Journalism is my life

PERSON OF THE MONTH

JAAFAR ABDUL RAHIM, SISWA MAGAZINE, JUNE 1979 Translated from Bahasa Malaysia

In our homeland, Mr. Murugu Subramanian is no stranger to the world of Tamil journalism. He became the Chief Editor of the Tamil Nesan daily newspaper from 1962 until his retirement in 1976. With his dedication, the circulation of Tamil Nesan, which was only 5,000 copies in 1962, increased to 15,000 copies in 1976. This is not surprising considering his long experience in journalism before working with Tamil Nesan.

He said he tried his best to expand the spirit of reading among Indians. Because his love for journalism is so deep, he doesn't want to part with the field even after retirement. He wants to try the magazine field as well. With a strong desire, he published his own monthly magazine, Puthiya Samudhayam (New Society), as a family read.

His dream of entering the field of journalism began when he was in school. At 16, while studying at St. Joseph College, Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu, India, he was already the editor of his college magazine, Tamil Youth. Tamil Youth was handwritten in 10 copies. It published study articles, short stories, and poems. He gave the magazine to his friends and presented it to his village library in Konapet, South India.

He dropped out of college at 17 due to an illness. After four years of unemployment, at 21, this young man, born in Konapet, South India, got a job as a sub-editor with the weekly newspaper Kumaran (Youth). He was tasked with writing social articles, short stories, and poems. At that time, he was a sub-editor at Kumaran (Teenager) under his editor, Mr. Murugappan. His salary was $40 per month. Kumaran was distributed in South India. During two years with Kumaran (1945-46), he saved money and married Miss Valliamai. He quit Kumaran and partnered with Mr Periyallan to publish a 64-page monthly magazine, Ponni (Golden River), in Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu. His salary was $100 a month. His duties as an editor included selecting, rewriting, editing, sending articles for typesetting, reading proofs, checking magazine layouts, and even film checking and plate making.

"I not only read proofs but also did the work because I wanted to gain experience in journalism and printing; that's why I wasn't ashamed to do that work," said Mr Murugu. Mr Murugu was indeed satisfied when he saw Ponni published as a result of his own sweat. Ponni, which published articles on literature, social issues, politics, short stories, and poems, became the most popular Tamil magazine in South India. In 1947, when Mr. Murugu worked with Ponni, the monthly circulation, which was only 4,000 copies, increased to 7,000 copies in 1953. However, misfortune befell him, not because Ponni didn't sell, but "I lost almost 100,000 rupees because advertisements were not paid, and newspaper agents also didn't pay," said Mr Murugu while resting his chin, reminiscing about his fate. "I stopped publishing it in 1953, and I looked for another job," he continued.

EMIGRATION

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"I was determined to emigrate to Malaya because my friend said there were many job opportunities there," said Mr Murugu. In 1953, Mr. Murugu emigrated to Malaya and worked as a sub-editor with the Tamil Nesan daily newspaper in Kuala Lumpur. He lived on Jalan Chow Kit with his friend, paying $80 monthly for food and rental. His salary was $180/- per month.

Besides editing news, his duties at Tamil Nesan were translating foreign news and articles from English into Tamil. To supplement his income, he wrote articles on current affairs in the Sunday edition of Tamil Nesan. At that time, he wrote many short stories, poems, and political articles. At that time, the Chief Editor of Tamil Nesan, Mr. Venkaterajulu, saw that Mr. Murugu had potential as a sound editor and a good writer. Due to a shortage of reporters, Mr. Venkaterajulu assigned Mr. Murugu to write news reports for the newspaper.

"I was like a headless chicken, going here and there, attending press conferences, interviewing figures like you are interviewing me (we both laughed), and following important people wherever they went to write news," said Mr. Murugu. "During the day, I edited articles and wrote news, and at night, I wrote short stories or articles," he continued.

In short, he was always busy day and night. However, he never complained or regretted being a journalist because he loved his job. For him, the busier, the better, as time was well-spent with benefits. He was 29 years old then, and being a journalist matured his experience. He felt he had given everything for the progress and interests of Tamil Nesan.

He also thought he should be rewarded for his hard work. "I asked for a $20/- raise per month, but it was rejected," he said. He was disappointed and quit his job. Mr Murugu then moved to Singapore and worked with the Tamil Murasu newspaper. His salary was $300 a month. He edited news and translated articles from English into Tamil as an editor. He also wrote personal articles. This daily tabloid also published an additional insert for Children called Manimunandam (The Children's Club). Mr. Murugu handled this section every weekday. Tamil Murasu was well-received by the Indian community in Singapore, especially with children, due to the special insert.

