NCERT · Class 10 · Social Science · History: Print Culture and the Modern WorldDiscuss the role of print culture in shaping public debates on social and religious reforms in 19th-century India. How did the colonial government attempt to control the Indian press?

Introduction\nFrom the early 19th century, intense debates took place around religious, social, and political issues in India. Print culture played a crucial role in expanding these debates, as printed tracts and newspapers allowed ideas to reach a wider public and stimulated national consciousness.

Role of Print in Shaping Religious and Social Debates

1. Debates on Social Customs

   • Reformers and orthodoxy entered into fierce public debates over matters such as widow remarriage, Sati, caste hierarchy, and idol worship.
   • Raja Rammohun Roy published the Sambad Kaumudi in 1821 to criticize Sati and orthodox Hindu rituals. To counter his views, the Hindu orthodoxy published the Samachar Chandrika.

2. Impact on Muslim Community

   • Muslim scholars (Ulama) feared that colonial rule and Western culture would undermine Islamic personal laws.
   • They used cheap lithographic presses to print religious texts, translations of the Quran, and newspapers. The Deoband Seminary, founded in 1867, published thousands of fatwas guiding Muslims on daily conduct.

3. Growth of Nationalist Consciousness

   • Print connected people across different regions of India. Newspapers reported on colonial misrule, administrative exploitation, and economic drainage.
   • Leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak wrote passionately in his Marathi newspaper Kesari, which inspired anti-colonial resistance.

British Measures to Suppress the Indian Press

1. Early Censorship (Pre-1857)

   • Before 1798, the East India Company was mainly concerned about British critics of its monopoly. By 1823, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed regulations to control press freedom.

2. Post-1857 Revolt Reaction

   • After the Revolt of 1857, the attitude toward the native press changed. As vernacular newspapers became assertively nationalist, the British government sought stricter controls.

3. Vernacular Press Act (1878)

   • Modeled on the Irish Press Laws, this Act gave the colonial government tyrannical powers to censor reports and editorials in vernacular newspapers.
   • If a report was deemed seditious, the paper was warned, and if it ignored the warning, the press could be seized and assets confiscated.

Conclusion\nDespite harsh suppression and censorship laws, nationalist newspapers grew in number across India, keeping anti-colonial struggles alive and fostering a sense of national unity.