MASS MEDIA HISTORY Module 1: Early newspapers in India, James Augustus Hicky, James Silk Buckingham, Raja Ram

Mohun Roy, Serampore Missionaries. Evolution of Journalism in UK and USA

Introduction The Indian communication system started as it happened in Europe and elsewhere, with newsletters. The kings and emperors who ruled in different parts of the country, developed their own methods and means of communication. The imperial edicts of King Ashoka were carved on rocks and stone pillars. The temple walls were used to draw small pictures. Paintings were the means to propagate the moral code devised by him. The Moghal rulers organized an efficient communication system. Especially Emperor Aurangazab maintained intelligence gathering centers at provincial capitals. The professional news writers appointed at these centers were to prepare a digest of important events in the province for further transmission to the head quarters. They were known as Waquia Navis. The news-letters were said to be of eight inches by four and half- inches in size. Of course all these were calligraphed in the absence of printing facilities. Early efforts in Printing The Chinese are credited as pioneers in printing. The Koreans followed the Chinese soon. Chinese were also pioneers in manufacturing paper. The Arabs produced paper by 900 AD and the Europeans by 1100 AD. The Chinese were the also the first to use movable types. But the credit of inventing the printing press goes to Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany. The first full-fledged publication, the Holy Bible, came out in 1456. Soon printing presses were established all over Europe. William Caxton set up a printing shop in Great Britain in 1476, for publications in the English language. Printing in India The introduction of printing in India was mainly due to the enthusiastic efforts of Christian missionaries. For them it was a powerful medium of religious propaganda. Indians saw the demonstration of printing for the first time on September 6, 1556. The Jesuit priests

who had halted in Goa left a printing press behind. The Doctrina Christa, a catechism written by St. Francis Xavier was printed in 1557 by this press. Its Tamil version appeared in 1558. The second printing press of India came up in Punikael, Tirunelveli district, in 1574 and the third in Mumbai in 1674. First Indian Newspaper William Bolts, a former employee of the East India Company was the first person to think of starting a newspaper. He posted a notice on the door of the Council House in September 1776, expressing his desire to launch a newspaper. He claimed that he had in manuscript many things to communicate which most intimately concerned every individual. The notice created ripples in the official circles. The company government in Bengal decided to take a preventive measure and ordered Bolts to leave India for Europe. Thus the first attempt to launch a newspaper was curbed by the British administration. James Augustus Hicky After Bolt plan of a newspaper, it was James Augustus Hicky who actually started the Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser, in Calcutta (today Kolkota) on January 29, 1780. The paper was popularly known as Hickys Gazette as the paper was totally managed by him. The periodicity, weekly, the paper was a shabby sheet from todays printing standards. The paper had two pages, with more advertisements and less reading material. Its circulation was limited; not exceeding 200 copies. The readership was confined to the employees of East India Company and other Europeans, chiefly traders. The policy of the newspaper as described by Hicky himself was, a political and commercial weekly open to all and influenced by none. When he started this English newspaper Hicky made his desire for freedom of expression clear, a value dear to him, for which he would fight tooth and nail till the end of his life The news published by Bengal Gazette were mostly stale, borrowed from old issues of European newspapers. To keep the interest of the readers afloat, Hicky published society gossips.

The editor spoke, rather wrote, directly to the readers. In a large number of letters published, praises were showered on the efforts of Hicky. There was a space for poets, the Poets Corner. Advertisements mainly about auctions were printed and the articles, which were entitled London Fashions, Folly of a Fashionable Life and Evils that Arise from French Refinements reminded the readers of the papers like The Tattler of Richard Steel and The Spectator of Joseph Addison and was moral in tone. Some stories of scandals, love affairs, local gossip were also accommodated to hold a mirror to the life of the European community in Calcutta. Full reporting was occasionally done of the balls and dances. Public engagements were also announced and many scandalous stories were served in a palatable way. Nicknames were given to the notables of the European community of Calcutta. Thus the Gazette was a kind of moral monitor of Hickys in which his aim was to ridicule the manners of the persons he disliked. The paper did not moot or support the idea of freedom for Indians. The Gazette was also a social document as it exposed the unlawful method of accumulation of vast wealth by the Company traders. Some assertions regarding the sale of a slave boy, a South African kafir, were also found. As with all newspapers, the Gazette also played the anti-establishment role and very soon incurred the wrath of Warren Hastings, the then Governor General, and others in the administration including Sir. Elijah Impey, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Another rival paper was the India Gazette, which made Hicky furious and unhappy especially when he came to know that postal concession was given to the paper. Hicky criticised the publishers for influencing Lady Hastings in getting this advantage. Henceforth, the articles of Hicky against the government were more malicious and sarcastic and even vulgar. Hicky irked Warren Hastings so much that a case of defamation was filed against him. He was arrested, tried and was found guilty. Hicky was imprisoned for four months and was asked to pay a fine of Rs. 500. Undeterred, Hicky continued to publish his newspaper from the prison. The Bengal Gazatte became more virulent than before and exposed more and more official malpractices. Warren Hastings and Elijay Impey were repeatedly assailed. The government was determined to close down his publication. So four fresh cases were filed against the paper and heavy fines were imposed on him. In March 1782, the printing press of Bengal Gazatte was confiscated and equipments were seized without caring for the fact that

