Early Communication System in India

Part 2

Academic Script

Between 1813 and 1818 there were significant

developments in the field of newspaper publication. The
first Indian newspaper published by Gangadhar
Bhattacharjee, the Bengal Gazette appeared on the
scene. However, it lived only for one year. In 1818
John Burton and James Mackenzie secured permission
to publish a newspaper, the Guardian. Permission was
also granted to publish the paper on Sunday after an
assurance had been given that the work of the press
will be completed on Saturday night. The Serampore
missionaries started three journals:

1. The Dig-Darshan, a monthly magazine(1818)

2. The Samachar Durpan, a weekly Bengali
paper(1818)
3. Friend of India, a monthly periodical
published in English(1818)

Two years later, a quarterly of the same name i.e.,

Friend of India was published. However, both these
journals ceased publication in 1827 owing to financial
difficulties. Interestingly, the Samachar Durpan
continued publication till 1840. It carried vast
information from 60 Zillas of Bengal. The Marquess of
Hastings allowed the Durpan, concession of paying
only one-fourth of the usual amount of postage and
his successor Lord Amherst subscribed for a hundred
copies which were distributed to Government offices.
It was widely patronised by the leading functionaries
of the Government. The civilians also subscribed to it
for the valuable information it carried about their
districts. This information could not be obtained
through official channels. Indians who contributed to
the journal did so because of its official circulation.
Soon after, William Butterworth Bayley took over as
press Censor. Immediately, Bayley came into conflict
with Heatly, the proprietor-editor of Morning Post, a
Calcutta newspaper. Bayley wished to exclude certain
passages in an article submitted to him for pre-
censorship. Heatly refused to comply. It was then that
Lord Hastings decided to abolish press censorship
altogether and thrust the responsibility on the editors
themselves for excluding matters that were likely to
affect the Government or was injurious to public
interest.
The rules that followed were:
•The editors of newspapers were prohibited
from publishing any matter coming under the
following heads:
1. Any adverse versions on the measures
and proceedings of the Honourable Court of
Directors or other public authorities in
England connected with the Government of
India.
2. Disquisitions on political transactions of
the local administration.
3. Any offensive remarks levelled at the
public conduct of the members of Council, of
the Judges of the Supreme Court, or of the
Lord Bishop of Calcutta.

• Any discussions having a tendency to create

alarm and suspicion among the native
population, or any intended interference with
their religious opinions or observances.
•The re-publication of passages under any of
the above categories from English or other
newspapers. In other words, any publication
that affected the British Power or reputation
in India.
•Any private scandals and personal remarks
on individuals, tending to excite dissention in
society.

The Beginnings of the fight for the freedom of

the Press:

It was at about this time that two dominating

personalities made their appearance on the
newspaper scene.

1. James Silk Buckingham, a vigorous,

dominating and relentless personality and
 2. Raja Ram Mohun Roy, a patient, persistent
and polite personality.

Both of them were dominating figures and men of

vision. They played a significant role in the fight for the
freedom of the press. They attracted large number of
supporters from among their countrymen.

James Silk Buckingham:

James Silk Buckingham attracted attention when as a

commander of a vessel he detained ships carrying
slaves from the coast of Madagascar; he surrendered
his command in protest. This commendable action
earned recognition for him as a man of principles in the
eyes of all in Calcutta, including the Governor-General
and the Bishop. His newspaper, Calcutta Journal, with
eight pages, was published twice a week. The paper
described the editor’s functions as being “to admonish
Governors of their duties, to warn them fearlessly of
their faults and tell disagreeable truths”. The
correspondence columns were open to all who had a
grievance and threw the existing papers in Calcutta
into utter confusion and chaos. Buckingham edited his
paper fearlessly till 1823, when he was deported. While
he was in England, he started another paper, the
Oriental Herald in which he pursued the exposure of
the administration in India.

Through his writings and tireless campaigns against the

restrictions and censorship imposed on the press,
Buckingham convinced many Indian minds in England
and India the useful function which a free press could
perform by its exposure of lapses in the administration
and criticism of Government policies.

Raja Ram Mohun Roy:

Raja Ram Mohun Roy was essentially a social and

religious reformer. At an early age of 14, he developed
a passion for truth. He was a brilliant conversationalist,
patient in debates and persuasive rather than
controversial in the many in the books that he
published. The weeklies and dailies of that time gladly
accepted his contributions. He made his entry into
journalism through the Brahmanical Magazine
published in English, the Sambad Kaumudi in Bangla
and the Mirat-ul-Akhbaar in Persian. His conception of
freedom of the press was freedom to pursue the truth
and his representation was that it was the duty of the
ruler to preserve it at all costs and at all times.

Two important causes that Raja Ram Mohun Roy is

known for are

a) His agitation for the abolition of sati

b) His struggle for Hinduism against the
onslaught of Christian missionaries of
Serampore

Raja Ram Mohun Roy’s papers and generally the

progressive Indian Press were viewed with some
apprehension in official circles. Newspapers which
favoured the orthodox point of view did not attract
the same measure of hostile attention. The Mirat-
ul-Akhbaar was restrained in its language and
constructive in its criticism. It dealt with the social
and administrative evils and critically examined
British policy both in India and England.

James Silk Buckingham was a close friend of Ram

Mohun Roy. Both of them took up the struggle for
the freedom of the press and have left a significant
mark on the history of journalism in India.

Some of the significant developments of this

period were:

1) Liberal concessions were allowed to the

papers published by the Serampore
missionaries. Only nominal concession was
given to the Indian-owned Indian language
newspapers and that too on application.
2) The first press ordinance issued in 1823,
by Governor-General John Adams,
prohibited the printing of books and papers
without a license and providing a penalty for
infringement of a fine of Rs. 1000
commutable to imprisonment. It was
obvious that the regulations introduced by
John Adams were directed against
3) newspapers published in Indian
languages and edited by natives in India.
The Mirat-ul-Akhbaar figured prominently in
the case made out for the ordinance.
Rammohun Roy closed the Mirat and
severed connections with the Sambad
Kaumudi.
4) The Indian owned newspapers kept clear of
political topics for seven years following the
Press regulations.

The period with Lord Bentick as Governor-

General

Lord Bentick’s assumption of the Governor-General-

ship was marked by a significant change in the
attitude of the Government towards the press in
India and the language press in particular. In 1830 a
number of language newspapers and periodicals
came into existence. His regime was marked by a
liberal attitude towards the press which was greatly
influenced by Sir Charles Metcalfe.
Sir Charles Metacalfe favoured regulation of the
press. He invited Macaulay, the legislative member
of the Supreme Council, to draft a Press Act. This act
intended to establish perfect uniformity in the laws
regarding the press throughout the Indian Empire.
 Urdu Newspaper

In 1836, Maulvi Muhammad Baqar started “Delhi Urdu

Akhbaar”. After that, a large number of Urdu
newspapers emerged corner-to-corner of the sub-
continent. Some significant factors behind the progress
of Urdu journalism were that:

a. In 1830, The East India Company declared Urdu

the official language of government institutions
and court of law. So, the importance of Urdu
increased fourfold.
b. After 1835, many newspapers of regional
languages came on frontline. Among them Urdu
language newspapers were the most important
because Urdu was the official language.
c. In 1836, Litho-type printing was started. It was
very attractive and inexpensive. So the cost of
newspapers could be reduced. Consequently, it
became easier to start an Urdu newspaper.
d. The Government intended to promote Western
Studies in the sub-continent. Since, Urdu
newspapers were appropriate medium for the
purpose, the government used to purchase a
certain quantity of newspapers for offices, schools
and colleges. This setup financially supported some
of the newspapers.

These were the four elements behind the growth and

progress of Urdu journalism in the sub-continent.
Later, many new Urdu papers started in Delhi, and all
over the sub-continent, especially Delhi and Lahore.

More than a dozen newspapers and periodicals started

in Delhi. Comparatively, two were most significant and
had a profound effect on the Muslim society. First
“Delhi Urdu Akhbaar” and second was “Syed-ul-
Akhbaar”.

The 1857 war gave a great boost to the press and a

large number of Urdu papers and Journals made their
debut. Notable among these were the Sadiq-ul-Akhbar
and Delahi Urdu Akhbaar

During the 1857 mutiny ‘Delhi Urdu Akhbaar’ played a

significant role along with the Delhi Gazette.

Delhi Urdu Akhbaar continued for twenty one years.

Maulvi Muhammad Baqar was its first editor. Later on
his son, Maulana Muhammad Hussain Azad took the
responsibility

After 1857, Urdu journalism entered a new era of

development. Mention may be made of some major
papers like the Awadh Akhbar-Lucknow, The Awadh
Punch-Lucknow, The Tahzibul Akhlaq- Aligarh, which
was started by prominent muslin reformer Sir Syed to
reform the muslims of India.

Vernacular press Act 1878

The Vernacular Press Act was comprehensive and

rigorous. It empowered any Magistrate to call upon
the printer and publisher of the newspaper to enter
into a bond undertaking not to publish certain kind
of material. Also, no printer or publisher could have
recourse to a court of Law. At the time of the
passing of the Vernacular Press Act, the Indian
Language press of Madras was very feeble. There
was no Indian owned newspaper published in English
and there was no association to give expression to
the feelings of the people. At this time
Veeraraghavachari and G. Subramania Iyer gave
birth to the Hindu.
The act was repealed in 1882.
The Vernacular press grew rapidly after this act was
repealed. Newspapers were published in Persian,
Urdu and Hindi. Simultaneously, there was a rise in
the growth of regional newspapers in Assamese,
Bangla, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu,
Oriya and Punjabi.

