Hanif Puttur is regarded as the pioneer of video journalism within the Beary community. He commenced his career with New Mangalore Channel (NMC) as a TV news reporter in 1998 and swiftly rose to the roles of Video Editor and Videographer by 1999. Noticing the dearth of Kannada news channels apart from Udaya TV; NMC, under the leadership of Rohit Raj, gained immense popularity as a local channel in Mangalore. Their news segment aired daily at 7:30 PM on the Wizard graphics Network, with Manohar Prasad as the news anchor for City Cable TV News.
In 1998, Hanif Puttur’s joined New Mangalore News Channel on facilitation by Journalist Ismail Moodushede, and by the encouragement of Rahim Uchil, a newsreader at New Mangalore Channel.
Hanif Puttur’s talents extended beyond journalism as he ventured into lyrics writing for Beary Cassette. His lyrical contributions to songs like “Beary Baila,” “Nande Pengal,” and “Beary Damaka” garnered immense popularity. In 2004, he joined Udupi Varthe as co-editor and eventually established his own Mangalore Media Center in 2006. Additionally, he directed “Akrandana,” a film based on true events that brought about a significant socio-educational impact within the Beary Community.
Hanif Puttur’s initiatives have been groundbreaking, such as his idea to launch Raoof Putti’s Nande Penal Campaign advocating for the marriage of girls above thirty years. Notably, he initiated Sunni Today in 2016 and introduced the Kannada version of Jumma Khutbah in Sunni belt. In 2018, he launched the world’s first community encyclopedia and search engine website, aiming to showcase the contributions and achievements of the Beary community on a global scale. In the year 2022, Hanif Puttur established the Puttur Community Center, marking a significant milestone in educational initiatives within the community. This center has been pivotal in providing academic guidance, support, and encouragement to numerous different community students. It specifically focuses on preparing the children for various vocational courses while also extending its support to students of all faiths. Presently, 11 such centers are operational across the state.