Today, on January 1, 2014, Daily Excelsior enters 50th year of its service to the nation and the State. Looking in retrospect, it has been a journey full of daunting challenges and exciting achievements. This half century, Excelsior stood mirror to the march of history.
It was on January 1, 1965 that the doyen of journalism, Late S.D Rohmetra started a modest weekly tabloid Excelsior in Jammu. About a decade a later, response from readership prompted the visionary journalist to convert tabloid into a daily newspaper that covered regional, national and international events and also served the taste of various segments of society.
Today we are stepping into Golden Jubilee year of Daily Excelsior. With the passage of years, it has grown into the largest circulated English daily newspaper in the State. There is hardly a household, where Daily Excelsior does not find its way.
Credit for the Daily Excelsior achieving spectacular popularity and acceptance goes without doubt to general readership and its hardworking staff; but more importantly to the golden principles of committed service to public laid down by its visionary founder. Adherence to universally accepted journalistic code in all circumstances has been the hallmark of its popularity.
It was the discerning eye of the founder that made the selection of a team of highly professional and dedicated staffers for the newspaper, work in complete unison and with singularity of purpose.
In terms of infrastructure and logistics, Daily Excelsior is on its path to become a State of Art Newspaper in North India. Our Internet edition launched under the stewardship of its late founder, has been receiving nearly 6 lakh hits from across the globe on daily basis. With most modern printing machine in place, we have reached the capability of printing 24 pages.
Daily Excelsior endeared itself to the clientele for courageously raising public issues and voicing concerns of the people at large. Constructive criticism or critical analysis of policies, perceptions and paradigms is not the end of our journalistic culture: Daily Excelsior lays emphasis on constructive, suggestive and innovative approach to a myriad of issues that it is required to handle day in and day out. It gives wide space to opinions, views and reactions of the literati so as to cater to the requirements of all sections of society.
One important aspect on which Daily Excelsior will never compromise is the issues of public interest. In censuring Government agencies, public undertakings, corporate houses, private entrepreneurs, politicians individuals or sections of society for aberrations, myopia or shortcomings, the purpose is not to be vicious and vengeful. The purpose is to project concerns of the masses, whose voice otherwise is lost in the din.
The past of the Daily Excelsior fills us with satisfaction that we never faltered in raising our voice in support of truth and never remained complacent with what did not go in the larger interests of the people of the State.
Past two decades have been of exceptional stress on the organs of the state. Armed insurgency and religious intolerance looked with eyeball to eyeball stance. Worthwhile to mention that Excelsior chief photographer, Ashok Sodhi gained martyrdom, while covering an encounter between militants and security agencies in May, 2008. We shall continue to provide financial support to his wife for the rest of her life, as was committed by Founder Editor.
As the Fourth Estate, the Daily Excelsior reacted to many unsavoury events with caution and care, mindful of the fact that secular democratic dispensation of our nation, coming under threat as it did, needed to be insulated against violence and radicalism. We played our role with utmost concern and fairness.
This experience prompts us to accelerate our effort in strengthening and solidifying secular democratic philosophy as the matrix of Indian polity. It is a key to the success and strength of Indian nation. Daily Excelsior will continue contributing stoutly to nationalist aspirations and ideals that serve as real roadmap to development and success of India and the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
In conclusion, a word must be said about the vision of Late S.D. Rohmetra in building a team of dedicated professionals, who have carried the torch even when the guiding force is no more there. It is difficult to fill the vacuum created by sudden departure of the visionary founder of Daily Excelsior. But the redeeming factor is that the team of professionals, he had built carried forward the task with rare sense of dedication and commitment.
Excelsior Team invokes good will and support of its readers, so that we are able to keep them abreast with the latest happenings in and around the State before anybody else can do so. As the Daily Excelsior is the voice of the people, it will give maximum space to the news and views related to the people. We fervently pray and hope for continued harmonious relationship between Excelsior Team and the valuable readers. Together, in unison we have more heights to scale and more laurels to win.
-Kamal & Neeraj
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