CHAPTER-1

Introduction:
Human interest in knowing about the events of its surroundings has always been an integral
part of civilization. In this regard, the history of the press is as old as the human race . However,
the institutionalized development of the press began in modern times. Generally, the press is
recognized as the pillar of administration which helps in conveying the policies of the
government to the public and keep the government informed of public needs and their response
and reaction to its policies (Rajeev, 2019).

Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press is widely thought of as the of mass
communication–it marked Western culture’s first viable method of disseminating ideas and
information from a single source to a large and far ranging audience. A closer look at the history
of print, however, shows that the invention of the printing press depended on a confluence of
both cultural and technological forces that had been unfolding for several centuries. Print
culture and technology also needed to go through centuries of change after Gutenberg’s time
before the "Massification" of audiences could fully crystallize.

The story of print is a long and complex one. It may be too much to claim that print was the
single cause of the massive social, political and psychological changes it is associated with.
However, print did wield enormous influence on every aspect of European culture. Some
historians suggest that print was instrumental in bringing about all the major shifts in science,
religion, politics and the modes of thought that are commonly associated with modern Western
culture (Satpathy, 2022).

REFERENCE:

1. Ahir, R. (2019). A Brief History of Modern India. Spectrum Publication, New Delhi.
2. Satapathy, C. R. (2022). History of India-VIII. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.

1
 CHAPTER -2

Historical Background in Invention of Printing Press:

Now a day the printing press plays a magnificent role in our day to day lives. But like others,
the printing press has some history for its invention. Some causes or factors were responsible
for its invention.

Print in China and First Printed Books:

The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea. This was a
system of hand printing. From 594 A.D onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper
- also invented there - against the inked surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous
sheet could not be printed, the traditional Chinese according on book‟ was folded and stitched
at the side. Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty
of calligraphy. The imperial state in China was, for a very long time, the major producer of
printed material. China possessed a huge bureaucratic system which recruited its personnel
through civil service examinations.

Textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the
imperial state. From the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and
that increased the volume of print. By the seventeenth century, as urban culture bloomed in
China, the uses of print diversified. Print was no longer used just by scholar officials. Merchants
used print in their everyday life, as they collected trade information. Reading increasingly
became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred fictional narratives, poetry,
autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic plays. Rich women began
to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and plays. Wives of scholar officials
published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives. This new reading culture was
accompanied by a new technology. Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were
imported in the late nineteenth century as Western powers established their outposts in China.
Shanghai became the hub of the new print culture, catering to the Western-style schools. From
hand printing there was now a gradual shift to mechanical printing.

Print in Japan:
Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan around
768770 AD. The oldest Japanese book, printed in 868 AD, is the Buddhist Diamond Sutra,
2
containing six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations. Pictures were printed on textiles, playing
cards and paper money. In mediaeval Japan, poets and prose writers were regularly published,
and books were cheap and abundant. Printing of visual material led to interesting publishing
practices. In the late eighteenth century, in the flourishing urban circles at Edo (later to be
known as Tokyo), illustrated collections of paintings depicted an elegant urban culture,
involving artists, courtesans, and teahouse gatherings. Libraries and bookstores were packed
with hand-printed material of various types – books on women, musical instruments,
calculations, tea ceremony, flower arrangements, proper etiquette, cooking and famous place.

Causes:
Before the printing press was invented people hand wrote books, papers and hand drew
pictures. It was relatively difficult and time consuming for them, and it was most difficult to
write manuscripts. Johannes Gutenberg was desperate for a source of money and with the
current way of printing, block printing, which involves dipping a block in ink and stamping it
on a paper, he saw an opportunity to advance that. Since most people couldn’t afford books
they didn’t have the option of learning to read.

Print Comes to Europe:

For centuries, silk a Europeans from China flowed into Europe through the silk route. In the
eleventh century, Chinese paper reached Europe via the same route. Paper made possible the
production of manuscripts, carefully written by scribes. Then, in 1295, Marco Polo,a great
explorer, returned to Italy after many years of exploration in China. Then people knew about
the print technique & they saw the cheaper rate & quality print & then it slowly became familiar
with the technique. The Europeans also tried to invent this type of quality print which later
helped in university & different institutions.

Gutenberg and The Historical Moment in Western Europe:

In the early 1450‟s rapid cultural change in Europe fueled a growing need for the rapid and
cheap production of written documents. Johannes Gutenberg, a goldsmith and businessman
from the mining town of Mainz in southern Germany, borrowed money to develop a technology
that could address this serious economic bottleneck. From its European debut in the 12th
century, paper gradually proved to be a viable alternative to the animal-skin vellum and
parchment that had been the standard means of carrying written communication. Rag paper

3
became increasingly cheap and plentiful while literacy expanded; the two processes
accelerated, in part, by stimulating each other.

The need for documentation continued to increase with expansions in trade and in
governmental scope and complexity. Scribal monks sanctioned by the Church had overseen the
maintenance and hand-copying of sacred texts for centuries, but the secular world began to
foster its own version of the scribal copyist profession. The many new scriptoria, or writing
shops, that sprang up employed virtually every literate cleric who wanted work. Gutenberg
foresaw enormous profit-making potential for a printing press that used movable metal type.
Despite their rapid growth in numbers, secular scribes simply could not keep up with the
commercial demand for books.

Gutenberg also saw strong market potential in selling indulgences, the slips of paper offering
written dispensation from sin that the Church sold to fund crusades, new buildings and other
projects devoted to expanding its dominance. In fact, press runs of 200,000 indulgences at a
time were common soon after the handwritten versions became obsolete. Gutenberg developed
his press by combining features of existing technologies: textile, papermaking and wine
presses. Perhaps his most significant innovation, however, was the efficient molding and
casting of movable metal types. Each letter was carved into the end of a steel punch which was
then hammered into a copper blank.

