India and the Independent Labour Party

The founder-leader of Britain’s Independent Labour Party, Mr. Keir Hardie, had visited India about f...

Read

October 24, 1906

The Popular Assembly

It has been decided that the third annual meeting of Sri Moolam Popular Assembly will be held on the...

Read

September 21, 1910

CHANDRASEKHARAN: First Edition nearly Sold out

CHANDRASEKHARAN: First Edition nearly sold out A historical novel translated from English. Newspap...

Read

July 25, 1906

Expensive education

We think that the new provisions published in the Travancore Government Gazette last week on the arr...

Read

April 29, 1910

The need for ritual program

The Smritis* are legal texts governing the people, which are revered as the epitome of scriptures. I...

Read

About the Collection

The Svadesabhimani was a weekly Malayalam language newspaper founded by the noted writer and journalist Vakkom Abdul Khader Moulavi (1873-1932), who was the owner and publisher and its managing editor. This digital collection contains the original Malayalam and their English translations.

Throughout its existence, it was funded through the personal funds of Vakkom Moulavi, who imported a modern press from Britain. The newspaper began publication in Anjengo, a small village in the princely state of Travancore, on 19 January 1905. Chirayinkeezhu C.P Govinda Pillai was the first editor for one year, after which Sri. K. Ramakrishna Pillai became the editor. The newspaper ceased publication on 26 September 1910, when it was banned by a Royal Proclamation, the editor Ramakrishna Pillai was exiled and the press was confiscated.

The Svadesabhimani served to inform the public in Travancore, as well as in the Malayalam speaking regions, about local, national and international issues. It stood apart from other Malayalam newspapers of the time in exposing corruption in the government, analysing and critiquing government policies, discussing important issues of social and religious reform and bringing news of the national anti-colonial movement and international developments. It is considered a trailblazer in Malayalam journalism, contributing to the development of a new political consciousness in the state.