Explain briefly the initial efforts made by foreigners to introduce the printing press in India.

Answer:

Bengal Gazette By Hickey - Teachoo.jpg

Hickey’s weekly magazine, BENGAL GAZETTE.

Points to remember :

  • Portuguese missionaries introduced print in india.
  • Jesuits learnt konkani and produced books in konkani and kanara.
  • First tamil book in 1579, first malayalam book in 1713.
  • English language press developed in India much later.
  • In 1780, James Hickey began publishing weekly magazine Bengal Gazette.
  • A lot of newspapers and magazines began to be printed.

Answer to be written :

  • The Portuguese Missionaries first introduced  printing press in India in the mid-16th century.
  •  Jesuit priests learned Konkani and printed many books. By 1674 about 50 books had been printed in the  Konkani and Kanara language.  
  • Catholic priests first published printed books in Tamil in Cochin in 1579 and in 1713 first Malayalam book was printed. 
  • The English language press did not grow in India   till very late even though officials of the East  India Company began to import presses from late 17th century.
  •   From 1780, James Augustus Hickey began to edit  the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine; it was  a private English enterprise and was free from  Colonial influence.  Hickey published a lot of advertisements i ncluding  those that related to import and sale of slaves. 
  •  By the end of the 18th century, a number of   newspapers and journals appeared in print.  
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Davneet Singh

Davneet Singh has done his B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He has been teaching from the past 14 years. He provides courses for Maths, Science and Computer Science at Teachoo