Political parties need to have ideologies and a way to spread and propagate them to the public and their followers. Marmik was Balasaheb Thackeray’s brilliant idea that came to life on 13th August 1960 after quitting his job at Free Press Journal as a cartoonist. Shiv Sena was founded in the year 1966 and it always used Marmik, a weekly magazine to communicate with people. In 1988, Balasaheb Thackeray proposed that Shiv Sena should have a daily and started thinking about a good name. Long meetings were held by Balasaheb every day in order to finalise the name and structure of a daily newspaper. Many suggested unique and different names, but those names did not seem appropriate to Balasaheb. One day he came up with a name too common but his explanation and the feeling for that name seemed too special. The name was ‘Samana’ which gave an apt recognition to his ideology.”
Balasaheb immediately sent Subhash Desai to Delhi in order to register the name ‘Samana.’ And he realised at the newspaper registration office that the name Samana was already registered by someone named Vasant Kanade, who lived in Barshi-Solapur in Maharashtra. It was necessary to contact him to procure that name. While on tour to Tuljapur, Desai halted at the rest house and through a Shiv Sainik sent a message to Vasant Kanade for a meeting. This invitation made Vasant Kanade happy. He met Desai and agreed to give away his name very happily. Later Vasant Kanade visited Matoshree with his wife and met Balasaheb Thackeray after giving permission for the name ‘Samana’. Balasaheb asked him what he wanted in return, but his only request was that his news and articles should be published in ‘Samana’. It was a point when Balasaheb could have given him anything he asked for but such were people who loved Balasaheb immensely and wanted to be a part of his work in whatever way they could.
Vasant Kanade was originally from Madha Taluka of Solapur district. He did journalism from Madha and Barshi talukas. He had a good relationship with Kurduvadi Shiv Sena leader Prakash Gore. It was because of him that the Shiv Sena chief could trace Kanade and the name ‘Samna’ was handed over. Vasant Kande used to move continuously in Solapur district for stories and was a dedicated journalist, though he could only manage a weekly. His political newsletters were popular. His articles were published in many newspapers like Saamna, Kesari, and Loksatta. He used to have a problem with political leaders and was very open to bashing them and writing about them without any fear. He had a special fondness for former Chief Minister and Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. Vasant Kanade published the first issue of the weekly Samana on 10 October 1975 and the inaugural issue was released by the then Minister of State for Youth Welfare of Maharashtra, Sushil Kumar Shinde. In the very first issue, Editor Kanade honoured Sushil Kumar Shinde, Sahkar Maharshi Shankarao Mohite Patil, Solapur District Congress Committee President Namdevrao Jagtap and former MLA Baburao Patil for their work. Vasant Kanade passed away in 2002 but he will be remembered for giving Balasaheb an identity of Saamna that he owned.
The first issue of Samana was published on the night of 23 January 1989. The first day’s print order was 1,50,000. In the first week, the Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb used to sit in the Samna office for two-three hours daily, hold meetings and give instructions. Printing of Samana used to be done in Jayant Salgaonkar’s ‘Kal Nirnaya’ press for about one and a half years. The Shiv Sena continued to be criticized due to the special Samna-style writing of the articles written against wrong happenings and injustice. It also made attacks on journalists and newspaper offices. Some liked the aggressive language, while others felt it was rude. Balasaheb used his newspaper as a window to his mind and to fight for the rights of Hindus. The Samana provided a connection to many of the Sainiks who did not have daily access to him. The periodical served as a gateway for many party officials who held influential positions both inside and outside the Shiv Sena to learn fresh and emerging views from their leader-editor. They might miss something if they skip the morning date with it.
Remembering what Manohar Joshi, the one who benefited politically the most from the party, remarked shortly after Balasaheb’s passing would help you better understand the significance of this. He had claimed on a television news programme that there were no deliberations in the Sena and that whatever Balasaheb Thackeray said was virtually always the party’s choice or position. The day the vision appeared, it was magnified. The editorial would be picked up by news organisations, who would then present it as Bal Thackeray’s perspective, which it was, and the news television networks would follow suit. The Sena and its supremo would publish articles the next day in other printed news outlets.
The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) publishes their Krushival from Alibag, as do other parties. Vilasrao Deshmukh’s Latur-based Ekmat, Kamal Kishore Kadam’s Lokpatra, and the Darda family’s Lokmat are well-known examples of people who operating or running their own publications with the purpose to advance their own politics. With a wide readership, the Sakal should be beneficial to the Pawars as well. These are also alleged to have some perceptions of bias in their reporting, but with the Danik Samana, the news reporting was objective on public issues, such as a civic issue, a government policy, or a proclamation, and only a comment may subsequently follow. However, using adjectives in a piece about a party event would be strictly prohibited by proper journalism.
All of this was accomplished from his house. Following the 1989 launch, he may have visited the offices once or twice for an anniversary or so as he got older but Balasaheb would have the newspaper read to him with action items noted: a call to an MP, MLA, corporator, or Shakhapramukh to follow up on a news piece for a corrective. He did this with other newspapers as well, but he insisted that the scoreboard for significant cricket matches be carried in its entirety. Till he was alive, Samna was the real Samna. News Channels were eager to know what Balasaheb’s viewpoint was on a certain happening or an event. The newspaper was the talk of the town because it had the golden touch of the Hindu Hruday Samrat. Growth is what we all look forward to. From a weekly, Balasaheb got Saamna to a known regional daily and the only newspaper that was shown on News Channels. But after him, we can only see deterioration. It has now become a revenge blog. It is majorly used to defame, abuse and backlash people for personal issues and rivalries.
Dainik Saamna, one known for its stand on national and state issues is now known for its constant brutal abuse of women, elders, stalwarts, personal revenge and settling scores of the current executive editor. Uddhav Thackeray did not understand how a prominent informational property he possessed had been turned into a daily hate slam book. This is a lesson for all political entities. Building something up is easier than maintaining it and nurturing it further. If you give up on your core ideology, you lose your total identity. Today Samana faces an identity crisis. The people Balasaheb hated are sharing the stage with Uddhav Thackeray due to the wrong influences of vicious people around him. The paper that wrote volumes about atrocities and wrongdoings of Congress is now printing material praising the same Congress. The man Balasaheb kept away from his functioning, Sharad Pawar, is the new mentor of Uddhav Thackeray. Samna is no more a window to Blasaheb’s ideology. What is happening is an act of revenge that someone we all know is taking on Balasaheb, his family and the entire Hindu fraternity that was craving to be of help to their leader in whatever way possible. If Balasaheb is watching the Maha Aghadi union from up above, he would be grieving for his trusted people being instrumental in killing his ideology which was the basic foundation of his entire life. He would never have thought that his priced mouthpiece one day will turn into a filthy revenge-taking blog. Sticking to your roots, ideology and your essence is the prime element responsible for success in politics and public service. Whoever disrupts the foundation gets uprooted.
