MAM
‘Malayala Manorama’ beats ‘ABP’ to claim 10th spot: NRS 2005
MUMBAI: The NRS 2005 findings that were revealed earlier this year had not included the Malayalam publications due to some technical problems. In the second set of findings, however, these publications have been included.
Post that, Malayala Manorama has entered the Top 10 dailies in the country at the 10th position with a readership of 7,985,000.
The entry of Malayala Manorama in the Top 10 dailies list means that Ananda Bazar Patrika with a readership of 7,210,000, which stood in the 10th spot in the earlier NRS 2005 listings, has been ousted from the Top 10 list.
Top 10 Dailies Urban + Rural
NRS 2002 (15+)
NRS 2003 (12+)
NRS 2005 (12+)
Publication
Rank
Reader
ship
Rank
Reader
ship
Rank
Reader
ship
Dainik Jagran
2
12670
2
14982
1
21244
Dainik Bhaskar
1
13163
1
15709
2
17379
Eenadu
5
9277
4
9458
3
11350
Hindustan
9
6385
7
7899
4
10557
Amar Ujala
8
6431
6
8640
5
10469
Daily Thanti
4
9354
3
10094
6
9445
Lokmat
6
7840
8
7867
7
8820
Rajasthan Patrika
15
5432
11
7353
8
8651
Times Of India
12
5665
10
7419
9
8092
Malayala Manorama
3
10032
5
8798
10
7985
(Readership figures in ‘000s)
In the Top 10 magazines list, Vanitha with a readership of 3,832,000 has entered at the ninth spot and pushed off Meri Saheli from the Top 10 list.
On the other hand, Malayala Manorama with a readership of 2,947,000 entered at the 10th spot in the Top 10 magazines listings, thus pushing off Ananda Viketan from that slot.
Top 10 Magazines Urban + Rural
NRS 2002 (15+)
NRS 2003 (12+)
NRS 2005 (12+)
Publication
Rank
Reader
ship
Rank
Reader
ship
Rank
Reader
ship
India Today (H)
4
5127
2
5900
1
10717
Saras Salil (H)
1
10608
1
9385
2
10561
India Today (E)
3
5658
7
4194
3
6295
Kungumum
40
1527
81
765
4
5600
Kumudam
7
4464
15
2887
5
4675
Sarita
18
3078
11
3423
6
4191
Grihashobha (H)
2
6050
4
5414
7
4121
Swati SVP
11
3581
19
2467
8
3959
Vanitha-(Mal)
8
4149
3
5514
9
3832
Malayala Manorama
5
4805
5
5406
10
2947
(Readership figures in ‘000s)
NRS stated that given the changes in methodology in NRS 2005, comparisons with the past need to be treated with caution on two accounts:
a) In earlier NRS rounds, towns below 100,000 population in a socio-cultural regions (SCR) were selected randomly based on parallel processing system. The same process was followed while selecting villages.
Thus, some districts may not have been selected, since that was not the focus of the sampling strategy. For any given publication, the pick-up of readership in the districts that were covered was attributed to the entire SCR (implicitly, to all districts of the SCR), even though this may not been the reality.
b) To estimate the readership, this sample was projected to the entire SCR, even though the sizes and profiles of the population of each district may have been different.
In the NRS 2005, both kinds of error have been corrected. To give a flavour of the difference in coverage, shown below are the number of districts that were not covered in NRS 2002 (after accounting for the new districts recognized in Census 2001):
Urban (below 100,000 population): 77
Rural (above 5000 population): 200
Rural (between 2000-5000 population): 143
Rural (below 2000 population): 38
The NRS 2005 survey has overcome this gap in coverage, so much so that all town classes and all village classes in 536 districts have been covered.
Also read:
NRS 2005 takes firm stand on C&S numbers
NRS 2005: ‘Jagran’ topples ‘Bhaskar’ to claim top slot
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