The copper impression was inserted into a mold and a molten alloy made of lead, antimony and
bismuth was poured in. The alloy cooled quickly and the resulting reverse image of the letter
attached to a lead base could be handled in minutes. The width of the lead base varied according
to the letter’s size. This emphasized the visual impact of words and clusters of words rather
than evenly spaced letters. This principle lent an aesthetic elegance and sophistication to what
seemed to many to be the magically perfect regularity of a printed page. Gutenberg designed a
Latin Print Bible which became his signature work. He launched a run of some 300 two-volume
Gutenberg Bibles which sold for 30 florins each, or about three years of a clerk’s wage. Despite
the dramatic success of his invention, Gutenberg managed to default on a loan and lost his
whole printing establishment. His techniques were made public and his creditor won the rights
to the proceeds from the Gutenberg Bibles.

4
The clergy were eager to take advantage of the power of print. Printed indulgences, theological
texts, even how-to manuals for conducting inquisitions became common tools for the spread of
the Church’s influence. But the Church had even more difficulty controlling the activities of
printers than they had with the secular scribes. The production and distribution of an expanding
variety of texts quickly became too widespread to contain. Printed copies of Martin Luther’s
theses, for example, were widely and rapidly disseminated. They prompted far reaching
discussions that became the foundation for mounting opposition to the Church’s role as the sole
custodian of spiritual truth. Bibles printed in vernacular languages rather than Latin fueled the
Protestant Reformation based on the assertion that there was no need for the Church to interpret
scripture - an individual’s relationship with God could be, at least in theory, direct and personal.
In 1476-77, William Caxton set up England’s first printing press. Caxton had been a prolific
translator and found the printing press to be a marvelous way to amplify his mission of
promoting popular literature. Caxton printed and distributed a variety of widely appealing
narrative titles including the first popular edition of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Caxton
was an enthusiastic editor and he determined the diction, spelling and usage for all the books
he printed. He realized that English suffered from so much regional variation that many people
couldn’t communicate with others from their own country. Caxton’s contributions as an editor
and printer won him a good portion of the credit for standardizing the English language.

Impacts of the printing press:

In Europe the printing press played a vital role during the Renaissance to modern day. The
contribution of press to European people in Renaissance period was very remarkable these
were-
1 It spread awareness among the people.
2 Printing press gives various knowledge & sources related day to day life.
3 Books, magazines, pamphlets were available at a cheap rate, which helps people.
4 People know day to day news related to his local city or country also,
5 Through printing journal people criticized his local authorities or ruler and raised his
voice against the church, pope, king & government.
6 Information could now be spread much more quickly.
7 More copies of books, pamphlets, or posters would be printed, spreading ideas.
8 As print media spread, reading became more accessible and affordable.
9 hem.
10 This prompted more people to learn to read, increasing literacy rates.

5
 11 People became better educated as they learned about all kinds of topics from religion
to science to politics by reading.
12 Print media became a large business as the demand for printed materials grew.
13 Eventually printing texts became accessible to more people so that everyday people
could share their ideas.

India and the World of Print:

Manuscripts before the Age of Print India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten
manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, as well as in various vernacular languages.
Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were sometimes
beautifully illustrated. They would be either pressed between wooden covers or sewn together
to ensure preservation (Athavale, 2018). Manuscripts continued to be produced till well after
the introduction of print, down to the late nineteenth century. Manuscripts, however, were
highly expensive and fragile. They had to be handled carefully, and they could not be read
easily as the script was written in different styles. So manuscripts were not widely used in
everyday life. Even though pre-colonial Bengal had developed an extensive network of village
primary schools, students very often did not read texts. They only learnt to write. Teachers
dictated portions of texts from memory and students wrote them down. Many thus became
literate without ever actually reading any kinds of texts (Mahajan, 2001).

REFERENCE:
1. Athavale, S. P. (2018). Handbook of Printing. Notions Press India, Chennai.
2. Mahajan, B. D. (2001). Modern Indian History. S. Chand & company limited, New delhi.

6
 CHAPTER-3

Printing Press in India:

The printing press had an essential part in Indian history. The printing press facilitates the bulk
distribution of standardized printed materials. There is no documentation concerning the first
printing press. But during the first millennium A.D China produced the earliest known written
text. Europe did not acquire the printing press until 150 years after its introduction in China. In
1440, goldsmith and inventor Johannes Gutenberg began experimenting with printing in
Strasbourg, France. He was a Mainz, Germany, political refugee. Later, he returned to Mainz,
where he had the Gutenberg press ready for commercial use by 1450.

The Christians, who came to India with an avowed purpose of propagating Christianity among
the Hindus and convert them into Christians, set up for the first time printing presses in India
to achieve their desired goal. 6th September, 1556 is quite significant for the Indians as it was
on that day the first printing press in India. It is interesting as well as significant to state that
initially the establishment of printing presses in different parts of India was looked down with
contempt and suspicion by the Indians as their sole aim was the propagation of the Christian
faith.

Printing press in Goa:

Portuguese were given their intention towards Goa to propagate Christianity & started his work
on the field in the press. They tried to establish a printing press. Some prominent personalities
were given interest in establishment of press in several places of Goa.
Among The great personality Joao De Bustamante. The individual responsible for the initiation
of printing in India was one Joao De Bustamante (rechristened Joao Rodrigues in 1563), a
Spaniard who joined the Society of Jesus in 1556. Bustamante, who was an expert printer,
along with his Indian assistant set up the new press and began to operate it. Among others, four
books are known to have been printed by Bustamante:
(a) conclusoes e outras coisas (Theses and other things) in 1556.
(b) Confesionarios in 1557.
(c) Doutrina Christa by St. Francis Xavier in 1557.
(d) Tratado contra os erros scismaticos dos Abexins (A Tract against the Schismatic Errors of
the Abyssinians) by Gonçalo Rodrigues in 1560.

7
The earliest surviving printed book in India is the Compendio Spiritual da Vide Christaa
(Spiritual Compendium of the Christian life) of Gaspar Jorge de Leao Pereira, the Portuguese
of Goa. It was printed by Joao Quinquencio in 1561 and re-edited by Manuel de Araujo in
1600, and was embellished with ornate woodcut initials on each opening chapter. This was
followed by the printing of Garcia da Orta’s Colóquios dos simple drogas he cousas medicinais
da India on 10 April 1563 by Joao de Endem. In 1558 the 1st illustrated cover page (the
illustration being done with the relief technique of woodblock) was printed in Goa for the book
Constituciones Do Arcebispado De Goa.

