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CHAPTER ONE / GROWTH OF THE PRESS FROM 1864 TO 1930. (PRE-RAJARAM ERA TO FIRST DECADE OF RAJ ARAM ERA). Press is often hailed as the fourth pillar of democracy. It plays a very important role in all the branches of human life. So it did in pre-Independence period of the modern India. Its contribution is quite substantial to the social history of that period and to the freedom struggle. The history of the press in India goes back to the period of Company rule, when some Europeans and Anglo-Indians had started newspapers in the second half of the eighteenth 1 century. Their objectives, however, were limited, just two-fold - information and amusement. And in meeting those objectives, those newspapers relied heavily on extracts from the newspapers and journals published in England or in other parts of Europe. The printing press, newspapers and journals made their beginning in the metropolitan towns of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. In the beginning, newspapers were published in English. The 'Calcutta General Advertiser'was the first newspaper 2 to arrive onthe Indian scene. It was brought out by James Augustus Hicky, the proprietor of the 'Bengal Gazette' or 'Calcutta General Advertiser' and its first issue was published on January 29, 1780, ■3 at Calcutta. The 'Madras Courier' was the first newspaper started in 4 Madras in 1785. Bombay, the last of the Presidency to have its own 15) 5 newspaper, came up with ’Bombay Herald' in 1789 which was followed by 'Bombay Gazette' (1790) and the 'Bombay Courier' (1792). However, all those publications were essentially in English. With the passage of time, newspapers came out in vernacu­ lars too. So far the Marathi press is concerned, Bal Gangadhar Shastri Jambhekar (1812-46) is the pioneer of it. He came up with 'Darpan', a fortnightly in Bombay, on January 6, 1832. 6 During the same year, on My 4, he turned it into a weekly, a bilingual one, published in English and Marathi. Other newspapers, started in Bombay, soon after the beginning of ' Darpan', were ' Mumbai Akhabar* and 'Dnyan-Sindhu' in 1840, 'Prabhakar' in 1841, 'Indu- prakash in 1862, and so on. Though Bombay took a lead in the publication of Marathi papers, yet Pune did not lag behind. Within a. few years of the publication of 'Darpan' in Bombay, Pune had its first 7 paper in 'Mitrodaya' in 1844. The other papers soon to be published from Pune was 'Dnyanprakash' in 1849. Growth of the Press in Kolhapur State Upto 1894: The Princely State of Kolhapur also followed the suit just a decade later. However, there is some controversy as to the first paper started in this region. Some credit it to Q Nana Moraji Trilokekar (1822-1895) with that honour. He hailed from Bombay and worked as Chief Clerk in the office of the Political Agent at Kolhapur. He started 'Vartman Sangrah' in 1853-^ But this (6) view is not accepted by others. Many others associate Colonel Anderson, the Political Agent of Kolhapur, with the beginning 10 of the press in Kolhapur. It was started with three motives, as a money saving device, to complete the typing work of Durban in time and to inform the subjects of the work being done by 11 the Government. - Thus, the beginning of the press in the Princely State of Kolhapur might have been led by an Englishman, who wanted it to be a link between the ruler and his subjects. The second newspaper of Kolhapur 'Dnyanasagar’, which 12 was edited by one Narayan Raghunath Mantri, appeared in 18?0. Ini­ tially, it was a monthly, but later on it was converted into a weekly. The periodical was brought out in a traditional and old manner. It survived for long. The 'Shubhavartamandarshak Va Churchsambandhi Nanavidh Sangraha', a monthly that appeared in 1872, was for the propagation 18 of Christianity. Edited by one Rev.D.J.Taylor, it was a bilingual, in English and in Marathi. The title of the former was 'The 14 Gospel and Church Missalani'. However, the monthly could not survive long and it was closed down in 1876. Narayan Raghunath Mantri, the editor of the 'Dnyansagar' t 15 started another monthly, viz. Sudnyanammrut' in 1874. It contained various topics from chemistry to fiction-plays, poems, essays and book reviews, etc. Unfortunately, this monthly also did not survive for long. It had a life-span of only two years. A joint venture came up between one Abasaheb Parasnis and Shankarshastri Gokhale in 1883, in the form of a weekly 'Dakshinvrutta' in Marathi. 