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Trace the History of Print Revolution in India

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The print revolution started with the invention of the Gutenberg press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in England in the 1430s. First Bible was printed and introduced in the market and then multiple printing presses were set up in different places between 1458 to 1558.

Print Revolution in India

Print Revolution in India

Print Revolution in India

Printing press in India

The history of the printing press in India can be traced in the following manner:

  • The history of the printing press in India dates back to the 16th century when Portuguese traders brought the technology to Goa.
  • The first ever printing press in India was set up in 1556 at St. Paul’s College, Goa. Printing work started with the arrival of the printing press. A technician along with an Indian assistant was also sent from Portugal to India in order to run and supervise the working of the press. The first Tamil book was printed in Cochin in 1579 by Catholic priests.
  • The first prints from the press in India were not books but loose sheets of paper on which some rules and regulations were written, known as Conclusoes, which were used in official training at St. Paul’s College.
  • The first Indian language to be printed was Tamil, then Malayalam, and then Konkani.
  • In 1579, Jesuit Thomas Joseph came to India and worked for spreading and developing the Konkani language. He also wrote Krista Purana ( life of Christ) in the Marathi language, which was based on Ramayana.
  • Bengal Gazette was edited by James Augustus Hickey in 1780. The first weekly newspaper was Bengal Gazette by Gangadhar Bhattacharya.

Portuguese

The first printing press was introduced in India around the 16th century in Goa when the Portuguese came to India to trade for Beverages. The press was primarily used for printing religious content and reading material for Christians in India.

the press was used to print books regarding literature, medicine, and science in different languages such as Marathi, Konkani, and Tamil. like this Portuguese played an important role in establishing the print industry in India.

Konkani and Kanara language

Konkani and Kanara are the two most traditional languages of the southwest region of India. These languages were preserved with the help of printing their literature and prose. In the 17th century, the Konkani language was printed using the Roman script. Konkani is spoken in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. 

The printing press helped the languages to get widespread favoritism in society and played a crucial role in the development of languages and studies in these local lingual regions. Kanara is also a language spoken often in the Canara region of Karnataka and includes districts such as Dakshin Kannada and Udupi. The printing press helped in the growth of this language’s literature and printing of it in the form of copies made it easy to facilitate the spread the knowledge and ideas in the education of people in this region.

Cochin and Catholic Priests

The first printing press in Cochin was established by the Portuguese in the 16th century and was used to print religious content and Catholic Church material. Church had a strong presence in the Cochin region therefore the print of Church material prompted an idea of benefit. the press started to print and publish the Church material for educating local people and promoting literacy.

James Hickey and Bengal Gazette

James Augustus Hickey a former businessman in London came up with the idea of establishing a press. Under the rule of East India Company India’s capital Calcutta and Hickey established the press in Calcutta in two languages English and Bengali. He is defined as the father of Indian Journalism because of his printing truth against the government and was a clever person in his work.

On 29th of July 1780 he started a news-paper named Bengal Gazette also known by its identical name Hickey’s Gazette it included facts and stories about how the government treated the common men. These ideas were creating a situation of revolt against the government therefore, East India Company banned the newspaper and the Bengal gazette fell down in mere 2 years.

Impact of Print Revolution in India

  1. The print revolution brought a huge impact on India. Starting in the 16th century from Goa to spreading in every state and eventually, every big city in India printing revolution has come a long way. With more than 500 years of history of this journey, the print revolution had affected every citizen of then and present-day society with its impact on religious, cultural, educationist, official work, and vernacular press.
  2. The print revolution produced books and newspapers in large numbers so they become more affordable and accessible to a wider audience. This helped in the spread of education and literacy among the middle class and urban population.
  3. The print revolution played a crucial role in promoting social reform movements, such as the abolition of sati, child marriage, and untouchability. Newspapers played an important role in creating awareness about these issues and mobilizing public opinion in their favor.
  4. The print revolution played a pivotal role in the growth of the Indian nationalist movement. Newspapers and journals became platforms for nationalist leaders to articulate their vision of a free and independent India and to mobilize public support for the cause of Indian independence.

FAQs on Printing Revolution in India

Q 1. What is Print Revolution?

Answer-

Print Revolution refers to the new way of producing books, transforming the lives of people, changing their relationship with knowledge and with the new institutions and authorities, and reducing the cost of books.

 Q 2. How many revolutions in India?

Answer-

There is a total of 16 revolutions in India, mostly which are related to agriculture.

Q 3. How many printing presses are in India?

Answer-

There are total of 4 printing presses in India currently, which include Dewas, Salboni, Nasik, and Mysore.


Last Updated : 21 Jan, 2024
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