Another Spaniard to play a major role in the history of printing in India was Joao Gonsalves,
who is credited with preparing the first printing types of an Indian script- Tamil. However,
since they were not satisfactory, new casts were made in Quilon (Kollam) by Father Joao da
Faria. On 20 October 1578, these types were used to print the first book in an Indian language
in India (the first Tamil book was printed in Lisbon in 1554 in Romanized Tamil script.)
Henrique Henriques’s Doctrina Christam en Lengua Malabar Tamul - Tampiran Vanakkam, a
Tamil translation of St Francis Xavie’s Doutrina Christa. This 16page book of prayers and
catechetical instructions was printed in Quilon. Though no extant copies of the first edition are
available, MSS copies dating 1548-1614 are preserved in Lisbon and Rome. It should be
mentioned here that Henriques was inducted into the Society of Jesus with the express intention
of sending him to India to assist Francis Xavier. After the first press, a second press was set up.
Not much is known about it except that it belonged to John Quinquencio and John Endem. The
third press was set up in the St. Ignatius College, Rachol. Though Devanagari types were cast
in 1577, the Christa Purana - an epic poem on the life of Jesus Christ written in the literary
form of the Hindu puranas - was published not in Devanagari, but in the Roman script in the
College of Rachol (1616 and 1649) and the College of St Paul (1654). This was primarily
because of the clumsy shapes of the Devanagari types. In 1626, Diogo Reberio compiled the
Vocabulário da Canarim (A Vocabulary of Konkani language) a Konkani-Portuguese and
Portuguese-Konkani dictionary.

The 17th century saw the beginning of a large-scale book-printing in Goa, egged on massively
by the need to print Christian texts for the benefit of the newly converted Christians. This time
also saw a shift from the use of coercion to that of religious education for conversions. Thus, a
number of books were printed in Konkani and Marathi due to the initiative of, among others,
Father Thomas Stephens in 1640, who produced the first Konkani Grammar- the Arte de

8
Lingua Canarin and in 1622, published Doutrina Christam em lingua Brahmana Canarim,
ordenada a maneira de dialogo, pera ensinar os meninos, por Thomas Estevao, Collegio de
Rachol or Christian Doctrines in the Canarese Brahmin Language, arranged in dialogue to teach
children, which was the first book in Konkani and any Indian language), Father Antonio
Saldanha, Father Etienne do la Croix, Father Miguel do Almeida and Father Diogo Ribeiro
(whose Declaraçam da Doutrina Christam, or Exposition of Christian Doctrine in konkani was
printed in 1632) . Despite the effort of father Stephen and general familiarity of the Devanagari
script, it was found easier to cast not Devanagari, but Roman types for Konkani. This was one
of the major factors that alienated Konkani from other Indian languages, since the Roman script
failed to fix a number of Konkani sounds that the Europeans faced difficulty in pronouncing.
However, this adoption of the Roman script for printing in the vernacular helped printing to
flourish in Goa till 1684, when the official decree suppressed the vernacular languages and
printing suffered a setback. Printing in Tamil stopped after 1612, and the last books printed in
Latin and Portuguese before printing fairly died were published in 1674.

Printing press in Bombay:

Although the first printing press was imported into Bombay as early as 1670 by the Parsi
businessman Bhimjee Parikh, it was more than a hundred years before the first newspaper was
printed.The first newspapers in Bombay were owned and printed by Parsis, who already owned
the technological and financial basis for such ventures. The first English newspaper in Bombay
was printed by Rustomji Keshaspathi in 1777.

The first paper, the weekly Bombay Herald appeared in 1789, in Bombay and then came the
Bombay Gazette in 1791. The last name incurred official wrath for a criticism of the police
administration. The editor was ordered to submit every issue for censorship before publication.
In 1792 his paper was amalgamated with the Bombay Herald and regained official favour.
Although these papers occasionally criticised the action of the government, they were primarily
intended for Englishmen in India, and were generally speaking of nonpolitical character. They
published orders of the government and Indian news, letters to the editor, personal news, and
notes on fashion, parliamentary reports, newsletters and reports from various parts of Europe.
The first vernacular newspaper in Bombay was the Gujarati daily Mumbai Samachar, published
in 1822 by Fardoonjee Marzban. Although not the first newspaper in an Indian language (that
distinction was held by the Bengali newspaper Sangbad Kaumudi, published from Calcutta)
Mumbai Samachar is still being published, and is India’s oldest newspaper. The first Marathi

9
daily Dig-Dursan appeared in 1837, and the first Hindu-Gujarati newspaper, Vartaman in 1849
(in Ahmedabad). Initially the newspapers concentrated on social issues. In 1851 Dadabhai
Naoroji started the first political paper-- Rast Goftar. In later years, when K. N. Kabraji became
the publisher, he stopped all political commentary and had a public exchange of letters with
Naoroji in which each accused the other of deviating from the original agenda. In 1878 the
Government of India passed the Censorship Act. Protests from the press had no effect. Four
years later, in 1882, the newspaper Kaiser-i-Hind was founded by Framjee Cowasji Mehta.
This became a platform for the fledgling Congress from its inception in 1885. The leading
British newspaper of this time was the Times of India 1861.

Printing press in Madras:

In the realm of modern printing in India, the men who laid the strong foundation were Rev.
Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and his associates and printer Johann Gottlieb Adler at the Protestant
Mission in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu. They took the honour of establishing the first formal
Protestant Mission in Asia. One Johann Heinrich Schloricke, a 30 years old printer printed in
Portuguese the Tranquebar Mission press’s first publications in 1712/13. This heralded the
revival of printing in India. The vast printing industries in India owe a debt of gratitude to Rev.
Ziegenbalg and his associates at the Protestant Mission, Tarangampadi who gave life to the
modern printing in the by-gone days. Rev. Ziegenbalg used the special Tamil typefaces made
in Halle on his request. The Tamil typeface set arrived in Madras on June 29, 1713. It
revolutionised printing in Tamil. It was for the first time Tamil work was printed.