this was a blow to the freedom of the Press. Hickys appeal for leniency were rejected and efforts to revive the paper totally failed. The Bengal Gazette passed into oblivion. But the heritage it left is still continued. Hickys boldness has proved one great truth about Indian journalism Better break than brake. Journalists may be harassed, attacked or imprisoned, but journalism does not die. Hickys was only the first in a long line of Anglo-Indian newspapers. Hicky died a pauper, in obscurity. But he left a very rich heritage for Indian journalists. The India Gazette, the second newspaper appeared in November 1780. It was founded by two business men of Calcutta, ie, B. Messink and Peter Reed. Four years later, followed the Calcutta Gazette published under the direct patronage of the government. Within six years of Hickys efforts there were four weekly newspapers and one monthly magazine published from Calcutta. The Madras Courier was started in the southern stronghold of Madras, which is called Chennai now. Richard Johnson its founder, was a government printer. Madras got its second newspaper when, in 1791 Hugh Boyd, who was the editor of the Courier quit and founded the Hurkaru. Tragically for the paper, Boyd passed away within a year of its founding and so it ceased publication too. Competitors to the Courier emerged with the founding of the Madras Gazette followed by the India Herald. The latter was an "unauthorised" publication, which led to the deportation of its founder Humphreys. The Madras Courier was designated the supplier of official information in the Presidency. Mumbai, surprisingly was a late starter - the Bombay Herald came into existence in 1789. Significantly, a year later a paper called the Courier started carrying advertisements in Gujarati. The first media merger of sorts: The Bombay Gazette, which was started in1791, merged with the Bombay Herald the following year. Like the Madras Courier, this new entity was recognised as the publication to carry "official notifications and advertisements". In Bombay and Madras newspapers do not seem to have come into conflict with the government in this early period. On the contrary they were anxious to earn official recognition and to enjoy official favour. Though media and reporting were practiced during Mughal times in India the press in the modern sense came into existence in the early part of the 19 Century. The first newspapers were
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bulletins brought out by officials of the East India Company mainly as a means of exchanging gossip 4

and to air grievances. The Bengal Harkuru and Bengal (Hickeys) Gazette were examples. The Company authorities did try to curb this. But it was essentially an exchange of ideas between its British employees and management. In the second and third decades of the 19 century Indian
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nationalism began to grow as a concept. Ram Mohun Roy, one of the men responsible for the infusion of new ideas in the country, also started the first nationalist newspaper. It was called the Mirat-ul-akhbar. Divisions within Indian society was the major problem facing anyone who had embarked on the road to building and uniting a nation. Common factors had to be emphasised. Rationalism rather than superstition or the diktat of the clergy were other important developments all over the world during the 18 and 19 centuries.
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That is why the initial tone of the nationalist newspapers in India was reformist evils like sati were identified. Campaigns were run against them. A sympathetic British administration run by Company officials were persuaded to pass legislation to check these evil practices. Caste was seen as a major obstacle to unity among members of the newly emerging India. The urgent need for social and religious reform thus formed the content of most of the early newspapers. The First Indian war of independence or the Sepoy Mutiny (as the British called it) in 1857 was a turning point. Subsequent to this event the British government took full control over Indian administration. The 1857 event signaled the diminishing power of the middle feudal classes like zamindars and the rise of the new middle classes belonging to the professions who had received the new western style education. As administration became serious business for the British authorities, the new Indian middle classes started clamouring for a share in power. The Indian National Congress was formed. To give expression to their views and aspirations papers like the Amrit Bazar Patrika were founded. In the beginning these papers concentrated on demanding Indianisation of the growing administrative services. Later this graduated to the demand for responsible government and selfgovernment. But they did not pay much attention to social reforms. Some of the nationalist press did, however focus on the need for reforms in the social sectors like education, health and the removal of untouchability. Mahatma Gandhis Harijan and Ramananda Chatterjees Modern Review can be mentioned as examples.

Raja Ram Mohun Roy Roy, (Raja) Rammohun (1772-1833) was born in a conservative Brahmin family in the village Radhanagar, West Bengal. He received the traditional education that was common in

