Ayman at 19:53, 2 April 2026

2026-04-02T19:53:07Z

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{{Short description|Indian writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Abdussalam Puthige (A.S. Puthige)
| image = Asp photo 3.jpg
| caption = Abdussalam Puthige
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 2 April 1964
| birth_place = [[Ganjimutt]], [[Dakshina Kannada]] district, [[Karnataka]]
| occupation = Journalist, Author, Translator, Media Trainer
| nationality = Indian
| citizenship = [[India]]n
| education =
| alma_mater = SDM Law College, Mangalore
| period =
| genre = Present
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks = Towards Performing Da'wah <ref name="auto1">https://web.archive.org/web/20100919004345/http://al-atiqe.com/more_info.php?id=00175</ref>
Kannada Translation of the Quran,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://127.0.0.1:3000/|title=ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಕುರ್‌ಆನ್ ಅನುವಾದ|website=127.0.0.1}}</ref>
English Translation of [[Allama Iqbal]]'s Shikwa & Jawab Shikwa({{ISBN|9789670957005}})
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| relatives =
| awards = Transparency International Award 2009
| signature =
| website = {{URL|https://abdussalamputhige.com/}}<br />{{URL|http://vbnewsonline.com/home/}}<br />
{{URL|http://qurankannada.com}}
| portaldisp =
|language = [[Urdu]], [[Kannada]], [[English language|English]], [[Beary]], [[Tulu language|Tulu]]}}

'''Abdussalam Puthige''' (born 2 April 1964) is the editor-in-chief and the managing director of ''Varthabharathi'', a Kannada daily newspaper published from Karnataka, India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bharati |first=Vartha |title=Vartha Bharati - ವಾರ್ತಾ ಭಾರತಿ {{!}} The alternative Kannada Media House. |url=https://www.varthabharati.in/ |access-date=2026-03-23 |website=Vartha Bharati |language=kn}}</ref> The first issue of ''Vartha Bharati'' was released on 29 August 2003 from Mangalore. The newspaper presently publishes four print editions from Mangalore, Bengaluru, Shivamogga and the recently launched Kalyana Karnataka edition.<ref> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gix12kGJQos</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Abdussalam Puthige was born in Ganjimutt near Mangalore, Karnataka, to Marhoom Maulana E. M. Shafi and Marhoom Ruqiya Hasan. He studied history at the University of Madras and obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Rights from the Indian Institute of Human Rights, New Delhi. He later studied law at SDM Law College, Mangalore.

== Career ==
Puthige is a prominent figure in Indian journalism, literature and translation. His journey into the world of media commenced with his commitment to social justice. He has been Director of Madhyama Kendra (Media Centre), Bengaluru, since 1996.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Muslim Kannadiga | date=16 August 2008 | url=https://twocircles.net/2008aug15/muslim_kannadiga.html }}</ref> Madhyama Kendra is a media-oriented institution that imparts training in journalism and conducts critical studies on Media and Mass Communication.

In 2003, he co-founded ''Vartha Bharati'' along with like-minded colleagues. Under his leadership, the newspaper evolved from a regional daily into a widely recognised media organisation with print editions from Mangalore, Shivamogga and Bengaluru.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}} The newspaper has often been described as a significant platform of alternative journalism in Kannada, and is particularly noted for the meaningful attention it gives to the challenges faced by weaker and deprived sections of society, focusing on issues that are usually ignored by many popular media houses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.varthabharati.in/|title=Vartha Bharati - ವಾರ್ತಾ ಭಾರತಿ | The alternative Kannada Media House.|first=Vartha|last=Bharati|website=Vartha Bharati}}</ref><ref name="auto">https://epaper.varthabharati.in/</ref> Its simple language, analytical editorials, investigative reports and commentaries are widely circulated and appreciated in Kannada literary and intellectual circles.<ref name="auto"/>

Puthige guided the newspaper’s expansion into online media, making active use of platforms such as Facebook,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/varthabharati/|title=Vartha Bharati|website=www.facebook.com}}</ref> YouTube<ref>https://www.youtube.com/@VarthaBharaNews/videos</ref> and Instagram<ref>{{cite web | title=Instagram | url=https://www.instagram.com/varthabharati/ }}</ref> to reach wider audiences. ''Vartha Bharati'' today operates a popular Kannada news portal and an English news portal, in addition to a prominent Kannada YouTube news channel. The organisation maintains among the highest audience engagement rates on Facebook and Instagram for Kannada newspapers.<ref>{{cite web | title=About Us | url=https://www.varthabharati.in/about-us }}</ref>

Puthige is the managing trustee of the Community Media Trust (CMT), Mangalore, which owns ''Vartha Bharati'', and is managing director of Samvahana Campaigns Pvt Ltd and Madhyama Communications Ltd. He is also a member of the Press Club, Bengaluru, and a member of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission.