In Madras the weekly Madras courier, started in 1785, enjoyed officials’ favour. Two papers
followed in 1795. The editor of one of them, India Heralds was deported for having made
defamatory attacks on the government and the Prince of Wales, while the editor of the other,
the weekly Madras Gazette, was prohibited from publishing copies of the general order of the
government until they had been submitted for the inspection of the military secretary. On 29
June 1799, a general order was issued by the Madras government requiring the newspaper to
be submitted to the inspection of the government before their publication.
Other important newspapers of Madras were Tranquebor printing & Publishing House,
Madras-1851, Fort.St. George Press and College, Madras-1831, Usmani Press, Madras
(Urdu)1907, Shahi Press, Madras (Urdu)1919, First Printing Certificate Course, Madras-1924,
Lutheran Printing Press, Vaniyambadi 1925, Majeedia Press, Madras (Urdu) 1929 First
Diploma Course Printing at Madras 1933 First Degree Course in Printing at Madras 1983.

10
Printing Press in Odisha:
The history of press in Odisha owed a lot to the Christian missionaries who were pioneers in
this field. With the establishment of the printing press by them began the story of the press in
Odisha. In due course of time vernacular press emerged in Odisha. It also prepared the way for
the growth of journalism. The growth of press and journalism in Odisha led to the rise and
spread of nationalism in this soil.

In fact, the Baptist missionaries were the pioneers of establishing printing presses in Odisha.
They at first printed religious texts in Oriya for the propaganda of Christian ideas. For the first
time in 1837, they established a press in Cuttack named the ‘Cuttack Printing Press’ and
published the earlier Oriya journals. They were the pioneers of press in Odisha.
In 1866, the second printing press in Odisha was established which was named as the Cuttack
Printing Company. Only after two years in 1868, the third printing press was established at
Balasore by the efforts of Fakir Mohan Senapati with the help of local Zamindar and people.
After five years of the establishment of that press by Fakir Mohan, another press was
established in Balasore in 1873. Between 1873 and 1899 establishment of the press in Odisha
became rapid.

The establishment of the press was a landmark in the history of journalism in Odisha. As stated
earlier, the Missionaries had established a press in 1837. In the same year the first Oriya
newspaper named Kujibara Patrika was published by the initiative taken by a monk named
Sadhu Sundar Das. Then the missionaries published the journal named Jnanaruna in 1849 for
the propagation of their religious ideas. They also published two other journals named
Prabodha Chandrika and Arunodaya.

A milestone was established in the field of Oriya journals when Bichitrananda Das was inspired
by T.E. Ravenshaw, the Commissioner of Odisha established the Cuttack Printing Press in
1866. From that press was published Utkala Dipika edited by Gauri Shankar Ray. He was the
editor of this journal till his death in 1917. Fakir Mohan Senapati, the ‘Father of Oriya Prose’
established a press at Balasore and by the inspiration of John Beams, the Collector of Balasore
published two monthly journals named Bodha Dayini and Balasore Sambad Vahika. Later on
Sambad. Vahika became a weekly journal. This journal remained as an influential journal of
Odisha in the last quarter of the Nineteenth century.

11
Cuttack Mission Press launched two periodicals Sevak and Samskaraka. The Sevak was a
monthly journal and Samskarika was a weekly journal. In 1889, Sambalpur Hitaisini was
published under the redoubtable patronage of King Sudhaladev. It reflected the news and views
of the people of Western Odisha. It was edited by Nilamani Vidyaratna. It played a vital role
in giving wings to the language agitation in Sambalpur. Similarly receiving the royal patronage
of Harihara Mardaraj of Khallikote Prajabandhu was published under the editorship of
Vidyaratna. It was meant to check the dominance of the Telgus. Raja Baikuntha Nath Dey of
Balasore set up another press at Balasore and brought out a journal Utkala Darpana in 1873.
Utkala Madhupa, Utkala Putra, Kohinur Utkal Sahita, Dainika Asha, Samaj etc. were other
journals and newspapers. The English Journals and Newspapers

With the march of time, the English journals and newspapers were published in Odisha. Among
the leading ones were Cuttack Argus (1869), Cuttack Star (1869), Cuttack Standard Odisha
Patriot (1866), Ganjam News (1896) and Star of Utkal (1906-1912). Those were the novel
experiments in the field of journalism in Odisha (Rajeev, 2019; Satapathy, 2022) .

REFERENCE:
1. Ahir, R. (2019). A Brief History of Modern India. Spectrum Publication, New Delhi.
2. Satapathy, C. R. (2022). History of India-VIII. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.

12
 CHAPTER -4

Vernacular Press in India:

The Portuguese founded the printing press in India in the 16th century. But the spread of the
press in India was developed by the British. They set up different printing presses in different
places in India.

James Augustus Hicky launched ‘The Bengal Gazette’ or ‘Calcutta General Advertiser’ on
January 29, 1780 which was the first newspaper in India. It was popularly known as ‘Hickey’s
Gazette.’ However, the first issue of Hickey’s Gazette had two pages and later on. It was
increased to four pages. However, it was seized in 1782 because of its outspoken criticism of
the Government. Later on, more newspapers came to publish in India. After Hicky’s the Bengal
Gazette, several newspapers such as The Calcutta Gazette (1784), The Bengal Journal (1785),
The Calcutta Chronicle (1786), The Madras Courier (1788), The Bombay Herald (1789), The
Bombay Courier (1790), The Bombay Gazette (1791) etc. were published in India. Later on,
many English newspapers came to publish in India. It is interesting to note here that in 1789,
the first newspaper from Bombay, ‘The Bombay Herald’ was published, followed by ‘The
Bombay Courier’ next year. This newspaper merged with ‘The Times of India’ in 1861. The
first issue of ‘The Times of India’ was published by Robert Knight in 1861.These newspapers
aimed to cater to the intellectual entertainment of the Europeans and Anglo-Indians.
Meanwhile, the Company’s officers were worried that these newspapers might reach London
and expose their misdeeds. In Bombay and Madras, newspapers did not seem to have come
into conflict with the Government in the early period. In the absence of press laws, the
newspapers were at the mercy of the Company’s officials

Digdarshan was the first vernacular newspaper. It was started in April 1818 by the Serampore
missionaries William Carcy, Joshua Marshman and William Ward. They soon started another
journal in June of the same year and named it Samachar Darpan. The first vernacular newspaper
published by an Indian was in Bengali and Persian. It was published by the most important
personality of vernacular journalism, Raja Ram Mohan Roy. In the history of Indian
journalism, he is one of the tallest personalities. He was a social reformer who used his journals
to criticise traditional customs and practices which were holding back Indian society. He felt
the need for modernization by following rational and egalitarian customs and practices.

