NEW YORK: An iconic ethnic Indian newspaper in the US that catered to the Indian diaspora for the last 50 years has announced that it will cease the print edition from March 30 due to pre-existing troubles in the publishing industry worsened by the cancellation of advertisements amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
Suresh Venkatachari, chairman and a publisher of 'India Abroad', a weekly newspaper, announced its decision to cease the print edition. Founded by Indian-American publisher Gopal Raju in 1970, 'India Abroad' rose to great heights of popularity by focusing on Indian news meant for expatriate audience. In 2001, Raju sold the publication to Rediff.com. In late 2016, Rediff.com sold its venture to 8K Miles Media Inc.
"Dear readers, I regret to inform you that India Abroad will cease its print publication at the end of March 2020. The last issue of India Abroad will be dated March 30," Venkatachari said. "For the thousands of readers for whom India Abroad has been an integral part of their Indian-American journey, the close of the publication maybe heart-rending, but hardly surprising, given the reversal of fortunes of print publications in the United States and across the world," he said.
Venkatachari said people expressed fears to touch physical copies of newspapers, magazines and journals on newsstands and those delivered to them, which may have gone through several contacts, and the post office also indicating that it will give priority only for the delivery of letters. It led to the possibility that publications may be delayed or may not even reach subscribers and added to the woes of publishing houses reeling from the cancellation of advertisements, he said.
"As the curtain comes town, it is only fitting to remember the founder and editor Gopal Raju, who built India Abroad into an institution that has a special place in the history of Indians in America," he said.
