Development of Press in Modern India (Part-II)

Total Questions: 34

21. Who among the following started the newspaper ‘Som Prakash’? [I.A.S. (Pre) 2007]

(a) Dayanand Saraswati
(b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
(c) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(d) Surendranath Banerjee

Correct Answer: (b) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Solution:The Bengali weekly Som Prakash was published by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 1858. This newspaper supported the welfare of farmers during the Indigo movement.

It was a weekly paper coming from the Sanskrit Press. Som Prakash was the first Bangla newspaper to indulge in political discussions. Som Prakash did not support all policies of the Government, it raised its voice against the Vernacular Press Act and in support of the ilbert bill. Initially, Som Prakash was published from a lane in Champatala in Kolkata.

When the railway was extended to Canning in 1862, he shifted the printing press to his native village Chingripota (renamed as Subhasgram), now in South 24 Parganas.

22. Which of the following papers was essentially the mouthpiece of the policies of liberals? [47th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2005]

(a) New India
(b) Leader
(c) Young India
(d) Free Press Journal

Correct Answer: (b) Leader

Solution:The Free Press Journal is an English language daily newspaper. Young India was published by M.K. Gandhi. Liberals used to preach their policies through a newspaper named Leader. New India was published by Annie Besant.

23. The first editor of the journal ‘Indian Opinion’ was: [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2014]

(a) M.K. Gandhi
(b) Albert West
(c) Mahadev Desai
(d) Mansukhlal Nazar

Correct Answer: (d) Mansukhlal Nazar

Solution:Indian Opinion was a newspaper published by Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa in 1903. Mansukhlal Lal was the first editor of this newspaper and the Secretary of the Natal Congress. This newspaper was published in Gujarati, Tamil, Hindi, and English.

24. What was the name of the newspaper published by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa? [Chhattisgarh P.S.C. (Pre) 2018]

(a) The Indian Opinion
(b) National Herald
(c) Leader
(d) The Pioneer

Correct Answer: (a) The Indian Opinion

25. Which one of the following was not the language in which ‘Indian Opinion’ paper was published? [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2005]

(a) English
(b) Gujarati
(c) Tamil
(d) Urdu

Correct Answer: (d) Urdu

Solution:Mahatma Gandhi published the newspaper Indian Opinion from South Africa. It was published in Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, and English language.

Gandhi relied on sending petitions and memorials to the authorities in South Africa and in Britain hoping that once the authorities were informed of the plight of Indians, they would take sincere steps to redress their grievances as the Indians were, after all, British subjects. To unite different sections of Indians, he set up the Natal Indian Congress and started a paper Indian Opinion.

26. The ‘Young India’ was started as a weekly by: [U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2003]

(a) The Home Rule Party
(b) The Extremist Party
(c) Gadar Party
(d) Swaraj Party

Correct Answer: (a) The Home Rule Party

Solution:Young India was published bi-weekly from Bombay from 7 May 1919. From 8 October 1919, it began to publish weekly from Ahmedabad. Jamanadas Dwarkadas and Shankar Lal Banker were the editors of an early version of this paper. Mahatma Gandhi became its editor on 8 October 1919. Jamanadas and Shankar Lal Banker were the members of the Home Rule league launched by Annie Besant.

27. The first Hindi Newspaper ‘Udant Martand’ (30th May, 1826) was published from – [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2016]

(a) Kolkata
(b) Patna
(c) Allahabad
(d) Lucknow

Correct Answer: (a) Kolkata

Solution:The first Hindi Newspaper ‘Udant Martand’ (30th May, 1826) was published in Calcutta (Kolkata). It was published on every Tuesday by Pt. Jugal Kishore Shukla.

28. The first Newspaper published by the Indians in the English language was: [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2006]

(a) Hindoo Patriot
(b) The Hindu
(c) Young India
(d) Native Opinion

Correct Answer: (a) Hindoo Patriot

Solution:Hindoo Patriot was the first newspaper published by Indians in English, published in 1853. Girish Chandra Ghosh (1853-55) was the first editor of this newspaper. Harish Chandra Mukherjee (1855-61) and Kristo Das Pal (1861-1884) were its editors in the later period who were helped by Madan Mohan Ghosh and Dwaraka Nath Tagore. Surendra Nath Banerjee was its editor during 1874-75 in London and 1878 in Delhi.

29. The editor of the ‘Hindoo Patriot’ who strongly supported the Indigo Movement was: [U.P.P.S.C. (GIC) 2010 U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1998]

(a) Hem Chandra Kar
(b) Harish Chandra Mukherjee
(c) Dinbandhu Mitra
(d) Digambar Biswas

Correct Answer: (b) Harish Chandra Mukherjee

Solution:The special feature of the Indigo Movement was that intellectuals also played an active role in this movement and launched a strong campaign in support of struggling farmers. The Indigo revolt was a peasant movement and subsequent uprising of indigo farmers against the indigo planters that arose in Bengal. Girish Chandra Ghosh was the editor of Hindoo Patriot in its first two years (1853-55 A.D.) He also worked for the Indigo Movement. Harish Chandra Mukherjee became its editor in 1855 A.D. He bravely helped farmers exploited by orchard owners. In 1861 A.D., Kristo Das Pal became editor. He was an admirer of British governance and formulated British liberalism. Hindoo Patriot started representing interests of high-class Bengali landowners in Bengal.

30. Who affiliated himself with the English Journal ‘Vande Mataram’? [U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 1996]

(a) Arbind Ghosh
(b) M.G. Ranade
(c) S.C. Bose
(d) Lokmanya Tilak

Correct Answer: (a) Arbind Ghosh

Solution:Arbind Ghosh affiliated himself with the English weekly newspaper ‘Vandemataram’.

Bipin Chandra Pal founded Vandemataram in 1905. The first issue of Vandemataram was published on August 6,1906. Newspaper's goal was to prepare the minds of people for revolution. The newspaper published articles on Indian culture and philosophy.

Sri Aurobindo took over as editor at some point in 1905. The British government prosecuted Sri Aurobindo for sedition in the "Bande Mataram Sedition Case". Sri Aurobindo was acquitted of the charges after the prosecution failed to establish his role as editor.

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