Manorama School of Communication, Kottayam
KM Mathew (1917-2010), acclaimed for his journalism with a human touch, was not content with taking Malayala Manorama to the very pinnacle of regional language journalism in India or launching a string of publications, each of which was a runaway success. Nor did he rest on his laurels when he made his successful foray into English journalism with The Week which went on to become the country's best-selling newsmagazine. Even as he pursued journalism that was bold and sound on ethics, winning awards and setting trends, at the back of his mind was always a long-cherished dream that he often shared with family and friends: to set up a journalism school of world class. He wanted journalism to be taught the way it should be: with a hands-on and no-nonsense approach and without frills and hype. His dream was to mould handpicked students into well-rounded journalists with quality training. This dream finally turned into a reality in 2002 when he set up the Manorama School of Communication (MASCOM) which quickly established itself as a premier journalism training centre in the country..
The vision of KM Mathew included taking journalism education to people, much the same way he took journalism itself to people with grit and determination, winning readers and their hearts. He was not inclined to set up the journalism school of his dreams in a metro- or megapolis and perpetuate media training as the exclusive privilege of the urban elite. He found no better place for the school than Kottayam, a small but vibrant town in central Kerala enjoying distinct advantages. To begin with, Kottayam is the base of his group’s flagship Malayala Manorama, India’s largest regional newspaper which now has a print run of two million copies a day. This would also help students use Manorama's impressive infrastructure when needed. And, being a hub of media, literature and culture in its own right, Kottayam provides an excellent backdrop for serious journalism training.
