The early nineteenth century was a period of great technological and social transformation. It was also an era of great socio-political upheaval and political repression.
The introduction of new technology, the printing press, added a new dimension to history. It opened up unprecedented opportunities for enterprising individuals, social reformers, and political entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo. Newspapers emerged as their new tools to speak and to be heard – weapons to propagate their messages. Europeans and Indians alike used this technology and newspapers started sprouting up in the sub-continent.
On 12 April 1822, Raja Rammohun Roy started India’s first Persian newspaper – the Mirat-ul-Akhbar. An erudite Persian scholar and a tenacious social reformer, he believed in ‘searching for the truth through the light of discussion.’
As a language, Persian, still recognised in courts, was seen as a means to reach the intelligentsia – the top policymakers of the country. Rammohan also realised that he could express himself best in a language he was most comfortable with – Persian. As a result, he wrote many of the articles and edited the newspaper.
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