Kohima Press Club: 25 Years of Unflinching Commitment

From humble beginnings to a permanent home, the KPC continues to inspire Nagaland's media fraternity while championing press freedom and journalist welfare

- OKENJEET SANDHAM

From the era of typewriters and telegrams to mobile phones and digital media, the Kohima Press Club (KPC) has been at the heart of Nagaland's journalistic evolution. Formed in 2001, it has witnessed the transformation of communication technology, political upheavals, and the resilience of the media fraternity. As it prepares to celebrate its Silver Jubilee on 20 January 2026, the KPC's journey stands as a tribute to unity, perseverance, and an unflinching commitment to press freedom.

It feels like yesterday when journalists in Kohima came together to form the KPC. Some were from national dailies and magazines, others from regional or local newspapers, and a few were editors. All united to strengthen Nagaland's journalist fraternity.

At the time, the Internet was new to the State, and email was barely used. Journalists relied on typewriters, sending reports by telegram and later fax. Portable typewriters were carried to the telegraph office opposite the Post Office, Kohima, where stories were typed and faxed to newspapers.

Mobile telephony arrived around 2003-2004. During his visit on 27 October 2003, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee launched BSNL's CellOne service in Kohima. Flanked by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Governor Shyamal Datta, he made the inaugural call to Union Communications Minister Arun Shourie in New Delhi. Vajpayee humbly admitted his unfamiliarity with mobile technology but emphasized its power to connect people and remove distances. Shourie quipped, "That makes two of us," praising Nagaland's youth as pillars of strength for the Northeast. The launch made Kohima the third state capital in the region with mobile connectivity, and Rio expressed joy at this long-awaited development.