Hindi Journalism Day — Bicentenary of Udant Martand (1826-2026)

Why in News: May 30, 2026 marks the 200th anniversary (bicentenary) of Hindi journalism in India. India’s first Hindi-language newspaper, Udant Martand (literally “The Rising Sun”), was launched on May 30, 1826 in Calcutta by Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla. Published weekly on Tuesdays, the newspaper printed approximately 79 issues before folding in December 1827 due to lack of patronage — the British administration funded Bengali, Urdu, and Persian newspapers but withheld support from Hindi. Despite its short life, Udant Martand established Hindi as a vehicle for modern public discourse and ignited a tradition of Indian-language journalism that became central to the freedom movement and to India’s post-Independence linguistic politics. May 30 is annually observed as Hindi Journalism Day (Hindi Patrakarita Diwas).

Udant Martand — Foundation of Hindi Journalism

The Press in Early-19th-Century India — Context

When Udant Martand launched, the Indian press was barely 50 years old:

Why Did the British Not Support Hindi?

The colonial administration’s preference for Bengali, Urdu, and Persian over Hindi reflected three logics:

1. Administrative convenience — Persian was the language of Mughal courts and continued in revenue administration into the 1830s; Urdu was used in police and lower courts in the North-Western Provinces; Bengali was the language of the Calcutta bureaucracy.
2. Class of intended readership — British policy targeted the professional and clerical classes (lawyers, traders, government clerks) who used Urdu/Persian in commerce and law.
3. Cultural perception — Hindi was seen as a “vernacular of the rural masses” and not a language of governance — a colonial framing that deepened the Hindi-Urdu divide by the late 19th century.

This refusal of patronage forced Hindi journalism into a self-funded, subscription-driven, often nationalist model from its very inception — a defining feature of its later political character.

After Udant Martand — The Growth of Hindi Press

By independence (1947), Hindi journalism was a central organ of the nationalist movement — Tilak’s Kesari (Marathi), Vidyarthi’s Pratap (Hindi), Surendranath Banerjee’s Bengalee (English/Bengali), and Madan Mohan Malaviya’s Abhyudaya (Hindi) all wove the press into freedom-movement organising.

The Press and the Freedom Movement — Press Laws

The colonial state responded to nationalist journalism with a sequence of repressive press laws:

Many of these acts specifically targeted Indian-language newspapers — the Vernacular Press Act, 1878 is the textbook example.

The Press in Independent India

Constitutional and Institutional Framework

Article 19(1)(a) — Right to freedom of speech and expression — has been judicially read to include freedom of the press since Romesh Thapar v. State of Madras (1950) and Sakal Papers v. Union of India (1962).

Reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) — sovereignty and integrity, security of state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, contempt of court, defamation, incitement to offence.

Hindi Journalism Today

• Largest readership of any Indian language: ~30 crore Hindi newspaper readers (IRS estimates).
• Major Hindi dailies: Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala, Punjab Kesari, Rajasthan Patrika, Navbharat Times.
• The Hindi press is the largest-circulation language press in India, surpassing English papers in absolute readership since the 1990s.

UPSC Relevance

Facts Corner

Udant Martand — the first Hindi newspaper:

• Launched: May 30, 1826 in Calcutta
• Founder + Editor: Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla
• Frequency: Weekly (Tuesdays); 4 pages
• Lifespan: ~79 issues; folded December 1827
• Cause: No British patronage (favoured Bengali, Urdu, Persian)

May 30 = Hindi Journalism Day (Hindi Patrakarita Diwas) — observed annually

Foundational Indian Newspapers:

• 1780 — Hicky’s Bengal Gazette (English) — first in India
• 1818 — Samachar Darpan (Bengali, Serampore)
• 1822 — Mirat-ul-Akhbar (Persian, Raja Ram Mohan Roy)
• 1822 — Bombay Samachar (Gujarati) — oldest continuously published
• 1826 — Udant Martand (Hindi)
• 1854 — Samachar Sudha Varshan (first Hindi daily)
• 1900 — Saraswati (Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi — “Dwivedi Yug” in Hindi literature)
• 1910 — Pratap (Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Kanpur)
• 1920 — Aaj (Varanasi)

Colonial Press Laws (key):

• 1799 — Censorship Act (Wellesley)
• 1823 — Licensing Regulations (John Adam)
• 1835 — Metcalfe Act (liberalising)
• 1867 — Press and Registration of Books Act
• 1878 — Vernacular Press Act (Lytton; repealed 1882 Ripon)
• 1908 — Newspapers (Incitement to Offences) Act
• 1910 — Indian Press Act
• 1931 — Indian Press (Emergency Powers) Act

Post-Independence:

• 1956 — First Press Commission (Rajadhyaksha)
• 1965 — Press Council Act (statutory PCI)
• 1978 — Press Council Act (re-established post-Emergency)
• 2023 — Press and Registration of Periodicals (PR&P) Act, 2023 — replaced 1867 Act

Hindi Press Today:

• ~30 crore readers — largest Indian-language readership
• Major dailies: Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala, Punjab Kesari, Rajasthan Patrika

Constitutional Framework:

• Article 19(1)(a) — freedom of speech and expression (includes press)
• Article 19(2) — reasonable restrictions (sovereignty, public order, etc.)
• Romesh Thapar v. State of Madras (1950); Sakal Papers v. Union of India (1962) — foundational press-freedom cases

Source: Hindi Journalism Day — Bicentenary of Udant Martand (1826-2026) — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs