Kathmandu, May 6
The nation’s first newspaper, Gorkhapatra
daily, has entered its 125th year, making it one of the longest
surviving newspapers not only in Nepal but also in the South Asian region.
During one-and-a-quarter centuries lifetime, this Nepali vernacular newspaper
has become a symbol of sustainability and evolution.
It has witnessed and chronicled Nepal’s
socio-political and economic transformations, including the Rana regime,
Panchayat era, democracy and the republic governance system. Meanwhile, it also
played an important role in nurturing Nepali journalism.
The Gorkhapatra weekly became bi-weekly in
1932 and tri-weekly in 1944, and finally matured into a daily on 16 February
1961 (4 Falgun 2017 BS). There were a couple of magazines published from Nepal
before Gorkhapatra was launched but they were more of literary nature.
The first weekly issue
had eight pages, and on the front page, it carried its objective to serve the
public by disseminating news and information and acting as a bridge between the
‘subjects’ and the ‘rulers’.
It was published as a weekly newspaper on 6
May 1901 (24 Baisakh 1958 BS) in the initiation of the then Prime Minister Dev
Shumsher and editorial leadership of Pundit Naradev Pandey.
Dev Shumsher had issued a ‘Sanad’ (order)
in the name of Pundit Pandey, which had the dos and don’ts for the editors and
the newspapers. Some of the articles in the Sanad are still relevant for modern
day journalism.
Later on 16 December 1965 (1 Poush 2022
BS), Gorkhapatra daily was joined by its sister publication in English – The
Rising Nepal daily which was the first broadsheet daily in English in Nepal.
This was followed by Madhupark – literary monthly, Yuva Manch – youth
monthly, Muna – children's monthly,
gorkhapatraonline.com and risingnepaldaily.com.
Similarly, it introduced digital archives
and e-paper service in 2012. Earlier, The Rising Nepal had created its digital
presence in the late 1990s.
Published by Gorkhapatra Corporation, the
Gorkhapatra daily is a successful example of state-run media in the region as
well. It remained synonymous with newspapers in Nepal for more than a century.
To make it more pro-people media, the
Corporation began publishing multilingual content in 2007, which now has
expanded to 43 different languages of various Nepali ethnicities and
communities.
This move of publishing content even in the
languages of minority groups has exhibited the government’s and the publication
house’s responsibility to society and contributed to the preservation of those
languages.
Although this newspaper was a government
mouthpiece during the Rana regime and Panchayat era, it immensely contributed
to the creation of journalists, editors, writers and critics. It was considered
as the standard for Nepali language in writing.
Over the years, Gorkhapatra has become one
of the most inclusive media of the country with the coverage of events and
issues from all corners of the country and bringing the challenges of people
from the remotest areas in front of the government and policymakers.
Gorkhapatra was also
the first newspaper that published a news photo. On 25 April 1927, it carried a
photo of Surya Mati Shresthani, which featured her weaving cloth using a
spinning wheel.
It reflects the adage that the daily
carries with its masthead: ‘May
all be happy, may all be healthy. May all be well, may no one be in sorrow.’
Recognising
Gorkhapatra’s contribution to Nepali media and journalism, the government has
declared the Baisakh 24 in Nepali calendar a National Journalism Day.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 May 2025.
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