A commemorative postage stamp on the 75^th Anniversary of The Hindustan Times, an Indian English-language daily newspaper :

Issued by India

Issued on Dec 16, 1999

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue this commemorative stamp on the occasion of the 75^th anniversary of The Hindustan Times.

Design : The stamp and first day cover designs seek to immortalize historic events in the country’s history through coverage of headlines for the date.

Credits :
Stamp & First Day Cover : The Hindustan Times
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Stamp, Mint Condition

Colour : Multi Colour

Denomination : 1500 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper in Sheets 50.8 x 53.5 cms.

Stamps Printed : 1 Million

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• The Hindustan Times, one of the premier newspaper of the country, was started as an evening daily in Delhi in 1924. The first issue inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi and carrying articles by Motilal Nehru, Muhammed Ali Jinnah and Jawaharlal Nehru was launched on September 24, 1924. In 1925, ownership of the newspaper passed on to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
  
• Because of its patriotic leaning, the newspaper, many times came close to incurring the imperialist wrath of the British. In 1930, publication was closed in protest against the draconian anti-press law in the wake of the Salt Satyagraha. The following year, when the authorities ordered the press to blackout some of the fiery speeches of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Hindustan Times set up a make shift press and got a collection of those speeches printed and arranged the despatch of thousands of copies to all parts of the country. A confrontation with the British establishment ensued and the newspaper was forced to furnish huge securities to rein in its nationalist zeal.
  
• Just when bankruptcy appeared imminent, G.D. Birla, pioneer and visionary stepped in. He went on to nurture the newspaper into a great institution attracting the finest editorial and managerial talent. In an era when long editorials and text-of-speech reporting were in vogue, The Hindustan Times ventured into short editorials, reporting a wide range of events and carried news on the front page with bold headlines.
  
• The efforts of a succession of brilliant editors made it impossible for the British rulers and the educated elite to ignore it. The paper also became a nursery of varied journalistic talent.
  
• After independence, the newspaper extended full-fledged support for nation building and the government’s efforts for growth and development. Standing for democracy, free enterprise and liberal values, The Hindustan Times acquired a reputation for fairness among the readers. In the early seventies The Hindustan Times introduced a unique social experiment titled “our village Chhatera”. The project took over development activities of a village, such as the setting up of school, health clinic and income-generating activities. This display of social commitment earned kudos for the newspaper from both national and international institutions.
  
• Over the years, The Hindustan Times has adapted itself to the technological changes in the mass media. It has acquired modern printing equipment and achieved total computerisation of the process of printing and news gathering. With attractive colour pull-outs and informative feature pages embellishing the main paper, The Hindustan Times has succeeded in catering to the changing tastes of its readers.

Related posts:

Swatantra Bharat 150 Years of Newspapers in Assam Indulal Kanaiyalal Yagnik Arati Gupta (Saha) Dr. T. M. A. Pai A. B. Walawalkar