The Viceroy and Muslims

Lord Minto, who has taken over as the new Viceroy of India, was presented with a scroll of honour on...

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March 07, 1908

Marumakkathaya marriage

There is a little more to say about ending the marital relationship. Although the husband and wife h...

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October 24, 1908

News Round-Up

As it has been 50 years since Queen Victoria assumed the rule of India as the British sovereign and...

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April 08, 1910

Department of Indigenous Medicine

Although the ancient and sophisticated system of Ayurvedic treatment has faded a bit due to the popu...

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March 25, 1908

After the Tirunelveli Riots

Many details regarding the riots that broke out in Tiruvelveli on March 13 are now surfacing...

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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.