Almost two centuries ago (exactly 191 years ago) on May 30, Hindi journalism was born in Kolkata. A weekly newspaper, called Udant Martand, which translates into ‘The Rising Sun’, was started by Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla.





With 500 copies, Udant Martand marked the beginning of Hindi journalism in India. Hindi journalism has come a long way since the days of Udant Martand, having produced jewels like Harijan Sevak and Navjeevan during the freedom movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.





The journey of Hindi journalism after Independence includes many glorious chapters. Even in the worst of the times such as the Emergency, terrorism in Punjab and the rise of communalism, it never lost its connect with the people. It remained the voice of the voiceless for most of the time.





Unfortunately, that connect has now gone. “It has become the voice of upper caste people,” alleged an agitated Dalit scholar.





On the occasion of the 192th birth anniversary of Hindi journalism, copies of two leading Hindi newspapers – Dainik Jagran and Amar Ujala – are being publicly burnt by the people whose first language is Hindi. It is mainly the Hindi-speaking Dalits – in and around Meerut, who have been leading the boycott against these two Hindi publications over the last week.