Madras Crescent and Hindu Press

The Native Indians were prevented from owning a printing press leave alone starting a newspaper. This apartheid meant dominance of the white imperialistic British elite and their significant arrangement with Christian missionaries – which went unchecked. The newspapers in madras barring a few, would contstantly on a weekly basis, denigrate hindu gods, goddesses and the culture, temples, customs, practices and rituals of the hindu natives. This was used to establish a well oiled ecosystem , the purpose of the same being to convert as many as local natives into Christianity. Admittedly due to this apartheid there was no voice in the form of printing presses available to the native hindus to counter this unchecked false narrative. This was when a need for a voice for the hindus arose. The only person capable of being successful was Gazulu Lakshminarsulu Chetty.

On 2^nd October 1844, at 13, Armenian Street, next to newly shifted Kaligambal Temple, Hindu Press and a bi-weekly newspaper, called The Madras Crescent , a Newspaper in English, was established by GLNC. The printing press was the first of its kind to be owned by any hindu in madras. The printing press published , The Tales of Vikrama – refer image Whatsapp. It also published the revision of taluk accounts _________________________ under the authority of fort st George. It published the upayuktha granthi __________________ take from the book ___________ in Sanskrit. It had also published various reports memorandum resolutions and notices to be submitted on behalf of chaturveda Siddhanta sabha , vibhooti society, hindu literary society and monegar choultry. There were other organizations which were inspired to emulate the first printing press and once such examples was the hindu kalanjiyam press, at salai street in Tirunelveli by the vibhooti society. On various occasions memorandums printed in the hindu press were sent to the British imperial parliament in London and to the governor general at Calcutta. The hindu press was considered to be the first voice of the natives including the Muslims and it was the only platfrm available for the people of the hindu faith across south india, Ceylon and Singapore.

It is worthwhile to mention that the hindu press printed and published the Madras Crescent Newspaper and the Carnatic and Madras Telegraoph Gazette Newspaper, and also ran a binding office in the same location called as the hindu book binders, which was also the first known bookbinding company to be opened in the large scale for affordable price by a native of madras presidency. The Hindu Press captained by GLNC is testament to his fearless courage amidsts the mighty white imperialistic powerful British empire and its brutal policies in the madras presidency.

The Madras Crescent Newspaper was established in 1844, by GLNC to ameliorate the religious conditions of the hindus in the madras presidency. This was the first recorded English Newspaper to be started by a native in madras presidency. The contributing editors including the intellectual elites of those times, including numerous prime ministers, diwans, heads of the states etc., An illustration of the same would be to highlight the importance of the articles published, which were written by Sir Tanjore Madhavrao Sadhasiva Rao, Appakutty Pillay, Venkatacharulu Naidu under the Psuedoname “Vindex and Plain Speaking Man”. The Kings of Travanacore, Mysore, Ramnad, Bobbli, Viziayanagara, Doabb, Baroda, Tanjore, all regularly financially contributed to the Newspaper. It was not seen as an ordinary newspaper which was run by a billionare for making profit instead it was the sole native voice in madras against the mighty British empire. The editors were all Europeans employed by GLNC and they included former officers of the British navy Macenzie ________________ were few of the editors who helmed the madras crescent. But there is one name that stands out for the editorialship that is of Harvey Texter, the close friend of Gazulu. The letter from the postmaster general of the madras presidency, to the chief secretary dated _________________ 1848, highlights that the newspaper at its zenith had more than 10700 subscribers. The subscription was Rupees 12 per annum, Rs2 per month and it was published on ________ and ____________ along with quarto sized special edition on Monday. The Newspaper was globally acclaimed and many international publications also quoted from it. An example being the homeward mail, the hongkong china overseas mail, the Hobart courier of Australia, the Huddersfield chronicle, the irish spectator, the manchestor courier, and the Edinberg review. These international publications and newspapers extensively quoted the madras crescent newspaper, ably edited by Harvey Texter and would often use the newspaper as a citation, to the highlight the ills that plagued the British empire in the madras presidency, including Malabar and Ceylon.