The Musalman Daily – The Only Handwritten Newspaper in The World

“The Musalman Daily”, is one of the oldest Urdu-language daily newspaper published from Chennai in India, and is probably the only one in the world that is still being handwritten. This four-page evening paper has managed to retain the old school look despite the availability of modern printing technology. “The Musalman Daily” has been around for the past 82 years since it’s inception in 1927 by founder Syed Azmathullah.

All four pages of the newspaper are handwritten by calligraphers, before being mass-produced with a printing press. The calligraphers, known as katibs, work in a little corner of a 800 sq. ft. one-room office. It takes three hours using a pen, ink and ruler to transform a sheet of paper into news and art. They don't have many facilities — only two wall fans, three bulbs and a tube light. Only last year did the editorl had a computer and a printer installed in his office so advertisers could email ads.