Report from Calcutta – Bomb scare and the aftermath

(Staff reporter) May 20th (Continuation) Readers may be curious to know who was the "beautiful yo...

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July 08, 1908

Bail processes

Bal Gangadhar Tilak has been committed to the Sessions Court by the Presidency Magistrate for the ch...

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September 12, 1910

The Press law

The incident where Dewan Mr. Rajagopalachari sought to employ the Press Act, crafted in the blacksmi...

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May 09, 1906

Leprosy and the fish Diet

Jonathan Whitchinson*, a doctor who is of the opinion that the spread of leprosy is due to the consu...

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December 26, 1906

Exam Frenzy

The Travancore Department of Education has been in the grip of a mad rush for examinations of late....

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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.