Pioneers of Urdu journalism

After Bengali, Urdu is the oldest press language in the Indian subcontinent. By following the development of Urdu journalism and its greatest pioneers, from Harihar Dutta and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan to Mir Khalil-ul-Rahman, we unearth the history of the language and of the sub-continent itself.

The language of Urdu predates the existence of Pakistan. Unlike the popular belief, pedalled on by the main reason of partition being reduced to the desire for a separate Muslim homeland, Urdu is not solely a Muslim language. It started off as a lashkari (soldier) language, an amalgamation of words from Persian, Arabic, Turkish and other local languages during the Mughal Empire. It was meant to make communication between soldiers from different regions easier. On 27th March 1822, Harihar Dutta, an entrepreneur from Calcutta, launched the first Urdu newspaper titled Jam-i-Jahan Numa, an apt name in both origin and meaning. ‘Jam-i-Jahan Numa’ is a Persian term meaning ‘Mirror of the World’. Considering the immense influence of the Persian language on Urdu, as well as the fact that Urdu was used as a commonality between people from different regions around the world, the name is quite fitting.

During Harihar Dutta’s time, Persian was the language of the nobility and the literate society, whereas Urdu (then referred to as Rekhta or Hindustani) was the medium of communication between the common people. As such, Jam-i-Jahan Numa failed to gain a stable readership and Harihar Dutta switched the language of his paper to Persian after two months of its publication. However, his will to serve the common people and rouse their political consciousness remained, so over time he began adding Urdu segments to his newspaper - to the point that W B Bayley, then Chief Secretary to the Government, viewed Jam-i-Jahan Numa as an instrument of political awakening and began enforcing stringent laws on the local press in India. Eventually, six years after its establishment, Jam-i-Jahan Numa removed the British Government insignia off its masthead and formed its own printing press. It was described as “the best native newspaper of its time, cautious and intelligent” by the secretary of the then government.

From the commencement of Jam-i-Jahan Numa to 27th March this year, marks 200 years of Urdu journalism. These two centuries have seen the rise of many great innovators in the field, from Moulvi Muhammad Baqir who founded Dehli Urdu Akhbar and was eventually sentenced to death by the British government for rebellion, to Munshi Harsukh Rai’s Kohinoor which was the newspaper with the highest daily circulation at the time. However, two figures that really stand out are Maulana Zafar Ali Khan and Mir Khalil-ul-Rahman.

Zafar Ali Khan, titled “Baba-e-Sahafet” (Father of Journalism), was the founder of the newspaper Zamindar, the first Urdu newspaper to subscribe to agencies. As the name indicates, Zamindar was initially a newspaper for discussing issues farmers faced, regarded as mainly an agricultural newspaper. However, the founder himself was staunchly against the British colonial rule so he began to politicise his publication, spreading awareness about the Pakistan Movement and becoming a mouthpiece for the Muslim nationalism. As the struggle for a separate land continued, Zamindar - ironic, considering the title of ‘land owner’ - played a vital role in the independence movement, becoming a mouthpiece for the Muslims of India. During this time, the press was dominated by Hindus so Muslim issues were left uncovered. This changed with the publication of Zamindar, as it eventually reached a circulation of over 30,000 copies. So influential was Zamindar that the British rulers eventually imprisoned Zafar Ali Khan and his newspaper faced many bans. Throughout all of this, Zafar Ali Khan remained steadfast in his beliefs, always giving other leaders of the Pakistani Movement, such as Allama Iqbal, a place to voice their opinions in his newspaper.

Harihar Dutta founded Urdu press in the subcontinent; Zafar Ali Khan politicised it, aiding to the creation of Pakistan, a homeland for Urdu journalism; and then there’s Mir Khalil-ul-Rahman, the man who gave the fledgling vernacular press in Pakistan a solid platform to stand upon, elevating it to a proper industry.

Mir Khalil-ul-Rahman started a newspaper for Muslims of the subcontinent during World War II from Delhi in 1939. Considering the time period, he aptly named it Jang (the Urdu word for ‘war’). Although some critics claimed his newspaper was “encouraging war” because of its name, Mir stated that Jang was not for pouring oil into the fire of war, but a medium of communication for the soldiers participating in WWII. Like this, Mir continued being a voice for the people, even when he moved to Karachi after partition where he properly established Jang Media Group and became the biggest and the most influential newspaper magnate of Pakistan.

Mir was a very innovative man, keeping up with advancements in the international field of journalism and bringing these new technologies and styles to Pakistan’s rudimentary press industry. He stood against all political interference in his newspapers and always gave space to the disempowered. As Harihar Dutta was the founder of Urdu journalism and Zafar Ali Khan was the pioneer of pre-partition Urdu journalism , Mir Khalil-ul-Rahman was truly the pioneer of Urdu journalism in Pakistan. Practically every aspect of Pakistan’s vernacular press is influenced by him and his legacy lives on even today.