Udant Martand
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Jugal Kishore Shukla |
| Founded | 30 May 1826 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Ceased publication | 4 December 1827 |
| Headquarters | 37, Amartalla Lane, Kolutolla, near Barabazar Market, Kolkata |
| Circulation | 500 (1st issue) |
Udant Martand (The Rising Sun) was the first Hindi language newspaper published in India. Started on 30 May 1826, from Calcutta (now Kolkata), the weekly newspaper was published every Tuesday by Pt. Jugal Kishore Shukla.[1][2]
History
By the early 19th century, educational publications in Hindi had already started, thus journalism was only a matter time. By the 1820s, newspapers in several Indian languages were starting, including Bengali and Urdu; however, printing in Devanagari script was still rare. Soon after Calcutta School Book started printing, Samachar Darpan, a Bengali journal which started in 1819, had some portions in Hindi. However, Hindi reading audience base was still at a nascent stage. Thus few of the early attempts were successful, but they nevertheless were a start.[3]
Shukla was a lawyer originally from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, who had settled in Calcutta,[4] and became Proceedings Reader at the Sadr Diwani Adalat (Civil and Revenue High Court), and later on a pleader.[5][6] On 16 February 1826, he along with Munnu Thakur of Banstala Gali, Calcutta, received a license to publish a newspaper in Hindi.[6][7]
The newspaper was started on 30 May 1826; with it for the first time a newspaper was published completely in Hindi, using Devanagari script. Udant Martand employed a mix of Khari Boli and Braj Bhasha dialects of Hindi.[5][8] The first issue printed 500 copies,[3] and the newspaper was published every Tuesday.[6] The office of newspaper was at 37, Amartalla Lane, Kolutolla, near Barabazar Market in Kolkata.[9]
Owing to its distance from the Hindi-speaking areas of North India, the newspaper had difficulty in finding subscribers.[6] The publisher tried to get government subscription, and patronage in the form of postal fee exemption for eight newspapers to be posted to North India. However, it didn't receive the subscription and only one newspaper was allowed postal fee exemption, which meant that the paper could never be financially viable.[6] Nevertheless, it briefly gained prominence for featuring the controversy that rose Bengali-language magazine, Samachar Chandrika and traders from interiors, who were based in Calcutta.[4]
However soon due to higher postal rates as well as distant readership, the newspaper ran into financial difficulties. The publication expected some funding from the government, which didn't come through, and eventually closed on 4 December 1827.[1][4][10] A year later in 1828, government withdrew government subscription for newspapers, started during the liberal period of Governor-General Lord William Bentinck, which led to several small newspapers closing.[6]
Many years later in 1850, Shukla also started a magazine, Samdand Martand,[1] which ran till 1929.[11]
Legacy
Today, "Hindi Journalism Day" or Hindi Patrakarita Diwas is celebrated on 30 May each year, as it marked the "beginning to journalism in Hindi language".[12]
References
- ^ a b c Hena Naqvi (2007). Journalism And Mass Communication. Upkar Prakashan. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-81-7482-108-9.
- ^ S. B. Bhattacherjee (2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. A119. ISBN 978-81-207-4074-7.
- ^ a b Ronald Stuart McGregor (1974). Hindi Literature of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-3-447-01607-0.
- ^ a b c J V Vilanilam (2005). Mass Communication In India: A Sociological Perspective. SAGE Publications. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-0-7619-3372-4.
- ^ a b Rajendra Lal Handa (1978). History of Hindi language and literature. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 330.
- ^ Brijendra Mohan Sankhdher (1984). Press, politics, and public opinion in India: dynamics of modernization and social transformation: On the role of the press in India, 1780-1835. Deep & Deep Publications. pp. 132–133.
- ^ Brijendra Mohan Sankhdher (1986). Pioneers of freedom and social change in India. Deep & Deep Publications. p. 94.
- ^ Samaren Roy (2005). Calcutta: Society and Change 1690-1990. iUniverse. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-595-34230-3.
- ^ "The first Hindi newspaper 'Udant Martand' was ...-- This Day In Indian History of Indian Publication 30-May-1826 - IndianAge.Com". Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ Rama Vajpayee (2002). Press Inside Outside. Gyan Publishing House. p. 90. ISBN 978-81-7835-076-9.
- ^ "Hindi Journalism Day Celebrated In India to Mark 187 Years of Hindi Journalism". Jagran Josh. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
Sources
- Ram Ratan Bhatnagar (1947). The Rise and Growth of Hindi Journalism, 1826-1945: Being an Attempt at a History of Hindi Journalism in Historical, Chronological and Evolutionary Perspective. Kitab Mahal. p. 27.