>Neils51 at 10:45, 23 May 2021

2021-05-23T10:45:04Z

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{{short description|Liquor businessman and newspaper publisher}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kanekal Nettakallappa Guruswamy
| image =
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| birth_date = 1901
| birth_place = [[Bangalore]]
| death_date = 1990
| death_place = Bangalore
| nationality = Indian
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| occupation = Publisher, businessman
| employer =
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| notable works =
| partner =
| children = {{plainlist}}
* [[K. A. Nettakallappa]] (adopted son)
{{endplainlist}}
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}}

'''K. N. Guruswamy''' or '''Kanekal Nettakallappa Guruswamy''' (1901–1990) was a liquor businessman and newspaper publisher from [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]].

==Founder==
He founded The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited, the company that publishes ''[[Deccan Herald]]'', ''[[Prajavani]]'', ''[[Sudha (magazine)|Sudha]]'' and ''[[Mayura (Kannada Magazine)|Mayura]]'' in 1948.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Daga|first1=Sweta|title=The Printers Mysore - Legacy|url=https://printersmysore.com/Legacy|website=printersmysore.com|publisher=The Printers Mysore|accessdate=16 April 2018}}</ref>
==[[Deccan Herald]] and [[Prajavani]]==
[[Deccan Herald]] was launched on June 17, 1948. According to Gautham Machaiah,<ref name="History">{{Cite web|date=2018-06-16|title=#70YearsofDH: The story...|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/sunday-herald/sh-top-stories/dh-70-story-675206.html|access-date=2020-09-23|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref> its owners purchased a dance club -- Funnel's owned by an Irish couple. The intention was of starting a movie theatre (there were already two other theatres on either side -- Plaza and Liberty) but then opted for a newspaper, despite having "zero experience in journalism or print business".<ref name="History" /> Soon after this, a Kannada-language daily [[Prajavani]] was also launched.

==Businessman of Ballari (Bellary)==
Founder K.N. Guruswamy (1901-1990) was the eldest son of a prominent businessman of Ballari ([[Bellary]]), who later shifted to Bangalore, and the family belonged to the [[Ediga]] community, which was traditionally involved in toddy tapping.
They won excise contracts and expanded their business across (then known as Mysore, now Karnataka). Bangalore was then under the Mysore kingdom, ruled by the Wodeyers, and lacked an English newspaper in those times. The then Diwan of Mysore, Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliar, is believed to have been instrumental in convincing Guruswamy to start an English-language daily and he launched the firm The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltd.<ref name="History" /> Justice P P Medappa, later the state's chief justice, suggested the name ''Deccan Herald''.<ref name="History" />
==Media investments==
Of the Rs 500,000 capital, some 75% came from Guruswamy. Other shareholders were K. Venkataswamy, Moola Rangappa, M K Swamy and Dondusa, according to Machaiah. He documents the challenges of getting it started. ''Deccan Herald'' was initially launched as an eight-page tabloid paper, priced at one ''anna''. It later became a broadsheet.
''Deccan Herald'' launched a sister daily in Kannada, called ''Prajavani''. T. S. Ramachandra Rao was its first editor. It has played a prominent role in the world of Kannada newspaper journalism. Subsequent publications launched by the group include lifestyle magazine ''Sudha'' (initiated in 1965 and edited by E.R. Sethuram) and the literary magazine ''Mayura'', launched in 1968.<ref name="History" />
Only in 1956, eight years after launch, was the newspaper able to break even. Earlier, Guruswamy had to depend on bank loans and selling all but three of the 35 buildings he had purchased from proceeds of his excise business. Guruswamy moved out of from the liquor business by 1986.
==Other enterprises and initiatives==
Among the other links online are the K.N. Guruswamy and Company,<ref>{{Cite web|title=K N GURUSWAMY AND COMPANY PRIVATE LIMITED|url=https://cleartax.in/f/company/k-n-guruswamy-and-company-private-limited/U51909KA1970PTC001887|access-date=2020-09-25|website=cleartax.in|language=en}}</ref> incorporated in Karnataka in 1970 with an authorised capital of Rs 20 lakh (two million rupees).The K.N.Guruswamy Memorial Trophy, for horse-racing in Bengaluru, has been covered on online racing channels.<ref>{{Cite web|last=IndiaRaceDot Com|date=Sep 25, 2020|title=The K. N. Guruswamy Memorial Trophy|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1ez0CUItrI|url-status=live|website=YouTube}}</ref> The K.N.Guruswamy Educational and Charitable Trust is also present.<ref>{{Cite web|title=K.N.GURUSWAMY EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE TRUST GST Number 29AAATK1078J1ZE|url=https://findgst.in/gst/29AAATK1078J1ZE|access-date=2020-09-25|website=findgst.in}}</ref> The Ashram School<ref>{{Cite web|title=History|url=https://deccan.edu.in/history/|access-date=2020-09-25|website=DIS|language=en-US}}</ref> was started by K.N.Guruswamy.

==Philanthropy==
The 2012-launched Nettakallappa Aquatic Centre (NAC) -- named after his heir and nephew -- is currently (as of September 2020) managed by the K. N. Guruswamy Educational & Charitable Trust, which focuses on education and sports.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Children get the opportunity to make new friends & take part in fun while Learning to swim.|url=http://www.nac.org.in/|access-date=2020-09-25|website=www.nac.org.in|language=en-US}}</ref> This centre is based at the Uttarahalli Main Road, in [[Padmanabhanagar]], [[Bengaluru]] 61. Nettakallappa supported sporting associations including those related to badminton, mountaineering and athletics during the early days of sports in Karnataka.

==Family and heirs==
Guruswamy, being without an heir, adopted his brother K.N. Anjanappa's son K.A. Nettakallappa, who became a well-known journalist but died young at the age of 47. Nettakallappa and ''Prajavani'' editor Ramachandra Rao are credited with playing a pioneering role in founding the Press Club of Bangalore.<ref name="History" />
Nettakallappa's sons -- K.N. Hari Kumar, K.N. Tilak Kumar, and K.N. Shanth Kumar -- have been at the helm of the publications.<ref name="History" /> The publications adopt a policy of "objectivity, integrity, impartiality and truth flying high". Its tagline currently (2019) is "The Power of Good."<ref name="History" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guruswamy, K. N.}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian newspaper publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Bangalore]]

{{India-business-bio-stub}}

K. N. Guruswamy - Revision history

>Neils51 at 10:45, 23 May 2021