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So far as the beginning of Urdu Journalism in northern India is concerned, Jam-e-Jahān Numā (1822) was the first Urdu paper which was brought out under the joint editorship of Lala Sada Sukh and W.E. Pearce. However, in the South, according to M.S. Abdul Khāliq, “the first Urdu paper was the Fauji-Akhbār, printed at the Tipu Sultan’s government press at Mysore.”
In Delhi Urdu Akkhbār edited by Maulvi Mohammad Baqar, father of Maulana Mohammad Husain āzād, was the first Urdu paper started in 1836. Another news paper which had a short run was Sayyadul-Akhbār, edited by Sayyid Mohammad, Sir Syeed’s elder brother. This paper came out in 1837. Hence onwards a number of newspapers grew apace in Delhi, and by 1825 there were as many as eight newspapers in that city alone. Of these, two monthlies, normaly Muhibb-e-Hind and Favaid-e-Nazirīn edited by Master Rām Chandra of the Delhi College, deserve mention. Ramchandra had a scientific outlook, and his papers carried articles on science and literature.
Urdu Journalism in the Punjab began in Lahore on 14 January 1850 with the weekly Koh-e-Nūr, started by Munshi Harsukh Rāo, who belonged to Kayasth family of Sikandrabad. Akhbar-a-ām, a weekly, appeared in Lahore in 1870, which introduced a fresh element in vernacular journalism. Its founder was Mukand Lāl, a Kashmiri Pandit, who had served a calligrapher for the Koh-e-Nūr. The Avadh Akhbār, a weekly started in or about 1859, in Lucknow, was interested in social reform, politics and literature. It reached its height of fame under the editorship of famous novelist Pandit Ratan Nath Sarshār, who was appointed its editor in 1878.
The Avadh Punch started in Lucknow in 1877, under the editorship of Sayyid Sajjad Husain. This paper was modeled on the Punch, and had a distinct social and political creed. It dealt with religious and social reform issues, female education and the abolition of Purdah. The Avadh Punch was at its best for about twelve years, then it began to decline and was closed down in 1912.
Munshi Mahbub Alam started Paisa Akhbār in 1888, which marks a turning point in Urdu Journalism in several ways. He made Journalism, for the first time a lucrative profession in India. Mahbūb Alam was an enterprising Journalist and was probably the first Muslim to go to England for training in Journalism.
Maulvi Zafar Ali’s Zamīndār brought about progressive outlook in Urdu Journalism. He was considered as the founder of modern Urdu journalism.
Maulana Abul Kalam āzād’s Al Hilāl, (1912) and Al-Balāgh (1915) were yet another landmark Urdu generation, which further heightened the name and reputation of Azad as a scholar. Both these papers revolutionized Muslim thinking in political and social fields.
One of the most important literary magazines in Urdu was the Makhzam, edited by Shaikh Abdul Qadir, which enjoyed a considerable readership and provided a necessary opening for literary aspirants of the day.
The Humāyun by Mian Bashir Ahmad in 1902, the Ma’ārif, which is the organ of the Dārul Musanefin Azamgarh, are often informative, though pedestrian in style, and more of the theological than literary kind.
The Urdu started by Maulvi Abdul Haq. The Zamāna (Kanpur) edited by Daya Narāyan Nigam, the Nigār edited by Niyāz Fatehpuri, Urdu Adab, (Aligarh), Urdu-e-Maulla edited by Hasrat Mohani and Hindustani (Allahabad) have been leading literary journals. Saverā, Naqūsh, Nayā Adab, Māh-e-Nau, Iqbāl, Ghalibnāmaā (Delhi) Fanūn, Aurāq, Sīp Asrī Adab (Delhi, edited by Mohamad Hasan), Kitāb, (Lucknow), Zehn-e-Jadīd edited by Zubari Razvi, Nayā Safar edited by Qamar Rais, Hindustani Zuban (Bombay), āhang (Gaya) Sabras, (Hydrabad), Nayā Daur (Lucknow), Aewān-e-Urdu (Delhi), ājkal (Delhi), Tanāzur (Delhi), Saughāt (Banglore) Fiqr-o-Tahqiq, (Delhi) and Shab Kūn (Allahabad) etc. have played important role in the area of Urdu journalism particularly literary journalism. It may be mentioned here that today future of the literary journals is not very bright. A journal like Shab Khūn had to be stopped. Today’s readers entertain themselves by reading popular digest, listening to Radio, or watching TV and internet. Very little time or inclination is shown towards serious magazines or periodicals.
