Introduction:
The Indian press began in 1780 and grew into one of the strongest instruments of social reform and political awakening. Early newspapers criticised the East India Company. Later ones spread ideas of reform, education and nationalism. Leaders such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi used journalism to unite the country and demand freedom.
For UPSC, SSC, Banking and State PSC aspirants, this is a frequently asked topic in Modern Indian History.
Founders of Newspapers and Journals During British India (From 1780 to 1947)
| Sr. No. | Newspaper | Founder | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hicky’s Bengal Gazette | James Augustus Hicky | 1780 |
| 2 | India Gazette | Bernard Messink & Peter Reed | 1780 |
| 3 | Calcutta Gazette | Francis Gladwin | 1784 |
| 4 | Madras Courier | Richard Johnston | 1785 |
| 5 | Digdarshan | John Clark Marshman | 1818 |
| 6 | Samachar Darpan | Joshua Marshman, William Carey & William Ward (Serampore Trio) | 1818 |
| 7 | Sambad Kaumudi | Raja Ram Mohan Roy | 1821 |
| 8 | Mirat-ul-Akhbar | Raja Ram Mohan Roy | 1822 |
| 9 | Jam-e-Jahan-Numa | Harihar Dutta | 1822 |
| 10 | Bombay Samachar | Fardunjee Marzban | 1822 |
| 11 | Udant Martand | Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla | 1826 |
| 12 | Bangadoot | Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dwarkanath Tagore and others | 1829 |
| 13 | Sambad Prabhakar | Ishwar Chandra Gupta | 1831 |
| 14 | Bombay Darpan | Balshastri Jambhekar | 1832 |
| 15 | Jam-e-Jamshed | Pestonji Maneckji | 1832 |
| 16 | Delhi Urdu Akhbar | Maulvi Muhammad Baqir | 1837 |
| 17 | Tattvabodhini Patrika | Debendranath Tagore | 1843 |
| 18 | Rast Goftar | Dadabhai Naoroji and Kharshedji Cama | 1854 |
| 19 | Somaprakash | Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar | 1858 |
| 20 | Indian Mirror | Devendranath Tagore & Manmohan Ghose | 1861 |
| 21 | The Bengalee | Girish Chandra Ghosh | 1862 |
| 22 | The Pioneer | George Allen | 1865 |
| 23 | Amrita Bazar Patrika | Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh | 1868 |
| 24 | The Statesman | Robert Knight | 1875 |
| 25 | The Hindu | G. Subramania Iyer, M. Veeraraghavachariar and others | 1878 |
| 26 | The Tribune | Dyal Singh Majithia | 1881 |
| 27 | Kesari | Bal Gangadhar Tilak | 1881 |
| 28 | Mahratta | Bal Gangadhar Tilak | 1881 |
| 29 | Swadesamitran | G. Subramania Iyer | 1882 |
| 30 | Sanjivani | Krishna Kumar Mitra | 1883 |
| 31 | Sudharak | Gopal Ganesh Agarkar | 1888 |
| 32 | Malayala Manorama | Kandathil Varghese Mappillai | 1888 |
| 33 | Indian Social Reformer | Kamakshi Natarajan | 1890 |
| 34 | Indian Opinion | Mahatma Gandhi | 1903 |
| 35 | Swadeshabhimani | Vakkom Abdul Khader Maulavi | 1905 |
| 36 | Vande Mataram | Bipin Chandra Pal | 1905 |
| 37 | Yugantar | Barindra Kumar Ghosh and Bhupendranath Dutta | 1906 |
| 38 | Karmayogin | Aurobindo Ghose | 1909 |
| 39 | The Leader | Madan Mohan Malaviya | 1909 |
| 40 | Bombay Chronicle | Pherozeshah Mehta | 1910 |
| 41 | Comrade | Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar | 1911 |
| 42 | Al-Hilal | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | 1912 |
| 43 | Pratap | Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi | 1913 |
| 44 | Gadar | Lala Har Dayal | 1913 |
| 45 | New India | Annie Besant | 1914 |
| 46 | Young India | Mahatma Gandhi | 1919 |
| 47 | Navajivan | Mahatma Gandhi | 1919 |
| 48 | Anandabazar Patrika | Suresh Chandra Majumdar and Prafulla Kumar Sarkar | 1922 |
| 49 | Mathrubhumi | K. P. Kesava Menon | 1923 |
| 50 | Hindustan Times | Sunder Singh Lyallpuri | 1924 |
| 51 | Free Press Journal | S. Sadanand | 1928 |
| 52 | The Indian Express | P. Varadarajulu Naidu | 1932 |
| 53 | Harijan | Mahatma Gandhi | 1933 |
| 54 | National Herald | Jawaharlal Nehru | 1938 |
| 55 | Dawn | Muhammad Ali Jinnah | 1941 |
| 56 | Dainik Jagran | Puranchandra Gupta | 1942 |
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Conclusion
The Newspapers of India tell the story of the nation’s journey from colonial rule to independence. Each founder, from James Augustus Hicky to Gandhi and Nehru, shaped public opinion in a different way. For competitive exams, focus on three things: The first newspaper in each language, the founder, and the year. Revise the table and the Gk facts regularly, and attempt more MCQs to build confidence.
