Inking freedom

‘’The true function of journalism is to educate the public mind and read the mind of the country and to give definite and fearless expression to that mind.’’ These are the words of Gandhiji, who as such expressed his views on what the role of journalism should exactly be. As the entire nation prepares to celebrate another Independence Day, it is time to introspect how the Press influenced the struggle for independence. While discussing the many influences on our struggle for independence, we need to re-evaluate how our newspapers and journals aroused our consciousness about the cry for liberty.

Although the first printing press was installed by the Portuguese in 1550, and the first book was published in 1557, and although the English East India Company established a press in Bombay in 1684, no newspaper was published until a century later. The officials of the Company did not wish their malpractices to be known to the people of London through the newspapers. To be precise, the British masters were not comfortable with the independent functioning of the Press. They knew that their governance of deprivation, exploitation, and stagnation would be revealed to the masses. Even then, the British masters realized that the Press was a demand that could not be indefinitely kept away from the community.

As Calcutta emerged as the capital of British India and the ‘Second City of the Empire,’ it also had one of the earliest journalistic publications, the Bengal Gazette, published by James Augustus Hickey. This was vital as it opened Pandora’s box for the British. Soon, one newspaper and weekly after another followed, and the colonial masters began feeling the pinch of the Press. The publication of the Bengal Gazette was stopped for criticizing the Governor-General, Supreme Court, and judges. This marked the beginning of the government’s high-handedness towards the Press. Soon, Lord Wellesley imposed censorship on the newspapers. When such censorship was imposed, the reaction against it grew. More and more people began reading newspapers, learning the facts, and feeling the crisis. This aroused social awareness, which converged into a sense of nationalism.

By the early 19th century, weeklies like Digdarshan and Samachar Darpan were spreading information. Raja Ram Mohun Roy, in his publications like Samvad Koumudi and Mirat-ul-Akbar, tried to reach the community. The result was the Act of 1823, by which the Governor-General was authorized to stop the publication of any newspaper. Naturally, the publications were exposing the hypocrisy of British rule. As the rise of readership was directly proportional to education, a class emerged that realized the necessity of freedom. All these factors culminated in the rise of nationalism in the mid-19th century. This wave of nationalism lashed the shores of India, leading to widespread participation in the freedom struggle at the beginning of the 20th century. Since newspapers and journals brought Indians news of events in the Western world, they became inspired by the civil and political rights enjoyed elsewhere. This knowledge made them aware of their exploitation, and once they knew, a section began to look back in anger. Thus, a small spark turned into a conflagration.

Newspapers during the freedom struggle in India were an important source of mass communication throughout the country. Leaders used newspapers to spread awareness among the masses. The impact of these newspapers and journals was not confined to towns and cities; they even mobilized the village masses. Many eminent Congress leaders were associated with publications. The Hindu and Swadesamitran under the editorship of G Subramaniya Iyer; Kesari and Mahratta under Bal Gangadhar Tilak; Bengalee under Surendranath Banerjee; Amrita Bazaar Patrika under Sisir Kumar Ghosh — all these publications radically exposed the misery that British rule brought to India. Tilak was perhaps the first to use the Press to bring the lower middle classes, peasants, artisans, and workers into the Congress fold. Gandhiji, in his weekly newspaper Young India, voiced his concern for the masses.

When we talk about the role of newspapers, we must acknowledge both the English and the vernacular press. Over time, several vernacular dailies and periodicals began touching the hearts and shaping the minds of the people. This also provoked a reaction from the colonial masters in the form of the condemnable Vernacular Press Act, imposed by Lord Lytton in 1878, which forced newspapers like Amrita Bazar Patrika to switch to an English version. After Macaulay’s Charter, Wood's Despatch, and the University Acts, there was some emphasis on education. Indians became conversant in English; more students came under the umbrella of learning. This boosted the readership of newspapers, both in English and in the vernacular. The English masters were desperate to hush up their atrocities but were not successful. The notorious, forceful indigo cultivation that left poor cultivators hapless was exposed by the great editor of Hindu Patriot, Harish Chandra Mukherjee. It created such a sensation as to incite acts of rebellion. The British were alarmed as they faced resistance, with people expressing their desire for freedom from the tyranny of British imperialism.

The 20th century saw an outburst of the freedom struggle in India; it was also newspapers like Congress Socialist, New Spark, National Front, and People’s War that were dedicated to rejuvenating efforts towards independence. A committee was also formed in the 1930s under Tej Bahadur Sapru to monitor the position of newspapers. During the Civil Disobedience Movement, newspapers played a major role, forcing the government to implement restrictions through the Act of 1932. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, newspapers were powerful weapons to fight the British might. There were English publications like Bande Mataram, published from Calcutta, founded by Bipin Chandra Pal and edited by Aurobindo Ghosh; and The Bombay Chronicle, started by Sir Pherozeshah Mehta. The fiery Bengali newspaper Jugantar, founded by Barin Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta, was among the first revolutionary newspapers in the vernacular. The Free Hindustan was founded by the nationalist Taraknath Das in 1908 in Vancouver. It was described as an organ of freedom for political, social, and religious reform. Swami Vivekananda’s Udbodhan is also considered by many to have had an anti-colonial voice.

There is a very important saying in the world of the press: the key to a great story does not lie in ‘when’ or ‘how’ but in ‘why.’ It is this very ‘why’ that the printing media explored, firing the imagination of the masses, unveiling before them why they should roar against British misrule. If the educated middle class, ranging from students to teachers and government servants, responded to the clarion call of freedom, then substantial credit must go to the printing press. One of the most glorious instances of nationwide public protest augmented by newspapers was during the INA soldier trials in 1945. It forced the colonial government to bow down before a freedom-yearning nation. Yes, there was radio during the early decades of the 20th century, but it was not mass media at that time, which incidentally, newspapers were. As India became independent, the role of the press also evolved with changes. However, the basic function of creating public opinion remains the same. Newspapers and journals have truly demonstrated that "the pen is mightier than the sword."

The writer is an educator from Kolkata. Views expressed are personal