Administrative changes in Travancore

The relationship between the king and the subjects is the most sacred. No worldly event has the powe...

Read

April 01, 1908

Prohibition of Speech in Public places

In yesterday's Government Gazette Part 2 on page 298, an order under Section 127 of the Travancore C...

Read

February 28, 1910

Religious Rivalry

It was with the aim of curbing newspapers from further publishing news and articles with sinister...

Read

August 29, 1906

Council of Princely States

Although it is the British who rule over India, large chunks of Indians still live within the suzera...

Read

April 30, 1909

Employees of the Collectorate

It may be recalled that in one of our earlier editorials we had pointed out that people would lose t...

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.