Due to his diligence, he was promoted to newspaper's Assistant Editor. This new position allowed him to learn how to be a leader in a newspaper company. Every day, he assigned his seven reporters to cover the news. He edited news and wrote editorials. In addition, he made rough layouts for the newspaper. Under the Chief Editor, Mr. Sarangapani, he learned a lot about journalism and newspaper publishing. He began to feel his life was secure and brought his wife to live in Singapore. Tamil Murasu became increasingly popular under his guidance. During his seven years of service with Tamil Murasu, the dream of publishing his magazine resurfaced. However, he held back his dream because he needed more capital.

However, luck was on his side. He received an offer to become the Chief Editor of Tamil Nesan, with a salary of $450 a month. Encouraged by his friends and the public, he accepted the offer.

1962, Mr. Murugu's reputation in the Tamil press of Singapore and Malaya grew. He was offered the position of Chief Editor at Tamil Nesan in Kuala Lumpur after the previous editor, Mr. K.C. Arun, resigned to work for the government. Mr. Murugu accepted the position with a monthly salary of $650. His duties included overseeing twelve reporters and editors, leading the publishing efforts, coordinating newspaper policies, writing editorials, managing the editorial board, and handling daily administrative tasks. Despite the heavy workload, he fulfilled his responsibilities with dedication.

INCREASED CIRCULATION

When he took over as Chief Editor, Tamil Nesan had a circulation of only 5,000 copies. One of his tasks was to increase the newspaper's circulation. He thought of many ways, including equipping reporters and improving the quality of his editors. He sent his reporters to train at the Malaysian Press Institute in Kuala Lumpur and encouraged them to write articles that would attract readers' interest. He wanted all his reporters to truly understand the problems of Malaysian society, especially in channelling the challenges of Indians through writing. Mr. Murugu also wants Indians to learn Bahasa Malaysia. He provides a "Learn Bahasa Malaysia" column in the Sunday edition of Tamil Nesan. This column has been well received by Indian readers. He also gives satisfactory rewards for work in his newspaper.

"I want to make Tamil Nesan a must-read for every Indian in our country. I want them to criticize my newspaper so I can learn my weaknesses. It's not easy to increase circulation if the news and articles are not good, stale, and not interesting to people," Mr Murugu recounted his determination. I try my best to satisfy the readers' tastes," he continued.

During his time at Tamil Nesan, Mr. Murugu had the opportunity to attend the Afro-Asian Conference of Non-Aligned Countries in Algeria in 1964, the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation Peace Conference (1965), and Tun Razak's delegation to Beijing in May 1974. In recognition of his services to the country, Mr Murugu was awarded the Ahli Mangku Negara (AMN) medal in 1968 and the Setia Mahkota Selangor (SMS) in 1976.

Mr Murugu is also active in writers' associations. He was once the president of the Tamil Writers Association and held meetings with the National Writers Association (GAPENA) to discuss the role of Tamil literature in Malaysian literature. He feels it is time for Tamil literature to be accepted as National literature.

Mr. Murugu saved capital to achieve his dream of publishing a magazine after retirement. He retired in 1976, and his dream was realized by publishing Puthiya Samudhayam (New Society) magazine in March 1977. Puthiya Somadhayam, a 48-page magazine priced at 80 cents, now reaches a circulation of 10,000 copies per month. Its content is about family matters, children, and a literary section. "This may be the highlight of my life as a journalist. I cannot be separated from the world of journalism. I will remain with it until the end of my life," said Mr. Murugu earnestly.

According to him, he is interested in the field of communication because journalism is very suitable for his soul. Being a journalist, he says, allows someone to interact with all levels of society, from leaders to beggars; therefore, journalists know more about society's problems than others. It is this experience that attracts and sharpens one's view of life. One of his five children followed in his footsteps. Pandian S., his son, was once a reporter for the Halal Muhibah magazine, then became a reporter at Radio Malaysia, and is now pursuing a Creative and Descriptive Writing Course at the University of Malaya.

Mr Murugu said that those who want to become journalists must be willing to work hard and be resilient regardless of time. "I believe that to be a good journalist, not only must we work hard, but we must also have a great interest in the field," said Mr. Murugu earnestly."