13
Ram Mohan in his journals endeavoured to counter the criticism of the missionaries on the one
hand, and to educate Indian public opinion on the need for social reform. The beginning of the
vernacular papers by Roy brought to the attention of Indians the controversial social and
political topics of the time. In this way, he was able to bring about public awakening about
national issues. Raja Ram Mohan Roy also brought out periodicals in English, Bengali and
Persian. Some of Roy’s papers were Sambad Kaumudi, Brahmanical Magazine, Mirat-ul-
Akhbar, and Bangadoota and Bengal Herald. Sambad-Kaumidi and Mirat-ul-Akhbar tried to
meet a wide variety of reader interest. There were items of local news including births,
marriages and deaths, as well as reports of events in India and the world; articles on themes of
religious and social reform, especially the need to end the inhuman custom of Sati as well as
travelogues; and shipping and commercial news. Mirat-ul-Akhbar, the weekly in Persian,
devoted much space to international affairs.

The awakening generated by Ram Mohan Roy in Bengal soon spread to other parts of India.
Newspapers published in Indian languages strengthened national consciousness. Indian- owned
newspapers sprang up in various parts of the country. Many of them advocated political and
social reform. This awakening also resulted in the formation of citizens’ associations
comprising lawyers, teachers and other sections of the English educated intelligentsia and
emergence of nationalist newspapers.

In the struggle against the British, vernacular newspapers played a very notable role and so
restrictions were imposed on their freedom. This included the Hindi Patriot, established in
1853, by the author and playwright, Grish Chandra Ghosh. It became popular under the
editorship of Harish Chandra Mukherjee. In 1861, the paper published a play, "Neel Darpan"
and launched a movement against the British, urging the people to stop cultivating the crop for
the white traders. This resulted in the formation of a Neel Commission. Later, the paper was
taken over by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The paper strongly opposed the Government’s
excesses and demanded that the Indians be appointed to top government posts. The Indian
Mirror was the other contemporary of this paper which was very popular among the reading
public. Yet another weekly, Amrita Bazar Patrika started publication from Jessore edited by
Sisir Kumar Ghosh. It was to ventilate grievances of the people and to educate the public and
was critical of the government.

14
Convinced that the vernacular newspapers were spreading national consciousness, Lord Lytton
on March 1, 1878 passed the Vernacular Press Act, an Act for more stringent control of
publications in vernacular languages. One of the most acts, this act furnished the Government
with more effective means to punish and repress seditious writings calculated to cause
disaffection with the Government among the ignorant population. It empowered any Magistrate
of a district, or a Commissioner or Police in a Presidency town to force the printer and publisher
of a newspaper to agree not to publish certain kinds of material, to demand security, deeming
it forfeited at their discretion, and to confiscate any printed matter it deemed to be objectionable
in accordance with this Act. No printer or publisher against whom such action had been taken
could have recourse to a court of law.

The press played a vital role in the building of Indian nationalism. The national movement
emerged from the fact that leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy to Keshab Chandra Sen, Gokhale,
Tilak, Pherozshah Mehta, Subash Chandra Bose, C.R. Das, Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath
Banerjee, C.Y. Chintamani, Moti Lal Nehru, Madan Mohan Malaviya, M.K. Gandhi and
Jawaharlal Nehru used it as a medium for arousing and mobilising nationalist public opinion.
They criticised the government’s policies and educated the public in the understanding of
political problems through the press. It was a weapon in the hands of the nationalist leaders to
popularise among the people, their political programs and methods of struggle. This accounts
for the remarkable growth of the press in India in both daily and periodical at that time. The
support of the vernacular press for the national movement was strong and enduring, as calls,
first for home rule, and then for full independence, gathered in strength in the first two decades
of the twentieth century. Thus, as Daya Thussu argues, "an Indian press both, in English and in
the Indian languages became an integral component in the rise of anti-colonial nationalism,
providing a necessary vehicle for nationalist discourse as well as serving to develop informal
political constituencies amongst their readership press". (Das and Sahu,2018; Mahajan, 2001)

REFERENCE;
1. Das, S. & Sahu, B. (2018). History of India. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.
2. Mahajan, B. D. (2001). Modern Indian History. S. Chand & company limited, New Delhi.

15
 CHAPTER-5

Some Important Printing Press Act’s:

In the end of the 18th and in the 19th century the British Colonial Government faced many
problems by the press. Some prominent newspapers or press criticized the action and work of
the government. So the British government wanted to introduce some prominent acts to control
the work of the press. The Government on its parts enacted many laws for regulating the
newspapers, particularly vernacular newspapers in India during the British colonial period.
Thus, they tried to introduce several laws for curbs in the press. Some prominent person or
Governor General of the British government introduced the law. Among them Lord Wellselly,
Lord Minto, Lord Warren Hastings, John Adam, Lord Amherst, Lord William Cavendish
Bentink, Lord Metcalf, Lord Auckland, Lord Lawrence, Lord Ripon etc were important. Some
major press act was given 8n below-

1.The Censorship of the Press Act, 1799

Lord Wellesley came to India as Governor General in 1798. At that time the condition was
quite critical. On the one hand Maratha were increasing their power. On the other hands Sultan
Tipu of Mysore was negotiating with the French to turnout British from Indian soil. Lord
Wellesley was keen to ensure that the French should not get information about the political
condition prevailing in India. So he enacted the Censorship of Press Act in 1799. It laid down
that no newspaper was to be established at all until the manuscripts or proof- sheets of the
whole paper, including advertisement, were submitted to and approved by the Government.
The penalty for violating the regulations was the deportation of the editor to Europe. The
restrictions were extended by Minto even to religious books.

