The Musalman: The world’s only ‘hand-written’ newspaper turns 91

CHENNAI: The Musalman, the oldest Urdu language daily and possibly the only world’s last hand-written newspaper turns 91.

In the age of internet technology, digital printing and 24-hour news channels, the staff at the computer-less office of ‘The Musalman’ at 324 Triplicane High Road in Chennai flawlessly write the headlines every day.

The Musalman was founded in 1927,  by Syed Azmathullah, Arifullah’s grandfather, because “he felt there was no voice for Muslims and there should be one.”

Syed Arifullah, in his mid-30s took on the editorship in 2008, after his father Syed Fazlullah passed away aged 76, after a lung infection.

Made up of four crafted pages, selected by Arifullah himself, the newspaper caters to its audience through 21,000 copies daily. The paper, which is delivered to subscribers located all across India, is also available on newsstands and sells at 75 paise.

The Musalman are not limited to Muslims but many readers were non-Muslims too because they know the Urdu language.

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