Dainik Jugasankha has stepped into its 63rd year and is still marching ahead. But the long voyage has not been a cakewalk. It had to encounter many odds. But despite all these odds this premier Bengali daily is carrying forward the rich legacy left behind by the founder editor of Jugasankha Bartabhagirath Baidyanath Nath.

A brief history:

Dainik Jugasankha was born on December 13, 1950. Initially it hit the stands as a weekly paper under the tutelage of Bartabhagirath Baidyanath Nath. Bartabhagirath was not only a visionary journalist but he was also a freedom fighter as well. In fact he was a multifaceted character. Basically Bartabhagirath was a teacher and he entered into journalism with an aim to provide the local denizens an alternative to Basumati and Yugantar which used to come all the way from Kolkata. Being a freedom fighter he came out with his weekly with an aim to be a part of the nation building process as the country just attained independence from the yoke of the colonial empire. However, destiny had some other plans. Bartabhagirath had to bid adieu at the age of 62-years. He left for heavenly abode on May 15, 1970. But prior to his death he made his son Bijoy Krishna Nath as the editor of his fledgling weekly Jugasankha. At that point of time Bijoy Krishna Nath too alike his father had to encounter many stumbling blocks. There was even a time when Jugasankha used to hit the stands after a gap of one day due to its poor financial health. As the saying goes, Where there is a will there is a way, turned out to be absolutely true in the life of Bijoy Krishna Nath. Finally the weekly took the shape of a daily broadsheet and Dainik Jugasankha began its Guwahati edition in the year 1982.

Beginning of a new dawn:

In 1989 fire engulfed the Jugasankha office in Guwahati. It devastated not only the hopes and aspirations of all those who saw the daily being born in front of their eyes. But as the saying goes Nothing can stand before a determined will, a new dawn did reach the doorsteps of Jugasankha family. In 1995 the daily was given a new look. It will be apt to term this phase as New Spring in the life of Dainik Jugasankha. Silchar a tiny town which falls under the ambit of South Assam was the first to witness the impact of the New Spring. Sankha Group of Publications imbibed new technology to keep pace with time and for the first time in Barak Valley a daily was published through offset printing technology. It was something unthinkable at that point of time. A thorough professional look was also given to the group. Noted poet and litterateur of Barak Valley Atin Das who earned a niche for himself in the literary circle here in Barak Valley was appointed as the Editor of Dainik Jugasankha. Prior to Atin Das this post was held by the proprietor of Sankha Group of Publications Bijoy Krishna Nath. Atin Das held the post till 2005 as in that very year he handed over the reins of Dainik Jugasankha to renowned academic Santanu Ghose. He though being a professor of English had a tryst with journalism since a long period of time. He remained in the editors chair till February 1, 2012. He then handed over the reins to young journalist of the valley Arijit Aditya who also has seen many shades of journalism in his long and fruitful career. Prior becoming the editor of the largest circulated daily in Northeast; Arijit Aditya also worked in the capacity of a News Editor, of Jugasankha.

Editions of Dainik Jugasankha and its reach:

In the year 2006 Dainik Jugasankha started publishing from Dibrugarh apart from Guwahati and Silchar. It is now even being read by readers living in Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Dhubri, Tezpur, Mangaldoi, Nalbari, Naogaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The dailys internet edition is also being read by the people across the globe.

Publicity on the rise:

Dainik Jugasankha is the largest circulated daily in the entire Northeast. Well the facts and figures will itself stand testimony to the claims of Dainik Jugasankha. The Audit Bureau of Circulation has recognized the publicity of the Bengali daily. At Silchar itself 73, 244 copies are being published regularly.

English versions of Sankha Group of Publications:

Eastern Chronicle, Manipur Chronicle and The Mizoram Post are the English dailies that are published under the aegis of the Sankha Group. The Mizoram Post born in 2002 happens to be the largest circulated daily in Mizoram. Manipur Chronicle though at its infant stage is the first English daily that is hitting the stands in Imphal East. Eastern Chronicle born in 2009 is a national daily and is being published simultaneously from Silchar, Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh and New Delhi. In fact Eastern Chronicle is the first English daily from the Eastern India which is being published from the national capital.

Other Hallmarks of Sankha Group:

The group also awards many journalists cutting across various dailies. The group also awards eminent litterateurs of Barak Valley. Recently one more category has been inducted as the group has started awarding the best investigative reporter and this year the award has been bagged by Dainik Jugasankhas Subir Dutta. It also has a book publishing house Hema Prabha Prakashani which serves as a platform of the eminent litterateurs of Barak Valley. As a part of its corporate social responsibility the group tries to offer its helping hand to those who are in distress. This is being organized by Baidyanath Nath Memorial Trust. Recently the publication house has also taken a new decision whereby every year it will be organizing May 15 the death anniversary of Bartabhagirath as Readers Day. The group is also planning to come up with Dainik Jugasankhas Kolkata edition very soon and is determined to serve as a torch bearer of the society as it is representing the Fourth Estate of democracy.