2. Regulation of 1823
In 1823, John Adam, the active Governor General, reversed the policy of Lord Hastings
immediately after his departure. He passed certain regulations which required that:
(a) Every publisher or printer had to get a license first from the government. The defaulters
could be fined Rupees four hundred by a Magistrate and their press should be taken over by the
government.
(b) The government had the right to cancel any license.

16
As the result of these regulations the publication of vernacular paper greatly suffered. Raja Ram
Mohan Roy’s Mirat-ul-Akbar went out of publication and so did many other vernacular papers.
In fact, after these regulations, only three Bengali and one Persian newspaper continued their
publication from Calcutta James Buckingham, the editor of Calcutta journal was also deported
to England under these regulations,

3. Liberation of India Press -1835

Under Lord William Bentick, the Indian Press was somewhat liberated. Though Bentick did
not revoke the licensing regulations adopted by Adams in 1823, he did give greater freedom of
discussion to India as well as the Anglo-Indian Press. But it was under Charles Metcalfe, the
official Governor-General from 1835-36 that the regulations of 1823 were withdrawn. For this
Act he has been bestowed with the title of liberation of India press. It may be noted that
Metcalfe received valuable support from Macaulay: the law member of the Governor-
General’s council. Under a new press Act the publisher or the printer require to make a
declaration concerning the peruse account of the premises of publication. He could, also the
press by declaration to this effect. As a result of this enactment, the Indian press was placed at
par with the British press. This liberal press policy resulted in rapid growth of newspapers all
over the country.

4. The Licensing Act of 1857

The outbreak of the 1857 revolt convulsed the whole of India during 1857-58. It was inevitable
that a great deal of the bitterness and race hatred endangered by the events of these two years
would be reflected in the Press. So through the Licensing Act of 1857, licensing restrictions
were reintroduced. In addition to the existing procedures regarding registration, as laid down
by Metcalfe also continued. The use of printing presses without a license from the government
was prohibited. The government was given discretionary power to grant licenses or revoke
them at any time. The government could also stop or prohibit the circulation of any newspaper,
book on other printed matter. Three papers Durbin, Sultan-ul-Akbar and Samachar
Sudhavarshan were prosecuted for writing seditious articles.

5. Registration Act, 1867

The Act of 1867, the Press and registration of Book Act was passed. This Act was more of a
regulatory nature than a restrictive measure on the Press on newspapers. Under this Act, a copy
of every book or newspaper printed was to be submitted to the government for record and

17
examination. The printers and publishers were required to register their names and every book
or newspaper was required to print the name of the printer and publisher, as well as the place
of printing. The publisher and the printer were required to file a declaration before the
magistrate regarding good conduct of the press and publication. This Act has continued to be
in force till present times with certain modifications made in 1890, 1914 and 1953.

6.Vernacular Press Act, 1878

The Vernacular Press Act empowers a magistrate, with previous sanction of the provincial
government to require a printer or publisher to deposit a security or enter into a bond binding
him not to print or publish anything likely to incite feeling of disaffection towards the
government or hatred between the deposit, etc. in the event of the publication of same
undesirable matter, the printer was given the option of submitting proofs to the official censor
and dropping alt rejected matter and thus escape from the clutches of law.

7.The Newspapers Act, 1908

The partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon and his anti-India policy resulted in a lot of agitation
in the country. A movement was set on foot to drive out the Englishmen’s bags and baggage
from the country. Consequently, the Newspapers (Incitement to offence) Act was passed in
June 1908. The object of the Act was to put an end to the existence of those papers which
contained any incitement to murder of any offence under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908
or any act of violence. According to this Act, the district magistrate was empowered to
confiscate the printing press where a newspaper containing incitement to evidence was
published. The government was also authorized to annual declaration of the printer or publisher
of the newspaper under the Act of 1877. On account of the strongest provisions of the Act of
1908, the ‘Yugantar’; ‘Sandhya’ and the, ‘Vande Mataram’ stopped their publication.

8.The Indian Press Act, 1910

The Act of 1910 empowered a magistrate to require a deposit of not less than Rs 500 and not
more the Rs. 2000 from the keepers of the new printing press and publisher of newspapers. The
local government was empowered to require the existing press and publishers of newspapers
to deposit not less than Rs. 500 and not more than Rs. 5000 as security was authorized to
dispense with the deposit of any security or cancel or vary any order already issued in this
connection if he had special reason for doing so.

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9.The Indian Press (Emergency power) Act
After the launching of the civil disobedience movement by congress in 1930, the Indian press
grew very critical of the British government and highlighted its various Acts of omission and
commission. it gave vast convergence to the nationalist activities and the authorisation
perpetuated by the British. Under the circumstances, the British government decided to muzzle
the press before it could inflame the native feelings. This resulted in the enactment of the Indian
press (Emergency power) Act, 1931. The chief objective of the Act was against the publication
of matters likely to incite or encourage violence or murder. The keepers of the printing press
could be asked to deposit security. If they published any objectionable prial against the
government, the security could be forfeited. It may be noted that these restrictions applied
against the keepers of printing presses as well as publishers of newspapers. If a press worked
without depositing security, it could be confiscated for publishing unauthorized news sheets
and newspapers.

10.The Foreign Relation Act 1932

The Foreign Relation Act 1932 replaced an ordinance of 1931. Its object was to penalize
publications calculated to interfere with the maintenance of good relations between his
majesty’s government and friendly foreign states. The necessity of this law arose when the
newspaper criticized the administration in certain states adjoining the frontiers of India. The
Act provided that where an offence under Chapter XXI of the Indian Penal Code was
committed against the ruler of a state outside. but adjoining India, or against the consort or son
of Principal Minister of such ruler, as the governor-general in council might make, or authorize
any person to make a complaint in writing of such an offence and any court competent in other
respect to take cognizance of such offence might take cognizance of such a complaint. Any
book, newspapers or other document containing such specified defamatory matter which
tended to prejudice the maintenance of friendly relations between his majesty’s government
and the government of such state, could be retained in the same manner as seditious literature.
In January 1933, four ordinances were promulgated which conferred certain powers for the
maintenance of law and order and particularly widened the operative section of the Press Act
so as to permit action against the publication of matter calculated to encourage the Civil
Disobedience Movement.

