

The paper’s Delhi bureau produces comprehensive political, economic and defense dispatches, carrying frequent reports from all state capitals, reporting more news from states other than its own, and more than most Indian newspapers. 

S. Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, The Hindu's lawyer, bought the paper in 1905 and became editor and publisher. His descendants continue to run Kasturi & Sons, also known as The Hindu Group, publishing The Hindu and other notable titles, including the investigative biweekly Frontline. Except for a period of about two years when Siddarth Varadarajan was editor, senior positions have always been held by Iyengar descendants (Varadarajan went on to cofound and edit The Wire, an influential news and commentary site).

Among notable heads of the paper, G. Kasturi ran The Hindu from 1965 to 1991, Narasimhan (“N.”) Ravi from 1991 to 2003, and Narasimhan (“N.”) Ram, from 2003 to 2011. N. Ram, who was also chairman of The Hindu Group from 2013-20, edited both The Hindu and Frontline during his time at the organization.

The Hindu Group also publishes The Hindu BusinessLine and Sportstar and became the first publisher in India to create a newspaper website (1995). The company’s online presence, with website, mobile app, and e-paper, is robust. 

The Hindu wrote extensively about two government weapons deal scandals, one in 1989, and one in 2018, and were challenged and pressured by the Central government as a result. In the Bofors Scandal, The Hindu journalist Chitra Subramaniam investigated and found that arms manufacturer Bofors AB of Sweden paid approximately USD $8 million in kickbacks to Indian officials. This coverage around the time of the 1989 elections brought defeat to Rajiv Gandhi and the ruling Indian National Congress Party. Swedish officials were also implicated. 

More recently, India signed a multi-billion dollar agreement in 2016 for the acquisition of 36 aircraft from French manufacturer Dassault Rafale following clearance from the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security. The agreement, according to The Hindu, provided for many components superior to those provided under previous deals with Rafale. The weaponry included advanced technologies such as air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground cruise missiles. Indian courts eventually alleged corruption and favoritism between Rafale and the Indian government, specifically unauthorized price escalation and unfair selection of manufacturing partners.  

India’s Supreme Court dismissed requests in 2019 for investigations of the purchase, but in 2021 France decided to appoint one of their own courts to investigate the possible corruption. 

In the aftermath of the story published in The Hindu, Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal alleged the Rafale documents were stolen from the Ministry of Defence and threatened to charge The Hindu under the Official Secrets Act.  Editor N. Ram denied stealing or paying for them, saying they were published in the public interest. "There is nothing to worry about. What we published is legitimate and we stand by it," Ram told Reuters. He noted that other newspapers also published the controversy, and that the paper is protected under the constitution’s freedom of the press and freedom of expression articles. [Note: Those found guilty of violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act can face imprisonment of up to 14 years. The law has been used to jail journalists, and is opposed by rights groups as violating the right to free speech.]

In Ram’s opinion, India ranks poorly in free speech and called the BJP government “authoritarian.” 

Over the years, the paper has won accolades and awards. N. Ram himself has received many honors, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (1989); the Asian Investigative Journalist of the Year Award from the Press Foundation of Asia (1990); the Padma Bhushan (for journalism), 1990; XLRI’s First JRD Tata Award for Business Ethics (2002); and Sri Lanka Ratna, Sri Lanka’s highest National Honor conferred on non-nationals (2005).

The Hindu Group took the top prize at WAN-IFRA’s Best in Print Asia Awards 2023 and captured four awards at WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2022. The Hindu e-paper won gold for ‘Best ePaper.’