In the annals of Urdu Journalism, the city of Delhi has played a historic role. Milāp, Tej, Qaumi āwāz, Dāwat, Pratāp, and Rashtriya Sahārā are important newspapers of Delhi. Basically Qaumi āwāz started from Lucknow, and was used as a propaganda mouthpiece for the Congress. The first issue of the Pratāp came out in March 30, 1919, the Milap was founded in 1922. Both were organs of the Arya Samaj. “The Milap representing the views of what was known as the college section and the Pratāp the Gurukul”. (S.K.Pande, Virdura, Delhi Oct. 1982, p.285). The Al-Jamiat is a Jamait Ullemā-e-hind paper, which is a religious and cultural Muslim organization.
Calcutta had also played a historic role in the promotion of Urdu Journalism. It allowed the flourishing of a number of weeklies and dailies, starting from weekly like Jām-e-Jahān-Numā (1822), Mirāt-ul-Akhbār (1822) edited by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Al-Hilal, (1912), founded by Maulana āzād, The Hind (started as weekly by Maulana Abdurrazzaq Malihabadi, and in 1929 it was changed to a daily). Morning and evening dailies were Akhbāre Mashriq, Urdu Guide (1873, daily) edited by Maulavi Kabiruddin, Azad Hind, Rozana Hind, Asre Jadīd, Abshār, Imroz, Akkās, Ghazī and Shān-e-Millat. Asre Jadīd and Rozāna Hind. These are, infact, more than a century old.
Beginning late 19th century many Urdu dailies and weeklies were published in Bihar such as Al-Panch (Patna, 1885) Al-Islah (a journal of the Shias Muslims published from Khujwa, district Sarān in Bihar), Resālā Anjuman Mazakra Ilmiā (Patna, March 1874), Sāthī (started as daily from Patna in April 1949 and was edited by Suhail Azimabadi), etc. Although both Bengal and Bihar have seen birth, development and achievements of Urdu Journalism position of Urdu Journalism is not very good in these states.
The position of Urdu Journalism in South India is however, in a comparatively better state, particularly in terms of the veracity and credibility of news content and its acceptability by people. For example. Siyāsat’ (daily from Hyderabad) weilds tremendous reputation. According to Abid Ali Khan, its editor, “The Standard of Urdu Journalism in the past, thanks to Qazi Abdul Ghaffar and his Payām, has always been high because Qazi Sahib had inherited the qualities possessed by Maulana Mohammad Ali, Maulana āzād and Syed Abdullah Barelvi”. In fact, Urdu Journalism in the South today has entered the modern age and is able to compete with regional language Journalism all over the country. There was a time when even accurate news published in Urdu papers was not taken to be true unless the same appeared in the English papers. But today the situation is reversed. Urdu Journalism in Hyderabad not only breaks the news earlier than many other papers but is also valued for its fearlessness. The standard of Urdu Journalism in Hyderabad is very high and it can be compared with any other vernacular press.
Another factor worth mentioning is that Urdu Journalism in the south has broken all geographical barriers. Urdu papers published from Hyderbad are not only being circulated and read all over the country, but are also being dispatched regularly by air to various countries particularly in the Arab States, where hundreds of Indians are working. Rayyat, Nai Zindagi, Musheer-e-Deccan, Imroze, Siyāsat, Milāp, Rehbar-e-Deccan (now called Rahnuma-e-Deccan) have played a historical role for the development of Urdu journalism and the upliftment of its standard.
The future of the Indian Urdu press may not be very bright, but it is not so bleak either. This is because there is great awareness among the Urdu speaking population, and Government has also adopted sympathetic attitude towards this language.
Copyright CIIL-India Mysore