Newspapers played a vital role during India’s freedom struggle, serving as a key means of communication across the country. Leaders like Devendra Nath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi used newspapers to raise awareness among the people. These newspapers reached not only towns and cities but also remote villages.
| Year | Name | Newspaper/Journal | Founder(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1780 | Bengal Gazette | English newspaper | James Augustus Hicky |
| 1819 | Samvad Kaumudi | Bengali weekly newspaper | Ram Mohan Roy |
| 1822 | Mirat-ul-Akbar | Persian language journal | Raja Ram Mohan Roy |
| 1853 | Hindoo Patriot | English weekly | Madhusudan Ray |
| 1854 | Rast Goftar | Gujarati Newspaper | Dadabhai Naoroji |
| 1858 | Som Prakesh | Weekly newspaper | Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar |
| 1862 | Indian Mirror | Newspaper | Devendra Nath Tagore |
| 1868 | Amrita Bazar Patrika | Newspaper | Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh |
| 1871 | Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq | Journal | Sir Syed Ahmed Khan |
| 1878 | Hindu | Newspaper | Vir Raghavacharya and G.S. Aiyar |
| 1881 | Kesari | Marathi Newspaper | B.G. Tilak |
| 1888 | Sudharak | Newspaper | Gopal Ganesh Agarkar |
| 1896 | Prabuddha Bharata | English monthly journal | P. Aiyasami, B. R. Rajam Iyer |
| 1899 | Udbodhana | Magazine | Swami Vivekananda |
| 1903 | Indian Opinion | Newspaper | M. K Gandhi |
| 1905 | Bande Mataram | English language newspaper | Aurobindo Ghosh |
| 1910 | Bombay Chronicle | English-language newspaper | Firoze Shah Mehta |
| 1911 | Comrade | Weekly English newspaper | Maulana Mohammad Ali |
| 1912 | Al-Balagh | Urdu weekly newspaper | Abul Kalam Azad |
| 1912 | Al-Hilal | Urdu weekly newspaper | Abul Kalam Azad |
| 1913 | Pratap | Hindi language newspaper | Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi |
| 1914 | New India | English-language daily newspaper | Annie Besant |
| 1919 | Independent | Newspaper | Motilal Nehru |
| 1919 | Young India | Weekly journal | M. K Gandhi |
| 1920 | Mook Nayak | Marathi weekly | B.R. Ambedkar |
| 1924 | Hindustan Times | English daily newspaper | Sunder Singh Lyallpuri |
| 1929 | Nav Jeevan | Weekly newspaper | M. K Gandhi |
| 1932 | Harijan | Weekly journal | M. K Gandhi |
| 1936 | Free Hindustan | Journal | Tarak Nath Das |
| 1936 | Hindustan Dainik | Hindi newspaper | M.M. Malviya |
In conclusion, the history of journalism in India is intricately linked with our freedom struggle. The press played a crucial role in education, political propaganda, spreading nationalism, and mobilizing and uniting nationalist opinion.
Also Read: Development of Indian Press During British Rule.