Malayala Manorama Chief Editor K M Mathew passes away

Kottayam, Aug 1 (PTI) K M Mathew, Chief Editor of
Malayala Manorama daily and a doyen of Indian media industry,
passed away at his residence in south India on Sunday morning,
family sources said. He was 93.
Mathew was a former Chairman of Press Trust of India.
He is survived by three sons, Mammen Mathew, Philip
Mathew and Jacob Mathew and daughter Thankam. His wife Annamma
Mathew had predeceased him. His funeral will take place at the
Puthenpally Church cemetery in the Kerala town on Monday.
Mathew had played a key role in making Malayala Manorama
one of the major Indian language dailies after he took over
the reins of the media house a few decades ago.
Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and United
Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi called up the
bereaved family and conveyed their condolences.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni
recalled Mathew's contribution towards development journalism
and said he was a pioneer for the development of language
media in India.
Chairman of PTI Board of Directors, Vijay Kumar Chopra,
paid tributes to Mathew, recalling his services to the Indian
media and to PTI in particular.
"He was a visionary who left a mark on the Indian media
industry. His contribution to the growth of PTI was also
significant," Chopra said.
Kerala state Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, leaders of
political parties and people from different walks of life also
expressed profound grief at the passing away of Mathew.
A recipient of Padma Bhushan, India's third highest
civilian honour, and several other coveted honours, Mathew
steered Malayala Manorama to grow into a major media house in
the country as the flagship daily became a multi-edition
newspaper.
The group is bringing out as many as 46 publications,
including the English weekly 'The Week'.
Mathew, born on January 2, 1917, is the son of K C Mammen
Mappilai, a pioneer of Malayalam journalism, and Kunjannamma.
He became Managing Editor of Malayala Manorama in 1954
and Chief Editor in 1973.
Mathew's memoirs,""Ettamathe Mothiram", published a few
years ago, was highly appreciated for its literary and
historical value.
He had also penned a moving memoir on his wife Annamma,
who died a few years ago.
His sons Mammen Mathew is the Editor of Malayala
Manorama, Philip Mathew its Managing Editor and Jacob Mathew
the Executive Editor. PTI