Development of Press in Modern India Notes with PDF

These notes are your ultimate revision weapon to revise Development of Press in Modern India. We’ve distilled years of previous exam questions (PYQs) into one powerful, concise resource. Everything you need to know, nothing you don’t.

• PYQs, Decoded: All key concepts from past exams, organized and simplified.
• Revise in Record Time: Short, precise, and designed for last-minute review.
• Focus on What Matters: Master high-probability topics and boost your confidence.
• Free PDF to download.

Development of the Press in Modern India

1. Pioneers & First Newspapers

• First Newspaper:
  • Bengal Gazette: The first major newspaper in India, published in Kolkata (Calcutta) in 1780 by James Augustus Hicky.
• First Hindi Newspaper:
  • Udant Martand: Published from Kolkata on May 30, 1826.
• Key Figures & Their Publications:
  • Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Published the Persian weekly Mirat-ul-Akhbar (1822) and the Bengali weekly Sambad Kaumudi.
  • Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: Started the Bengali newspaper Som Prakash in 1858.
  • Shishir Kumar Ghose: Founded the Amrit Bazar Patrika in Calcutta in 1868 (initially in Bengali).
  • Devendra Nath Tagore: Published The Indian Mirror from Calcutta starting in 1861.

2. Press Laws & Censorship

• First Censorship (1799): Implemented by Lord Wellesley.
• Repeal of Censorship (1818): Done by Lord Hastings.
• Licensing Act (1823): Imposed by Governor-General John Adams, punishing unlicensed publications with fines and imprisonment.
• Vernacular Press Act (1878):
  • Introduced by Lord Lytton.
  • Gagged the vernacular (Indian language) press by allowing confiscation of presses and demanding security deposits for “seditious” content.
  • Highly unpopular; repealed in 1882 by Lord Ripon.
  • Impact: To avoid this act, the Amrit Bazar Patrika switched from Bengali to English in 1878.

3. Nationalist & Revolutionary Press

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak:
  • Published Kesari (Marathi) and Maratha (English) from Mumbai (1881).
  • First Indian journalist to be jailed for his writings (1882, 1897).
• Revolutionary Publications: Newspapers like Sandhya, Yugantar, and Kaal advocated for revolutionary terrorism and were critical of the Indian National Congress.
• Gadar Party Press:
  • The journal Gadar was a weekly publication.
  • First published in Urdu on November 1, 1913, in San Francisco.
  • Later published in Gurmukhi, Marathi, and English.
• Expatriate Publications: Tarak Nath Das started the newspaper Free India in the United States.

4. Miscellaneous Associations

• Mahatma Gandhi was associated with Indian Opinion, Young India, and Nav Jeevan, but not with the revolutionary paper Yugantar.
• The Leader newspaper acted as the mouthpiece for the policies of the liberals.

Historical Newspapers & Journals of the Indian Freedom Struggle

A. Publications by Major National Leaders

• Mahatma Gandhi:
  • Indian Opinion (South Africa, 1903): Published in English, Gujarati, Hindi, and Tamil. First editor: Mansukhal Nazar. (Note: Urdu was not one of its languages).
  • Young India: Initially associated with The Home Rule Party (editors: Jamanadas Dwarkadas and Shankar Lal Banker). Gandhi later took over as editor to spread his message of non-violence.
  • Nav Jeevan: Associated with Gandhi.
  • Harijan: First issue published on February 11, 1933, from Yerwada Central Jail, Pune. Gandhi started three papers: ‘Harijan’ (English), ‘Harijan Bandhu’ (Gujarati), and ‘Harijan Sevak’ (Hindi).
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Edited Kesari (Marathi) and Maratha (English).
• B.R. Ambedkar:
  • Mook Nayak: Started by Ambedkar.
  • Bahishkrit Bharat: A Marathi fortnightly started in 1924 for the upliftment of the untouchables.
• Annie Besant: Published New India and Commonweal.
• Jawaharlal Nehru:
  • The National Herald: Founded by Nehru.
  • Qaumi Awaz: Launched in 1945 by Nehru and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai.
• Aurobindo Ghosh: Edited Vande Mataram (journal).
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad: Brought out Al-Hilal (Urdu newspaper) in 1912.
• Lala Lajpat Rai: Published Vande Mataram (Urdu newspaper) and The People (English) from Lahore (1920).
• Motilal Nehru: Published Independent (English magazine), advocating for self-government (Swaraj).
• Dadabhai Naoroji: Edited Voice of India and was associated with Rast Goftar.
• Sir Syed Ahmed Khan: Published Tahzeeb-ul-Akhlaq.

B. Other Significant Newspapers & Editors

• Hindu Patriot (1853):
  • Significance: First newspaper published by Indians in the English language.
  • Editors: First editor was Girish Chandra Ghosh; later edited by Harish Chandra Mukherjee.
  • Role: Strongly supported the Indigo Movement (1859).
• The Hindu: Edited by G. Subramania Iyer.
• Bengalee: Edited by Surendranath Banerjee.
• Sudharak: Edited by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Amrita Bazar Patrika: Published by Motilal Ghosh.
• The Leader: Published by Madan Mohan Malviya.
• The Pioneer: Started by George Allen.
• Pratap: Published from Kanpur by Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi; used by Vijay Singh Pathik to publicize the Bijoliya Peasant Movement.
• The Indian Nation: A newspaper published in Patna (started in 1931 by Kameshwar Singh).
• Dainik Aaj: Founded by Shiv Prasad Gupta.
• Comrade: Started by Mohammad Ali.
• Justice: Published by T.M. Nair.

C. Language-Specific Publications

• Bharat Mitra: Hindi
• Rastra Mata: Marathi
• Prajamitra: Gujarati
• Nayak: Bengali

D. Revolutionary & Socialist Publications

• Sandhya: Associated with Brahmobandhab Upadhyay.
• Kaal: Edited by Shivram Madhav Paranjape.
• The Socialist: Edited by S.A. Dange.
• Navyug: Associated with Muzaffar Ahmad.
• Inqilab: Associated with Ghulam Husain.
• Labour Kisan Gazette: Associated with M. Singarvelu.

Key Figures and Their Multiple Associations

Common Pitfalls & Incorrect Matches (For Clarification)

• Tahzeeb-ul-Akhlaq was published by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, not Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
• The Pioneer was started by George Allen, not Mahatma Gandhi.
• Qaumi Awaz was launched by Jawaharlal Nehru, not Abul Kalam Azad.
• An independent newspaper was published by Motilal Nehru, not B.R. Ambedkar.
• The Times of India was not a nationalist newspaper.
• Mahatma Gandhi was not associated with the revolutionary paper Yugantar.

Know More About Development of Press in Modern India:

• Development of Press in Modern India– Old Year Questions and Answers
• Development of Press in Modern India One Liner Questions & Answers