0 But the venture obviously failed due perhaps to partnership hassles, because one of the partners, Shankarshastri Gokhale, later started his own paper 'Vidhvavilas' -paper- in 1886. * It must be noted that this was the onlyy which lived for a long time, from 1886 to 1948. It was also the first daily 18 newspaper in Kolhapur State. There is also' a reference that the owner of the above newspaper, 'Vidhyavikas', started a IQ monthly, 'Tatvaprakash' some time in 1876. Growth of the Press from 1894 to 1922 (Rajarshi Shahu Era)i The 'Shahu Era' stretching from 1894-1922 is of major significance in the social history of Maharashtra in general and that of Kolhapur State in particular. Efforts were made in the establishment of equality among all sections of people and to raise the status of the backward classes. Non-Brahmin Movement, Satyashodhak Movement, Untouchability Removal Movement, dominated Kolhapur. He initiated a policy of recruitment of non-Brahmins in the State services, special provisions of reserva­ tions of seats in the government services for backward class persons, abolition of various kinds of 'Vatans', viz. Joshi-Vatans, Mahar-Vatans, Kulkarni-Vatans, etc., 'Vedokta Controversy' and establishment of 'Kshatrajagatguru Peeth', free and compulsory education, encouragement to female education, establishment of various kinds of schools, etc. This period is also important in the growth of the press in Kolhapur State. The first two decades of twentieth century witnessed the arrival of a number of newspapers and peridicals in Kolhapur 1 State, particularly due to keen interest and encouragement shown by Chhatrapati Shahu in the development of the press. For instance, he personally took one Mr.Bhujangarao Gaikwad to Pune to have him trained in journalism under the guidance ?n of Prof.N.R.Phatak, editor of the wellknown paper 'Induprakash'7 Subsequently, Mr.Bhujangrao Gaikwad started 'Vijai Maratha*. Similarly, Chhatrapati Shahu also extended financial help of Rs.500/- annually to- Prof.Vijapurkar in 1894, which helped 21 him to start a monthly ’Granthamala*T Chh.Shahu's inspiration was behind the genesis of many newspapers, such as 'Tarun Bharat' of Dinkarrao Jawalkar.,. 'Garibancha Kaivari' of Dattatraya Sakharam Jadhav. Of such publications, Prof.Vishnu Govind Vijapurkar's 'Granthamala' was the important one. It was devoted to the 22 cause of social awakening and reforms. However, 'Granthamala' i touched various other topics too, such as linguistics, education, politics, science, sports, mythology, etc. The source material of the Maratha History, Vols.V, VI and VIII and the English Translation of the 'Maratha History' of V.K.Rajawade were included in it. However, it did not enjoy history. It ceased to be published from 1907, twelve years after its beginning. 19) Prof.Vijapurkar had also started a weekly entitled 'Samartha' in 1898 devoted to national education and politics. However, his anti-Shahu role in Vedokta Controversy and his criticism of British sealed his paper's fate. A security was demanded from him, which he could not afford and so he stopped its publication in 1909. In 1906, he had started a monthly, 'Vishvavrutta'. His attempts to uphold 'Brahminism' was looked down upon by both the general public and the Durbar. He and his co-editor, Vaman Malhar Joshi, were awarded three years' 28 imprisonment. The publication ceased to exist. Papers also appeared during this period in other |larts of the State. At Gadhinglaj (Elakha Karveer), a monthly 'Nanalahari' started in 1897 by one Narayan Hari Patki. A bi- mo thly 'Dnyanavilas' edited by B.A.Surve and published by M.S.Hire- 24 math was started at Khandal in Gadhinglaj in 1898. 'Maratha Dinbandhu', a weekly started in 1901 by the efforts of Bhaskarrao Jadhav, D.A.Vichare and Rane, was closed down immediately within four years in 1905 due to financial 25 difficulties. p£ It is interesting to note that 'Aryamitra'~ a bimonthly edited by Muttayya Siddhalingappa Hiremath of Khandal and the 'Manovinod', a monthly edited by Ismal Babaji Bhaldar of Kolhapur brought out in 1904 were solely devoted to entertainment and 27 amusement. Similarly, the Virshaiva community in Kolhapur State pQ started the 'Veerashaivamatprakash' in the year 1906, which was edited by Muttayyaswami Brahmamathadhyaksha at Khandal and the pg 'Veerashaivotkarsha Vicharmala' in the year 1907, edited by Veera- basav Shivalingappa Shreshethi at Kolhapur devoted to the propaga- tionof Veerashaivism. Some time before 1905, two magazines, 'Mahapuram' and 'Jain Bodhak* started by Kallappa Bharmappa Nitave, were printed SO at his own press 'Shri Jainendra Press', Kolhapur. Two monthly papers were started in the year 1906-07, the 'Prakashak' of the Society for the propagation of the Gospel and the 'Hospital Assistant' of Mr.R.V.Bapat.^ The 'Sunrittavadini', a weeklyand the 'Sanskrit Chandrika', a monthly, were started by Appashastri Rashivadekar, in 1908, in Sanskrit. -?2 It was the first attempt in Kolhapur State made by Appashastri Rashivadekar to publish newspapers in Sanskrit. The paper 'Pragati' appeared in 1908, but it only added its name to the list. The second decade of Shahu Era saw the arrival of three important periodicals, i.e. 'Dharma-Vichar', 'Vishwabandhu* and 'Chhatrapati'.

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