Beginning of the Cinema in India

1896 was a significant year for Indian

Communication System as it witnessed the arrival
of cinema in India. The first name that springs up
in the history of cinema, that of the Lumiere
Brothers who introduced the Art of cinema to the
sub-continent with their six short films. The
success of these films led to the screening of more
foreign films till 1897. In 1897 Harischandra
Sakharam Bhatavdekar, popularly known as Save
Dada, made short films. Later DadaSaheb Phalke
took Indian cinema to new heights. His path
breaking film Raja Harishchandra was released in
1913. The subject of these silent films was
mythological. For the next several years rapid
 growth of Indian cinema led to the end of silent
era and ushered to the era of talkies. Te first talkie
film was Alam Ara directed by Ardeshir Irani in
1931.

Beginning of the Broadcasting in India

1924 Broadcasting begins in India with the

formation of a private radio service In Madras.IN
the very same year Indian Broadcasting Company
Started two Radio Stations in Bombay and
Calcutta. In 1930 when this company went
bankrupt Colonial Government took away its
transmitters and started the Indian State
Broadcasting Corporation. This very Corporation
was renamed All India Radio in 1936. After
Independence AIR was made a separate
Department under the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting.

Newspapers in the Twentieth century

Round the bend of the century a number of

newspapers and periodicals came into existence.
Rabindranath Tagore started the Sadhna and G.A.
Natesan founded the Indian Review. Outside India,
Gandhi took over the editorship of the Indian
Opinion in South Africa.
Gandhi exerted a powerful influence on the editors
of newspapers. He asked them to fearlessly express
their views without necessarily supporting his views
or policies of the Congress. The Indian press under
the influence of Gandhi acted in a fearless manner to
represent the cause of “Quit India” in 1942.
The third and the fourth decades of the twentieth
century saw the establishment and growth of a
number of newspapers despite the stringent press
regulations in force during the period. The Hindustan
Times, the Statesman, The Free Press Journal, The
Indian Express, The Times of India made their
appearance. Besides these, Amrita Bazaar Patrika
and the Ananda Bazaar Patrika Group published a
number of newspapers from more than one place.

Role of the Press in the Freedom Movement:

Mahadev Govind Ranade and Bal Gangadhar Tilak
entered the social reform movement. They laid
emphasis on the fact that the social reforms should
pave the way for political freedom. The Kesari and

the Mahratta were the two newspapers that were

inspired by this philosophy. These papers advocated
both- the social and the political cause. Tilak wielded
a powerful pen and he made the people understand
how to criticize the bureaucracy boldly. Another
reformer, G. K. Gokhale took up the cause on special
representation of minorities. Gokhale’s view was that
in the best interest of their public life and for the
future of their land, Indians must first have elections
 on territorial basis in which all communities without
distinction of race or creed should participate. He
laid down the conditions for constitutional agitation.

The Gandhian Era:

Gandhiji was the President of the All India Home

Rule League when he laid his plans for the first
comprehensive country-wide non-cooperation
movement. He called for surrender of titles, boycott
of official functions, schools and colleges and courts
as well as elections to the reformed Councils and
foreign goods.
The Martial law excesses in Punjab in 1919 were first
brought to light in the columns of the Bombay
Chronicle. Benjamin Guy Horniman, the editor of
Bombay Chronicle and an enthusiastic supporter of
the Indian cause wrote on the massacre of the
Jallianwala Bagh tragedy and was deported to
England.
The Bengali newspapers fared a lot better during the
Gandhian period. The credit for this goes to Motilal
Ghose who fought for the national cause with hostile
criticism in the Amrita Bazar Patrika.

On October 25, 1940, the Government

of India issued an order which prohibited the printing
or publishing by any publisher, printer, editor in British
India any matter directly or indirectly to foment
opposition to the prosecution of the war. The order was
withdrawn17 days later following discussions in Delhi
between the Government and representatives of
leading newspapers.

Soon after Gandhi’s arrest in 1942, in view of the

statement that it was better not to publish newspapers
than to bring them under all kinds of government
restrictions, several newspapers like the National
Herald, the Indian Express and Dinamani suspended
publication.

Gandhi devoted the next five years to an all out effort

to bring all elements together behind the combined
effort for freedom, irrespective of communal or political
differences. And this effort resulted in freedom for
India in 1947.

Traditional forms of communication:

The mass media were at a nascent stage of

development in India particularly during the struggle
for freedom. Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru
communicated with the masses through mass meetings
rather than contact on individual basis. The freedom
struggle also utilised the well-known traditional art
forms like Burrakatha, ballads, Oggukatha in the
Telugu speaking areas; Yakshagana of Karnataka;
Nautanki of Maharashtra; Jatra of Bengal and other
similar traditional art forms peculiar to different regions
in the country. This yielded impressive results and
achieved the purpose it was intended.
Thus, communication through the press, through
traditional forms and mass meetings helped India in its
freedom struggle. Today, India has progressed to a
platform where it leads in the field of communication
technology. The success of this achievement has been
the contribution of all the dynamic leaders of the
period.

These were some of the highlights of the early

communication system in India. To sum up, briefly we
have traced the beginnings of written communication
to the growth and role of the print media in the
freedom struggle. In the next episode we shall discuss
the history of newspapers and magazines in India.

I hope everyone has enjoyed this lecture.

Thank You