Hicky's Bengal Gazette: The Untold Story of India's First Newspaper

Summary

Hicky's Bengal Gazette is the story of India’s first newspaper and its pivotal role in exposing the corruption of the British imperialist project.

The story opens in late-eighteenth century Calcutta. The British are well-ensconced in Benga, but the Raj has yet to emerge. Irishman James August Hicky arrives in Calcutta as a surgeon’s mate, seeking his fame and fortune. He soon finds himself in debtors’ prison, however, and it is while in jail that he first acquires the printing press that sets him on a collision course with the British East India Company.

Sensing a business opportunity, Hicky established the first newspaper in South Asia but quickly became committed to the freedom of the press at great personal cost. His Gazette exposed corruption in the East India Company and embezzlement in the Christian Church, making himself two powerful enemies in the process: Johann Zacharias Kiernander, an influential missionary, and Warren Hastings, the governor general.

Staunchly antiwar and anticolonialist, Hicky's Bengal Gazette was known for its provocative content. Trials, prison time, and assassination attempts follow before Hicky dies mysteriously on a boat to China. His legacy in India endures to this day through the vibrant, modern media landscape.