This is Kesari!! The roar of Nationalism!!!

I reach you and your family as a friend, week upon week without fail, bearing articles that delight and inspire the young and the old alike.

Wouldn’t you like to hear my story? Here it is.

In the aftermath of Gandhiji’s assassination, the RSS was hounded and vilified. There was no medium that could be used to clear the doubts and rumours. It was to vindicate the RSS that ‘Panchajanya’ in Hindi and ‘Vivek’ in Marathi were started.

Inspired by Sri Sankar Sashtri, Pracharak from Nagpur, the need was felt for a similar voice in Malayalam. Thus was formed my soul.

Thursday, November 27th, 1951when the redoubtable Sri P. Parameshwaran,   back from prayers at the Thali temple, Kozhikode, sat down and wrote the first editorial at a desk in the Sangh’s Karyalaya (office).

That was my first statement to the world, published in a four page leaflet, on the strength of a capital of a mere Rs.13 collected painstakingly over a period of months.

Sri. K.P. Gopalakrishnan Nair was the Founder Editor. He and Sri. Sankar Sashtri along with several others took charge of my publicity and distribution. Preparing me for publication and distribution was viewed upon as a sacred duty by the ‘Swayamsevaks’. Many of them are not in this world today, to see me grow, as they once dreamt .

People like Sri. R. Venugopal, Sri. Sadhusheelan Parameshwaran Pillai (Swami Parameshwaraananda) Sri. M.A Krishnan and Sri T. R. Somashekaran have served as my Chief Editors, in the various stages of my growth. Sri. P.K Sukumaran, who recently retired, had also contributed yeoman’s service to my growth. Their contributions to make me the sixteen page weekly that I am today, from the four paged leaflet that I was on birth, are priceless.

My service during the Angadippuram Talikshetra Samaram, Malappuram Zilla Viruddha Samaram, and during the “Emergency” are marked in history.

Sri. M.A Krishnan improved my content & outlook by introducing new features and columns which Keralites welcomed wholeheartedly. I showcased Sri T. Sukumaran’s ‘Rasikkatha Sathyangal’ based on the torture & suffering which the Hindus underwent during “The Partition”.

My pages were blessed with the works of some of the Kings of Malayalam Literature like Sri. C. N. Srikandan Nair, Sri. Aymanam Achuthan Pillai, Sri. Puthezhathu Rama Menon and Sri. Kutty Krishna Marar. The 1971 yearly edition of Kesari, which includes the “Nilayude Ithihaasam” remains a handbook of Kerala Culture, for all time. Thought-provoking and inspiring writings like that of the unparalleled

Sri. P.V.K Nedungadi gave a new vigour to my readers.

The police taped my mouth for three months during “The Emergency”, but the intervention of veteran freedom fighters Sri. K.P. Kesava Menon and Sri. V.M. Korath finally paidoff and the ban was lifted, and Ii continued to expose the bare truths, evading the arms of the censors. I turned twenty five during these eventful days. I was presented with a new home, “Swasthi Disha” which I can call my own, on December 1st 2001, to commemorate my fiftieth birthday.

I remember with gratitude Sri. M. Raghavan, who served a long period as my manager and worked selflessly for my well-being, and who is now no more.

Sri. R. Sanjayan is the present Chief Editor. There are some fifteen people working in the editorial and management sections today.

As a publication, my rise and my growth stand testimonial to Malayalam, the language in which I am published. And in every step of my growth lakhs of readers are with me.