Quick Facts to Remember:
- Hicky’s Bengal Gazette (1780) is regarded as the first newspaper of India. It was also called the Calcutta General Advertiser.
- Samachar Darpan (1818) was the first Bengali weekly, and Digdarshan (1818) was the first Bengali monthly.
- Udant Martand (1826) is considered the first Hindi newspaper.
- Bombay Darpan (1832) is considered the first Marathi newspaper.
- The Times of India began in 1838 as the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce, and took its present name in 1861 after merging with other Bombay papers.
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak published Kesari in Marathi and Mahratta in
- The Hindu was started in 1878 as a weekly and became a daily in 1889.
- Gandhi started Indian Opinion in South Africa in 1903. In India, he published Young India, Navajivan and
- Amrita Bazar Patrika began in Bengali and was converted to English to escape the Vernacular Press Act of 1878.
- The Vernacular Press Act (1878) restricted Indian-language It was repealed in 1882 under Lord Ripon.
| Sr. No | Book | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum) | Rajiv Ahir |
| 2. | India's Ancient Past | R.S. Sharma |
| 3. | History of Medieval India | Satish Chandra |
| 4. | History of Modern India | Bipan Chandra |
| 5. | India's Struggle for Independence | Bipan Chandra |
| 6. | Independent India: Before and After | Bipan Chandra |
| 7. | The Wonder That Was India | A.L. Basham |
| 8. | Ancient India, Medieval India and Modern India (NCERT Class XI/XII) | NCERT |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q.1 Who founded Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, the first newspaper of India?
A) Francis Gladwin
B) James Augustus Hicky
C) Richard Johnston
D) Robert Knight
Answer: B) James Augustus Hicky
Explanation: Hicky started the weekly in Calcutta in 1780. Because of its bold criticism of the Company’s officials, it was soon suppressed.
Q.2 Sambad Kaumudi, a Bengali newspaper started in 1821, was founded by whom?
A) Debendranath Tagore
B) Ishwar Chandra Gupta
C) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D) Dwarkanath Vidyabhushan
Answer: C) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Explanation: Raja Ram Mohan Roy used the paper to support social reform, including the campaign against Sati. He also started the Persian journal Mirat-ul-Akhbar in 1822.
Q.3 Which newspaper was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in Marathi in 1881?
A) Kesari
B) Mahratta
C) Sudharak
D) Bombay Darpan
Answer: A) Kesari
Explanation: Kesari was the Marathi newspaper of Tilak, while Mahratta was his English newspaper. Both were launched in 1881.
Q.4 Mahatma Gandhi started the newspaper ‘Indian Opinion’ in which year?
A) 1893
B) 1915
C) 1919
D) 1903
Answer: D) 1903
Explanation: Gandhi began Indian Opinion in Durban, South Africa, to raise the issues of the Indian community there. Young India and Navajivan came later, in 1919.
Q.5 Amrita Bazar Patrika was founded in 1868 by whom?
A) Surendranath Banerjea
B) Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh
C) Girish Chandra Ghosh
D) Manmohan Ghose
Answer: B) Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh
Explanation: It started as a Bengali weekly from a village in Jessore. It later moved to Calcutta and became an English paper in 1878 to avoid the Vernacular Press Act.
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