History of the Indian Press in Freedom Struggle
The foundation of print journalism in India was laid in 1780 with the publication of the 'Bengal Gazette' (or Calcutta General Advertiser) by James Augustus Hicky. During the nineteenth-century socio-religious reform movement, Raja Ram Mohan Roy pioneered nationalist journalism through Persian weekly 'Mirat-ul-Akbar' and Bengali journal 'Sambad Kaumudi'. As the freedom struggle intensified, leaders utilized periodicals to awaken political consciousness, notably Bal Gangadhar Tilak through 'Kesari' and 'Mahratta', and Mahatma Gandhi through 'Indian Opinion', 'Young India', and 'Harijan'. To suppress anti-colonial nationalist dissent, Lord Lytton's administration promulgated the repressive Vernacular Press Act of 1878 (derisively called the 'Gagging Act'), which was subsequently repealed by Lord Ripon in 1882.
Key Concepts & Examination Highlights
- Hicky's Bengal Gazette, founded in Calcutta in January 1780, was the first printed newspaper in India and Asia.
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy published 'Sambad Kaumudi' in Bengali (1821) and 'Mirat-ul-Akbar' in Persian (1822) to advocate social reforms.
- The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was enacted by Viceroy Lord Lytton and repealed in 1882 by Lord Ripon.
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak used 'Kesari' (Marathi) and 'Mahratta' (English) to propagate Swaraj, leading to his imprisonment at Mandalay.