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Hindi journalism has completed nearly two hundred years of remarkable growth and transformation. It occupies a strong and influential position in India’s media and political landscape. Unlike Europe and America, where newspaper readership has declined sharply, Hindi newspapers in India have continued to expand their readership even in the age of television and digital (online) media. The growth of the middle class after liberalisation and rising literacy in Hindi-speaking regions have contributed to the strengthening of Hindi journalism.
Today, Hindi journalism is no longer subordinate to English journalism; rather, it has emerged as an independent and commercially powerful force. Advertising revenues, market expansion and technological development have further accelerated its growth in the small towns and mofussil areas. It has provided a network where people from marginalised communities find a voice.
The beginning of Hindi journalism dates back to May 30, 1826, when Jugal Kishore Shukla launched the first Hindi weekly newspaper, Udant Martand, from Calcutta. Published every Tuesday, it aimed to serve Hindi-speaking people who were deprived of access to newspapers in their own language. In the publisher’s note of the inaugural issue, Shukla explained that newspapers in English, Persian, and Bengali benefited only readers of those languages, while Udant Martand was started “for the benefit of Hindustanis.”
The newspaper carried reports on national and international events, markets, villages and cities, official appointments, and advertisements. Though pioneering, it survived only for about one and a half years. Due to insufficient readership, lack of government support and a defamation case filed by another publisher, the paper was shut down on December 4, 1827. In his emotional final editorial, Shukla compared the closure of the paper to the setting sun.
The language of Udant Martand is historically significant because it reflects the early stage of Khari Boli Hindi prose. Although modern readers may find its grammar, spelling and vocabulary inconsistent, the newspaper provides valuable insight into the development of modern Hindi. Its language carried influences from central Indian dialects, Brajbhasha, Urdu, Persian and Sanskrit. Shukla himself was multilingual and this diversity appeared in the newspaper’s style. Editor and author Ambika Prasad Bajpai praised the language and editorial quality of Udant Martand, noting that despite being the first Hindi newspaper, it was thoughtfully edited in both language and ideas.
Hindi journalism developed gradually after Udant Martand. The first Hindi daily newspaper, Samachar Sudha Varshan, began publication in 1854 from Calcutta under the editorship of Shyam Sundar Sen. In Banaras, Banaras Akhbar emerged through the efforts of Raja Shiv Prasad Singh. However, Hindi journalism truly gained momentum after 1860 with the activities of Bharatendu Harishchandra and his associates. Through literary and political journals, they helped create a Hindi public sphere. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was little separation between literature and journalism. Writers were often journalists, and journals combined literary, social and political concerns. Newspapers and magazines such as Kavi Vachan Sudha, Harishchandra Chandrika, Bharat Mitra, and Hindi Pradeep played important roles in shaping public opinion and modern Hindi prose.
The growth of Hindi journalism was closely linked with the rise of Indian nationalism and the development of modern Hindi language. Hindi newspapers actively participated in debates over Hindi versus Urdu, language and script movements and later the freedom struggle. Journalism became a medium through which Hindi evolved into a modern prose language. The establishment of Fort William College in 1800 had already encouraged the development of Khari Boli prose, and journalism accelerated this process further.
After India’s independence in 1947, Hindi received the status of official language in 1950, giving Hindi journalism new confidence. However, English remained the language of power, administration and technology. As a result, English newspapers enjoyed better government support, advertising revenues and technological advantages, while Hindi journalism faced neglect. Low literacy rates and poverty in Hindi-speaking regions also limited its growth.
Despite these obstacles, important political developments such as the Emergency, the Mandal Commission movement, and the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute increased the demand for news in Hindi. Social and political changes gradually transformed Hindi into a language of power. By 1978-79, Hindi newspapers had already surpassed English newspapers in readership and this lead continued to widen.
A major turning point came after economic liberalisation in 1991 which brought global technologies, advertising revenues and opened new market opportunities for Hindi media. Media scholar Sevanti Ninan observed that liberalisation “reinvented the Hindi public sphere.” Hindi journalism became more commercialised, technologically advanced and professionally managed.
In my research on the impact of globalisation of Hindi journalism, I found that neo-capitalism significantly changed the nature and definition of news. Newspapers started increasingly prioritising on Khush Khabar (good news). Sports, entertainment, lifestyle and economic news, often at the expense of political and ideological discussions, were given prominence on the front pages.
Journalism moved toward “depoliticisation,” where debates on politics and ideology were often reduced or avoided. This shift reflected the broader influence of neoliberal policies, privatisation and role of brand managers on news selection. News is categorised as upmarket and down-market, with issues concerning marginalised communities receiving less attention.
A stalwart of Hindi journalism, editor of Jansatta newspaper, Prabhash Joshi in an interview with me, in 2008, remarked that: “… the growth that has taken place is highly lopsided. In terms of circulation and advertising, these newspapers have become efficient and far-reaching, but one does not feel that they have achieved any real mastery in providing meaningful news, opinion, ideas, or an understanding of the world.” Sadly, even after nearly twenty years it still holds true and hence the celebration is somehow muted.
In the last decades, the role of editors has greatly diminished, giving way to brand managers, as the primary goal of Hindi newspapers shifted toward attracting advertisers. With globalisation, Hindi newspapers began capitalising on the rise of consumerist tendencies in society, targeting the emerging neo-middle-class readership. In this scenario, the rise of majoritarian Hindutva politics, led by the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government, has also influenced media dynamics. Editors and journalists often hesitate to challenge those in power, further shaping the editorial direction of Hindi newspapers.
Arvind Das is Professor and Director of School of Media and Communication Studies at D.Y. Patil International University, Pune.
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