Education Reform in Travancore

The Travancore Education Department's budget for the year 1084 (Malayalam Calendar) has been approve...

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June 03, 1910

Round Up: National and International News

As disclosed by Charles Bentley, who has been appointed to enquire into the causes of the outbreak o...

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April 04, 1910

Community reform

Although the stretch from Kanyakumari to Gokarnam is said to be Malayalam land, the main parts of it...

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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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August 22, 1908

Other news round-ups

Recently a parliament council was introduced in Turkey after reforming the system of administration....

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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.