== Works ==
Puthige has authored, translated and edited several works, reflecting his long association with marginalised communities and social journalism. His most noted contribution is his Kannada translation of the Qur’an, '''''Kannadadalli Qur’an Anuvada''''' (2012), released at Dharmasthala by Dr Veerendra Heggade.<ref>{{cite web | title=People should respect all religions, says Heggade | work=The Hindu | date=2 September 2012 | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/people-should-respect-all-religions-says-heggade/article3850393.ece }}</ref> The translation has undergone multiple editions; the third edition was published in Dubai by the Department of Islamic Affairs and inaugurated by MK Lokesh, then Ambassador of India to the UAE.<ref>{{cite web | title=A New Translation of Quran in Kannada - | date=15 June 2013 | url=https://islamicvoice.com/national-news-and-affairs/a-new-translation-of-quran-in-kannada/ }}</ref> The translation is available online and through the Android application '''Quran in Kannada'''.<ref>{{cite web | title=Quran in Kannada - Google Play ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪ್ಲಿಕೇಶನ್‌ಗಳು | url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nzymic.kquran&hl=kn }}</ref> A mobile application with audio and text in Arabic and Kannada, published by Madhyama Prakashana in 2020 remains one of the most downloaded Kannada Qur’an apps on Google Play. Goodword, a reputed publishing house, has also published a pocket-sized edition of the translation.<ref>{{cite web | title=Kannada Quran - TR. Abdussalam Puthige | url=https://www.goodwordbooks.com/products/kannada-quran-tr-abdussalam-puthige }}</ref>

His influential work, ''Towards Performing Da’wah'' (1997), was published in Leicester, United Kingdom, by the International Council for Islamic Information (ICII).<ref name="auto1"/> He has annotated English translations of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s works including ''The Complaint and the Answer'' (''Shikwa aur Jawab-e-Shikwa'', 2016)<ref>{{cite book | last1=Iqbal | first1=Muhammad | title=Shikwa and Jawab Shikwa: The Complaint and the Answer: Human Grievance and the Divine Response | date=4 August 2020 | publisher=Other Press | isbn=978-967-0957-00-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2-8jwEACAAJ }}</ref> and ''The Devil’s Advisory Council'' (''Iblees ki Majlis-e-Shura'', 2016), published by Islamic Book Trust in association with The Other Press, Malaysia <ref>{{cite book | last1=Iqbal | first1=Muhammad | title=Iblees Ki Majlis-E-Shoora: The Devils Advisory Council | date=2 October 2020 | publisher=Other Press | isbn=978-967-0957-15-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_o__zQEACAAJ }}</ref>

== Prominent Awards and recognition ==
* '''Transparency International Award''' (2009), for journalistic ethics and integrity<ref>{{cite web | title=Vartha Bharathi awarded by Transparency International | date=26 March 2009 | url=https://www.twocircles.net/2009mar26/vartha_bharathi_awarded_transparency_international.html }}</ref>
* '''Sandesha Media Award''' (2024), Sandesha Foundation, Mangalore<ref>{{cite web | title=Prof. Viveka Rai, Abdussalam Puthige, Valerian Quadras among 7 selected for Sandesha Awards | url=https://english.varthabharati.in/india/prof-viveka-rai-valerian-quadras-abdussalam-puthige-among-7-selected-for-sandesha-awards }}</ref>
* '''Karnataka Media Academy Lifetime Achievement Award''' (2024)<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-03-02 |title=VB’s Editor-in-Chief Abdussalam Puthige, A.C. Shivanna receive Lifetime Achievement Award |url=https://english.varthabharati.in/karnataka/vbs-editor-in-chef-abdussalam-puthige-ac-shivanna-receive-lifetime-achievement-award |work=Vartha Barati}}</ref>
* '''ST PAULS National Media Awards – Excellence in Digital Journalism''' (2025)<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-03-13 |title=ST PAULS National Media Awards 2025 to Honour Excellence in Journalism and Communication |url=https://citytoday.media/2025/03/13/st-pauls-national-media-awards-2025-to-honour-excellence-in-journalism-and-communication/ |work=City Today News}}</ref>

== Public presence ==
Puthige is known as an orator in Kannada, English and Urdu, and has delivered lectures at universities and institutions in India and abroad. He participated in person at the 16th Session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 30 November and 1 December 2023.

He is regarded as an influential media figure in Karnataka, particularly noted for promoting alternative journalism rooted in social justice and representation of marginalised groups.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.varthabharati.in/ Vartha Bharati - ವಾರ್ತಾ ಭಾರತಿ | The alternative Kannada Media House.]
* [https://english.varthabharati.in/ Vartha Bharathi]
* [https://www.youtube.com/@VarthaBharaNews/videos]

== See also ==
* Vartha Bharati

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puthige, Abdussalam}}
[[Category:Indian journalists]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Abdussalam Puthige - Revision history

Ayman at 19:53, 2 April 2026