Begins in Bengal

Did you know that back in 1780, Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the capital of British India? An Irishman who went by the name James Augustus Hicky set up a newspaper there in 1780 titled Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, also known as the Original Calcutta General Advertiser. This English language weekly newspaper was not just the first of its kind in India, but in fact was the first newspaper printed in Asia!

Known for his eccentric nature, Hicky had his newspaper running for two years and was openly critical of the administration of Governor General Warren Hastings. This naturally meant that the East India Company took offence, and they soon swooped in to seize the newspaper’s types and press.

The seeds, however, had been sown by then. The provocative journalism that Hicky championed and the need to fight for free expression in India formed a template that would be replicated in the years and decades that followed.

Taking the fight to the colonists

By the turn of the century, Indian-owned newspapers began to emerge. Initially starting out as a way to give voice to social critique and reforms, these weren’t political. That was at least another half a century away. These newspapers, however, showed Indians that they could unite in thought and communicate across previously inconceivable distances.

It was from the 1850s that many Indian newspapers started becoming political, championing the need for change. The ruling British were aware of what was happening around them, and took every step they could to strangle the Indian voices. The trouble was, the voices only grew louder the harder they tried to muffle it.

Following the Revolt of 1857, while the Britishers were busy painting it as a ‘mutiny’, the Indian outlets made sure their own version was also published. In their newspapers, the event was described as what it was – a fight against oppression. History is often written by those in power. The newspapers that were blossoming in our country back then, however, made sure that it made Indians feel empowered.

The growth spurt

It was late in the 19ᵗʰ Century that newspapers truly became synonymous with the nationalist movement. fostering political discussions and disseminating ideas across divides. The news they carried informed the citizens of the latest developments. The editorials that they carried made people stop to think and consider other possibilities.

It is no wonder that this time also coincided with a proliferation of newspapers and magazines, be it dailies, weeklies, or monthlies, all with a strong leaning towards nationalist tendencies. Among these were Amrita Bazar Patrika and The Hindu, founded in 1868 and 1878 respectively. While Amrita Bazar Patrika ceased operations in 1991, The Hindu, which started out as a weekly, still remains one of the country’s most trusted news sources across different mediums.

Even though different publications had their own voices, means, and ways, they were more or less united in the most pressing issues. These included attacking unfair policies that the British often implemented, demanding reforms, and pushing for self-governance.

Not just print media

Language, no barrier

Indian journalism, obviously, wasn’t just about what happened in the English language newspapers and magazines. It flourished in the regional languages as well, be it in Bengali or Marathi, Tamil or Malayalam, Hindi or Telugu. In fact, the ruling British might well have been more worried about these, as their reach was literally limitless.

Picture this. A gathering of villagers under a tree or maybe in the locality’s only tea shop. There’s a crowd milling around, and there’s probably only a handful who could read – be it in English or any of the local languages. The single newspaper at their disposal is then read out aloud, and the information and ideas they possess are slowly, but surely, passed on to all.

The British weren’t oblivious to the increasing influence of the press, and passed many bills to stifle them. One such bill was the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 that subjected native-language local press to government censorship, severe restrictions, and even confiscations and imprisonments.

Ingenuity, however, often speaks loudest when pushed to a corner. Amrita Bazar Patrika, for instance, completely turned itself from a Bengali newspaper to an English newspaper overnight in 1878, in order to steer clear of the clutches of the British.

Leading from the front

The freedom fighters knew the power that words carried, be it written or spoken. If sloganeering, theatre, and songs were able to kindle the strongest of emotions through the spoken word, newspapers and magazines did the same through the written word. Some of the greatest freedom fighters wielded their power through words, some through just their writings, and some by more ways than one.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak – one among the three who were popularly known as Lal Bal Pal – founded the Marathi language newspaper Kesari in 1881. A self-rule activist in India’s independence movement, Tilak wrote extensively on subjects pertaining to colonial exploitation of Indian resources, unequal salaries paid to British and Indian officials, and war expenditure, among other things. In addition to criticising unfair British policies, Tilak also wrote many articles strongly favouring unity between Hindus and Muslims, even as they were mobilising themselves as different factions.

What Kesari was to Tilak, Young India and Harijan were to Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Young India was first published as a book in 1916 by Lala Lajpat Rai – the Lal of the Lal Bal Pal trio – and he used it to expound on the Indian nationalist movement up until then. From 1919 onward, Gandhi used the same title for his journalistic work, spreading his ideology and thoughts. He used Young India to demand for swaraj or self-rule, with non-violence at the heart of the movement. From 1933, Gandhi started publishing a weekly English newspaper titled Harijan. Along with Harijan Bandu in Gujarati and Harijan Sevak in Hindi, Gandhi focused on socio-economic issues confronting both India and the world as the nation inched closer to its independence. In particular, the newspapers carried several articles on untouchability, calling for the abolition of the same.

Published - August 15, 2026 07:30 am IST