The history of printed newspapers in India began to unfold on January 29, 1780. Behind the historic venture was James Augustus Hicky, a gritty but eccentric Irish businessman who had arrived in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1776 with a fond hope of achieving success in the shipping trade. His trading venture turned out to be a fiasco. As he could not repay the capital borrowed for the shipping business, he ended up in jail for about two years.
While in prison, he conceived of setting up a printing press to publish a newspaper. After his release, he launched a four-page weekly titled Hicky’s Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser on January 29, 1780, from Calcutta, the headquarters of the East India Company. It was the first printed English-language newspaper to be published in the Indian sub-continent as well as in all of Asia. He described the motto of the publication in its masthead as a “Weekly political and commercial paper open to all parties but influenced by none.”
The road ahead in his journey as editor and publisher was bumpy and hazardous. In the absence of any local institution to monitor or evaluate the East India Company’s affairs, the officials had a field day misusing their authority. Several officials of the company were indulging in fraudulent practices. Writing about the scandalous activities of the company officials wasn’t free of risk for Hicky. But that was no deterrent to packing his weekly with a variety of content ranging from news from England, local news, trade, and business news such as the arrival and departures of ships, business notifications, and advertisements. He used to present a summary of the developments in Europe also.
Hicky devoted ample space for letters from readers that reflected their views and feelings about the prevailing conditions. He highlighted the poor road conditions, sanitation problems and the living conditions of the deprived sections of the city. Issues relating to the salary and promotions of soldiers, which Hicky brought to the notice of the authorities, earned their appreciation. As he was close to the European settlers in the city, he published gossip on the social elite, which was liked by the readers.
A report published in his weekly on the dismal conditions of the city roads resulted in the passing of a law to collect additional taxes to improve roads. This encouraged Hicky and he became more outspoken about the administration. In the Pollilur war in September 1780 near Kanchipuram, in which more than 3,000 British soldiers were killed by the Mysore king Hyder Ali, infuriated Hicky. He fervently opposed wars against Indian rulers.
The reports of wars in India published in Hicky’s weekly were widely reproduced by leading publications in Europe. He did not mince words while writing about the corrupt practices prevalent among the officials in the military and general administration. He was the first one to raise a voice against the working style of the top officials of the East India Company.
A rival weekly to Hicky’s Bengal Gazette emerged in Calcutta in November that year. The new weekly, named India Gazette, was the brainchild of two East India Company employees, Bernard Messink and Peter Reed. Moreover, it had the support of Governor-General Warren Hastings, who had allowed its free distribution through the post office, much to the chagrin of Hicky. Expectedly, India Gazette published the official version of events and issues. This made Hicky more ferocious, and he began to attack Warren Hastings, Madam Hastings and Elijah Impey, the Chief Justice.
Hicky’s malicious ridicule of Hastings’ wife landed him in jail more than once and the government issued an order banning his paper’s circulation through the General Post Office. Though this was a big setback for Hicky, he remained undeterred and hired 20 delivery boys to distribute his weekly in the city.
The wrath of the government remained unabated. Several suits were brought before the court against Hicky, and in one case, he was made to pay a huge sum as security. Though jailed in other cases, he managed to bring out the paper and continued to criticise the Governor-General and the Chief Justice. The authorities seized the printing press and Hicky was jailed again. After about two years of its existence, the first Indian publication was driven out of business and ceased its publication on March 23, 1782. Innumerable mercy petitions by Hicky were never considered sympathetically by the authorities. Thus ended the story of the first printed newspaper in India 240 years ago.
Hicky practised provocative journalism and fought for free expression. Many British and Indians, including Raja Ram Mohan Roy, were inspired to publish newspapers by Hicky’s effort. The fighting spirit exemplified by Hicky was pursued by Indian journalists during the freedom struggle.
(The writer is a former chairman of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Karnatak University)