The United Kingdom police did not bow down to its Home Secretary. Its Supreme Court set aside the Rwanda Policy (about the forced return of the Rwanda immigrants), which was otherwise quite popular in the UK. Britain has a long tradition of a free and inquisitive press. The BBC questions their Prime Minister when he deserves to be questioned. A democracy can flourish only when its institutions work!
November 16, is celebrated in our country as ‘The National Press Day’, as it commemorates the day when ‘The Press Council of India’ was founded. This celebration is a government function organised by the Department of Information and Publicity in every State in the country, often presided over by the Chief Minister of that State. In Goa, all the Chief Ministers have always made time to attend this function either as a healthy tradition or as an act of appeasement. The Press has also played an important role in shaping both India’s and Goa’s history.
The printing presses, which were brought in by the East India Company during the years 1674 to 1753, were neglected. It has been suggested that vested interest of calligraphists employed by the Mughal Court was a barrier to the development of printing. It is probable that disturbed conditions in the country prevented the growth of printing as a profession.
In a democratic polity, the press always plays a very vital role in creating, shaping and reflecting public opinion. It influences almost every aspect of life and discharges basic responsibilities of providing information, guidance or interpretation of the news, entertaining and serving the public – the press is rightly described as the Fourth Estate and occupies a commanding position as a medium of mass communication.
Newspapers have been the lifeblood of both the Indian and the Goan freedom struggle. They were the cheapest and fastest mode to reach news of what was happening in different parts of the country under the British colonial rule. For these journalists, it was not a profession but a mission in life! Sisir Kumar Ghosh, editor of Amrit Bazar Patrika, had declared that the primary objective of his paper was, “to awaken the people and infuse in them the noble spirit of patriotism”. Surendranath Banerjee, was the first Indian to go to jail in 1883 in the performance of his duty as a journalist. Lokmanya Tilak’s, Kesari and Maratha continued this legacy, as a result of which he was imprisoned on charges of sedition. Jawaharlal Nehru established ‘The National Herald’ on September 9, 1938, in Lucknow. During his lifetime, Gandhiji ran four publications– Indian Opinion, Young India, Harijan and Navjeevan. Lala Lajpat Rai published the Urdu daily newspaper, Vande Mataram and an English daily, ‘People’.
Nearer home in Goa, serendipity and the enthusiastic evangelism of the Jesuits saw this tiny colony receive India’s first printing press in 1556. The purpose was to print literature, both religious and secular, that would support the colonial government. The colonial masters could however not prevent its progressive impact on Goans. This printing press led to the publication of a number of newspapers such as O Vigilante (The Vigilant, 1565), A Voz de Povos da India (The Voice of the People of India,1845/6) O Defensor da Ordem e da Verdade (The Defender of Order and of Truth, 1852/3), which helped raise the political consciousness of Goans. Although these newspapers were in Portuguese and in the colonial period, they took on an anti-establishment stand. Their progressive outlook and liberal thought is the legacy that needs to be carried forward.
O Ultramar rolled off the press in 1859 and lasted up to 1905. It was looked upon as a pro-Government but liberal newspaper. Its editor was deported to Diu during Rane’s Revolt of 1895 and its publication banned for two years. This was followed by A India Portuguesa in 1861 which was considered an anti-establishment newspaper. It was an important organ of the popular party Partido Indiano (Indian Party) and survived under different directors for over a century. In 1865, it was transferred to Orlim and its publication was taken over by Dr Jose Inacio de Loyola, an active politician. This was a periodical of the Christian masses. Both newspapers were privately owned and wrote about the aspirations of the people.
Brado Indiano, Panaji (1894-95), aroused political consciousness during Dada Rane’s Revolt of 1895. Its editor Fr A F X Alvares, a thorough nationalist, was prosecuted and the government closed down his weekly. The Catholics were exhorted to be nationalist in their outlook and shun the Portuguese lifestyle and goods. It suggested the use of coconut oil lamps in dance halls and Feni and Madell instead of Port, Madeira or champagne. To these one can add the papers contributed to by Luis de Menezes Bragança, like O Heraldo, O Nacionalista, O Commercio, O Debate, Pracasha and Pradipa. When the printing press of Pracasha was destroyed, another paper, Pradipa appeared. In 1946 the chief editor of A Voz da India (Margao), Gajanan Porob Desai and sub-editor Purushottam Gaonkar, had to flee to Bombay in order to avoid arrest.
Journalists of that period many a times received no payment. In fact like Menezes Bragança and Bharatkar Hegde Dessai, many dug into their family resources to finance their papers. Some families were hounded and had to leave Goa and seek refuge in Bangalore, Bombay etc. Gomantak of Julião Menezes was the mouth piece of the Gomantak Praja Mandal. Goan Tribune, with its last editor as Lambert Mascarenhas was the voice of the struggle itself.
Many publications in Bombay and Poona kept the freedom struggle alive. Among them were the Jwala, Amchem Goi, Porjecho Avaj, Resurge Goa, Azad Goa, Free Goa, and Dipagraha. Under Salazar, due to censorship and the ban imposed on many newspapers, the freedom of the press was consistently attacked.
The post-Liberation period in Goa saw the end of many Portuguese papers, except O Heraldo, (which continued till 1983 and later re-christened itself into an English version) and is now a fiercely independent voice. A Vida, another newspaper lasted till 1967. This period witnessed the coming up of newspapers both in Marathi and English. Rashtramat played a crucial role at the time of the Opinion Poll. The Blade of Jagdish Rao was an anti-MGP paper. Westcoast Times of Margao and Goa Monitor of Mario Cabral e Sa were both short lived. Goencho Mog of Dr Francis Rebello and Gurunath Kelekar put Romi Konkani on the stage but could not sustain themselves. Sunaparant, a Devanagri script Konkani newspaper operated from 1987 to 2015. In 2008 ‘The Times of India’, launched its Goa edition with a well-deserved rise in the salaries of journalists. Present day papers in circulation are The Navhind Times, Dainik Gomantak, Tarun Bharat, Lokmat, Bhaangarbhuin and the Prudent Media Publications not forgetting the Goan Observer.
The moot question remains whether the media of today plays the role of the Fourth Estate and questions the establishment in the same spirit as Pracasha, Pradipa did during the colonial period? The revenue model of today has an over dependence on the largesse of the government!
Journalists need not be afraid of imaginary ghosts as that will dilute the spirit of freedom of thought and expression. The National Press Day is a reminder to all journalists, academicians, people’s representatives, professionals and alert citizens to protect, preserve and strengthen our democratic credentials.
(Prof Dr Sushila Sawant Mendes is an author & senior faculty in History)