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11. Indian State Protection Act, 1934
The object of this act was to prevent unreasonable attacks on the British administration of India
and provide authorities in British India with power to deal with bands or demonstrators
organized on semi-military lines, for the purpose of entering and spreading disaffection in the
territories of the Indian states. The above laws continued to remain in force up to 1913 when
World War II broke out’ in order to meet the difficult situation, the Government of India was
forced to pass the Defense of India Act. The government also framed rules known as the
Defense of India Rules. These rules enabled the government to control the Indian press for six
long years. Action was taken against those newspapers which dared to violate the above rules
as law. However, the Act and the rules lapsed with the end of the World War

12. Press Trust of India Ltd.

The most notable event in Indian journalism in 1948 was the formation of the Press of India
Ltd. This organization took over the supply of news to and from India. This was done on the
basis of an agreement with the Reuters. This agreement enabled the Indian Press to get complete
control over its own internal news supply. The Press Trust is a non-profit-making concern and
membership is open to all newspapers of India. The P.T.I has now become independent of the
Reuters.

13. Press Laws Inquiry Committee, 1948

The government of India set up a Press Law Inquiry Committee under the chairmanship of Shri
Ganganath Jha. The committee brought together all the existing press laws of India and made
recommendations regarding the direction in which the law required to be modified. The Central
Legislature nominated some members to the committee. Three editors were also recommended
by the Indian Newspaper Editors Conference. The committee made the following
recommendations.

a) An explanation should be added to section 153 A (I.P.C) to the effect that it does not
amount to an offence. Under that section to advocate a change in the social or economic
order, provided such advocacy does not involve violence.
b) Repeal of the Indian states (protection) Act of 1914
c) Repeal of the Foreign Relations Act of 1932

20
 d) Before taking action against the press under emergency legislation, provincial
government should invariably consult the Press Advisory Committee or similar body.
e) Repeal of the Indian press (Emergency powers) Act of 1932 was recommended but it
was also suggested that certain provisions of the Act, which did not find a place in the
ordinary law of the country should be incorporated into that law at suitable places.
f) Section 124, LP.C. relating to sedition should be amended so as to apply only to act or
words which either incite disorder or are intended to incite disorder.
g) Section 144 1.P.C should not be applied to the Press and separate provision should be
made, if necessary, for dealing with the Press in urgent cases of apprehended danger.
h) Necessary provisions should be made in the law to empower courts to order the closing
down of press for a special period in case of repeated violation of law.

14. The Indian Constitution

Article 19 of the new Constitution of India which came into force on 26th January 1950
provided for the freedom of expression; that the right to freedom of expression was held by
some courts to be comprehensive that no action could be taken against any individual who
advocated murder and other violent crimes, Consequently, the First Amendment Act was
passed in June 1851. It was provided that the right to freedom of speech was to be subject to
all laws imposing restrictions with regard to the security of the state, friendly relation with
foreign states, public order, decency or morality, contempt of court, defamation and incitement
of offences.

15. Press (Objectionable Matter) Act, 1951

In the course of debate in Parliament on the Constitution (First Amendment) Bill, the
Government of India promised to introduce a Press Bill which was free from the objectionable
features of the Indian press (Emergency Power) Act 1931 and which was in accordance with
the new Constitution of India. Such a bill was introduced in the Parliament on 21st August,
1951 and was named as the Press (Incitement to Crimes) Bill. However, its name was changed
later on with a view to dissociating this bill from the Act of 1908 which had a similar title. The
amended bill was passed by the Parliament and received the assent of the President in October
1951.
According to the objects and reasons of the Act, the new law was directed against the
encouragement of violence or sabotage of certain other very grave offence and the publication
of scurrilous matter. No pre-censorship was imposed on any newspaper unless it actually

21
abused its freedom by the publication of some objectionable matter. Security could not be
demanded arbitrarily. That could be done only after proof of the actual abuse of the freedom of
the press by the publication of objectionable matter. Even in their case, the demand of security
on its forfeitures was not to be provided by the executive but by the session’s judge. The
session’s judge was to pass orders only after a full trial. He was to hear both the government
and the keeper of the Press or the publisher of the newspaper. The publishers or the keeper
could claim the right to be tried by a special jury composed of the persons particularly qualified
to sit in judgment over case of the a6use of the freedom of the press by journalistic experience
or by an association with public affairs. A right of appeal was provided to the High Court on
all points involved in every case. The amount of security was not to be excessive and in no case
more than the amount specified in the complaint made by the competent authority was to be
ordered. Provision was made for the return of security if no further action was taken in respect
of the press or the newspaper or the news-sheet for a period of two years from the date of
deposit. Provision was made against double penalty. Any offence punishable under the Act and
any abetment of such offence were made cognizable and bailable. This Act repealed all other
laws relating to the Press.

16. Press Commissions of 1952

The government of India appointed on 23rd September 1952, a Press Commission consisting
of 11 members. The Chairman of the Commission was Justice G.S Rajadhyaksha. The
Commission submitted its report in August 1954. The Commission," recommended the
establishment of an all India Press Council. The Council was to consist of 25 members of whom
13 or more were to be working editors, journalists of standing in the profession, including
working editor. It was to have in addition a Chairman who should be either sitting or a retired
judge of a High Court. He was to be nominated by the Chief Justice of India. The following
were to be the objectives of the Press Council:
(a) To safeguard the freedom of the press and to help the Press to maintain its Independence.
(b) By censuring objectionable types of journalistic conduct and by all other possible means to
build up a code in accordance with the highest professional standards.
(c) To keep under review any development likely to restrict the supply and dissemination of
new of public interest and Importance
(d) To encourage the growth of the responsibility and public service among all those engaged
in the profession of journalism

22
(e) To study development on the Press which may tend towards concentration or monopoly and
make it necessary to suggest.
(f) To publish reports at least once a year, regarding its work and reviewing the performance
of the Press, its development and the factors affecting them.