18th century India. During his boyhood and early youth he had acquired remarkable proficiency in several oriental languages such as Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, besides Hindi and his mother tongue Bangla. Rammohun was also acquainted with the rudiments of ancient Greek philosophy and science such as Aristotle's Logic and Euclid's Principles which he had learnt through Arabic medium and had imbibed a somewhat critical and rational outlook. A comparative study of Islamic and Hindu theological scriptures and acquaintance with the works of the sufi mystic poets of Persia, together with a knowledge of Aristotelian logic, had enabled him at an early age to develop a somewhat revolutionary approach towards the traditional religions. Rammohun's early works were written in Arabic and Persian. Raja Ram Mohun Roy was described by Jawaharlal Nehru as a founder of the Indian press. Roys contribution to Indian language journalism is unparalleled. Ram Mohan Roy stood for a free press. He founded the Sambut Kaumudi (moon of intelligence) in 1821 in Calcutta. Due to the success of another rival newspaper named Samachar Chandrika Roy was forced to close it down in 1822. However it was revived the following year. Roy also started a newspaper in Persian Mirut ul Akhbar(mirror of news)in 1822, but shut it down in 1823 due to protests against the Press Regulations Act of 1823. He also brought out a religious periodical, the Brahminical Magazine, to counteract the missionaries propaganda. Three journals, all connected with Rammohun Roy, the Reformer, the Inquirer and the Gyan Auneshun representing the school of progressive Hindu journalism held the field in Bengal till as late as 1891. His greatest contribution to Indian language journalism was perhaps his petition to the British government against the Vernacular Press Act of 1823. The Supreme Court rejected his petition. But he again petitioned; this time to the monarchy. Once he realized that his direct interest in journalism provoked opposition both from the Hindu reactionaries and Company officials, Ram Mohun Roy kept himself at the background and encouraged others with similar ideas. One writer described Roy as a Hindu reformer, searcher after truth, universalist, and staunch champion of freedom everywhere and in everything. The newspapers which he sponsored or which followed him propagated his political philosophy which could be summerised as follows: he followed a policy of judicious colonisation of India by Europeans with education and capital in order to expand Indias

contacts with the west, obtain Englands technical knowledge and ensure closer contacts with England. Jeremy Bentham, the English writer admired Roys writing and said of his English which, but for the name of a Hindu, I should certainly have ascribed to the pen of a superiorly educated and instructed Englishman. Roys genius lay partly in his ability to use arguments which met Western intellectual standards, thereby appealing to both the British and other newly influential groups of educated Indians. He founded no political party, but his political doctrines were the keystone of liberalism and individualism in the 19th century. Roys campaign against Hindu society as he saw it and his appeal for purification of Hinduism culminated in the founding of the Brahmo Samaj. All these facts indicate that Raja Rammohun Roy was a prophet of religious and social reforms, much of which he achieved through his journalistic skills. The first Indian owned English daily, the Bengal Gazette was published in Calcutta in 1816 by Gangadhar Bhattacharjee, a teacher who was influenced by Roys teachings. Rammohun was also instrumental in setting up the Hindu College in 1817 in Calcutta, which was renamed as Presidency College in 1856 when it was taken over by the government. Rammohun was the first to compose Dhrupad songs in Bengali in 1828. He felt the need of Dhrupad songs - noted for their depth, grandeur, simplicity and absence of decorative tonal effusion - for his Brahmo Samaj meetings.

Publications & Literary Works He published the Vedanta (1815), Ishopanishad (1816), Kathopanishad (1817), Moonduk Upanishad (1819), The Precepts of Jesus - Guide to Peace and Happiness (1820), Sambad Kaumudi - a Bengali newspaper (1821), Mirat-ul-Akbar - Persian journal (1822), Bengali Grammar (1826), Brahmapasona (1828), Brahmasangeet (1829) and The Universal Religion (1829). Ramohun was also instrumental in setting up the Hindu College in 1817 in Calcutta, which was renamed as Presidency College in 1856 when it was taken over by the government. He also tried his utmost to repeal the Press Censorship Act of 1823, and even appealed to the King of England. Though his efforts proved fruitless at that time - the Act was finally repealed in 1835. Rammohun was the first to compose Dhrupad songs in Bengali in 1828. He felt the need of Dhrupad songs - noted for their depth, grandeur, simplicity and absence of decorative tonal effusion - for his Brahmo Sabha meetings. Rammohun wrote in the Brahminical magazine where he assailed the Trinitariansim of Christianity and tried to prove that it was no better than the Hindu polytheism. This gave rise to great scandal amongst the orthodox Christian community. Rammohun also helped William Adam to set up a Unitarian mission in Calcutta in 1823. Till 1828 Rammohun regularly attended the Unitarian Sunday service of Mr. Adam. In fact he called himself to be a Hindu Unitarian, and he silenced his critics by saying, "Because I feel already weary of the doctrine of Man God or God Man frequently inculcated by the Brahmins in pursuance of their corrupt traditions and the same doctrine of Man God though preached by another body of priests cannot effectually tend to excite my anxiety to listen to it. Because Unitarians believe, profess, inculcate the doctrine of divine unity, a doctrine which I find firmly maintained both by Christian scriptures and by our most ancient writings commonly called the Vedas." His writings attracted the masses and had a large number of sympathisers. Also during this time Lord William Bentinck declared the abolition of Sutte act on 4th December 1829, due to Rammohun's tireless agitation against this evil practice. The orthodox Hindus under Raja Radhakanta Deb formed a rival association called Dharma Sabha to ridicule and protest against Rammohun's actions. In the midst of this furious party contests Rammohun opened his new church on 23rd January 1830. In 1825 he had opened the Vedanta College for the teaching of the monotheistic doctrines of the Upansihads.