To improve methods of recruitment;

Education and training for the profession by the creation of suitable agencies for the purpose
such as a Press Institute. The Press Registrar was to keep a close watch on the conclusion that
in a particular area in a language, a monopoly has developed; he was to bring it to the notice of
the Press Council who will conduct an investigation into the existence of the monopoly.
Whether that had acted against public interest, whether undesirable practices had been resorted
to for eliminating competition and what measures, if any, were necessary to deal with the
situation. The state trading corporation for newsprint was to be entrusted with monopoly of
imports and could take over the entire output of Indian mills on a fair basis and sell the same
along with imported newsprint at equated prices.

Later on, the Indian Parliament passed a few laws concerning the Press in India. The names of
some of them are the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (public Libraries) Act 1954, the
Working journalists (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955, the
Newspaper (Price and Page) Act, 1956, Parliamentary Proceedings (Protection of Publication)
Act, 1960, etc. (Das and Sahu, 2018; Satapathy,2022).

REFERENCE:
1. Das, S. & Sahu, B. (2018). History of India. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.
2. Satapathy, C. R. (2022). History of India-VIII, Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.

23
 CHAPTER-6

Impacts of Printing Press:

After establishment of the printing press in India, it had greatly contributed not only politically
but also in religiously, economically, socially, educationally & others fields also.
Countries saw drastic changes in the above mentioned field. Various impact was:

1 It gave a new way of looking at things. Information could now be spread much more
quickly. And they joined different movement in freedom struggle time.
2 More copies of books, pamphlets, or posters would be printed, spreading ideas.
3 As print media spread, reading became more accessible and affordable.
4 Previously, books could be very expensive because of the labour it required to produce
them.
5 A new reading class emerged in society. This prompted more people to learn to read,
increasing literacy rates.
6 It helps to raise nationalism feelings among people & to wake up or be conscious to
people about his rights & liberty.
7 People became better educated as they learned about all kinds of topics from religion
to science to politics by reading.
8 Print media became a large business as the demand for printed materials grew.
9 Eventually printing texts became accessible to more people so that everyday people
could share their ideas. Many writers, journalists or publishers openly criticised the
British Government, its administration, rule & policies & evil practices of Indian
society.
10 The press had a huge impact on Indian society during British rule. The advent of print
and press during the British period contributed to the development of education in India.
Through books and newspapers, the printing press aided the dissemination of ideas
among Indians.
11 The Baptist Missionary had a big impact on this subject. By 1820, they claimed to have
printed 710,000 school books in a variety of vernacular languages. During British rule
in India, several printing and publishing companies were established which were largely
in charge of publishing textbooks, news bulletins, and other resources that led to the
development of India’s modern education system.

24
 12 In the meantime, the printing press began highlighting the value of women’s education.
Many women writers, such as Kailashbashini Debi, Tarabai Shinde, and Pandita
Ramabai, authored novels in the early nineteenth century that highlighted the true state
of women in Indian society and encouraged them to pursue education.
13 Furthermore, a significant portion of the female population was dedicated to education,
which was only feasible due to the invention of the printing press.
14 The printing press had an impact on religion throughout the British colonial period.
Missionaries constructed a printing business in India to promote Christianity literature.
They established a big number of printing presses in India. Christian missionaries
translated several Sanskrit religious works into English.
15 Meanwhile, printing presses encouraged Hindus to read holy scriptures, especially in
vernacular languages. It is important to note that the first printed edition of Tulsidas’
Ramcharitmanas was released in Kolkata in 1810. Religious literature began to reach a
much wider audience after the printing press was invented, fostering discussions inside
and across India’s various religions.
16 Many social reformers,social writers, national leaders wrote many books & journals
where they badly criticised the different social evils practices of Indian society & others.
In the above mentioned pages we know the impact of the printing press in India. It
played a vital role in India. It contributed largely but in the above pages I described only
a few (Ahir, 2019).

REFERENCE:

1. Ahir, R. (2019). A Brief History of Modern India. Spectrum Publication, New Delhi.
2. Athavale, S. P. (2018). Handbook of Printing. Notions Press India, Chennai.

25
 CHAPTER-7

Conclusion:
The history of the Indian press began with the coming of the Europeans. The Portuguese were
the first European nation who brought a printing press to India. The Writing of orientalist
scholars promoted the development of the printing press in India. However, the development
of the press in India began in a colonial context. The employees of the Company were
prohibited from having any relations with the newspapers. The freedom of press was almost
completely suppressed because of the fear of the criticism of British rule. While political
writings were forbidden, social and religious news, particularly those by missionaries, was
encouraged.

By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the press started to play an important role in social
and political matters. The development of newspapers, controlled by Indians, changed the
complexion of the press in India. Prosecutions against a large number of Indian newspapers
and their editors were launched for writing against the colonial state. However, as Indian
nationalism emerged, the press received mass support and was able to critically analyses the
policies of the British state. During the Gandhian era, the press continued to be an important
force in strengthening nationalism. After independence, the press freedom, implicit under
Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, helped the media in working it as the fourth pillar
of democracy. Amidst the various challenges in post-independent India, press started to work
in a free and constructive manner for building a new India (Das and Sahu,2018).

REFERNCE:
1. Das, S. & Sahu, B. (2018). History of India. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.

26
 A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Ahir, R. (2019). A Brief History of Modern India. Spectrum Publication, New Delhi.
2. Athavale, S. P. (2018). Handbook of Printing. Notions Press India, Chennai.
3. Das, S. & Sahu, B. (2018). History of India. Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.
4. Dittmar, J. (2009). Ideas, technology, and economic change: The impact of the printing
press. Science, 1-49.
5. Febre, L., & Martin, H. J. (1997). The coming of the book: the impact of printing 1450-
1800 (Vol. 10). Verso.
6. Mahajan, B. D. (2001). Modern Indian History. S. Chand & company limited, New
Delhi.
7. Moran, J. C. (1971). The development of the printing press. Journal of the Royal Society
of Arts, 281-293.
8. Nagler, M. N., Moran, J., Nagler, A. M., & Nagler, M. N. (1974). Printing presses:
history and development from the fifteenth century to modern times (Vol. 310).
University of California Press.
9. Satapathy, C. R. (2022). History of India-VIII, Kalyani Publication, New Delhi.
10. Woodward, D. (1980). The printing press as an agent of change. Imago Mundi, 32(1),
95-97.

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