 | 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 CP 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. |
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. Despite its historical importance and contemporary, the newspaper has remained inaccessible to the public. For the first time, the Digital Collection of The Svadesabhimani provides access to all editorials and articles (as well advertisements) that are currently available in hard copy, as well as the exact page image of the newspaper page containing the article. Moreover, the articles are being translated into English to reach a broader contemporary audience. The collection is searchable by word or topic, allowing great flexibility to researchers and the general public in locating articles of interest. |  |
The articles in The Svadesabhimani Newspaper Digital Collection are digital replicas of historical writings. No attempt has been made to modify the views or language used, some of which may be outdated or biased. It is important to preserve the historical record, in order to understand the past and contribute to a better future. The VMFT is dedicated to the cause of social justice and equality and does not subscribe to any views that support discrimination. It has undertaken this work to make an important historical publication available to the general public.
The articles in The Svadesabhimani are mostly in Malayalam; however, a few articles are in English in the original. All articles that appeared in the newspaper, whether Malayalam or English, have been typed up exactly as they appear in the scanned copies of the text. The Malayalam used in the newspaper often uses archaic forms of the language (both spelling and sentence structure) no longer in use in modern Malayalam. Nevertheless, no attempt has been made to change the language. Similarly, where articles appear in English, no change has been made even if there are grammatical or spelling errors in the original.
In some cases, the text in the physical copy is no longer readable. In this case, the missing parts have been indicated in parentheses.
The English translations have been undertaken with the primary aim that the translation must remain true to the original text, the meaning and content of the author, even if it compels the contemporary English reader to make an extra effort to clarify its meaning. . However, in order to improve readability, while retaining fidelity with the original, extremely long paragraphs have been broken up.
Words and terms that require some explanation for the average reader have been explained in footnotes or explanatory notes at the beginning of the article by the translator.
The Svadesabhimani did not carry any photographs or images. Photographs have been added to the website and to individual articles by the project team, to convey a visual flavour of the period in Travancore and the topics covered by the newspaper, such as education, religious customs, governance and so on. They include photos of different social groups, architecture, schools, public personalities, reports of commissions and maps. They have been selected from open access websites or sources with due attribution.
The Svadesabhimani Digitization Project is being undertaken by VMFT, a public charitable trust based in Trivandrum, which was established as a memorial to Vakkom Moulavi as well as an institution to promote social justice and the economic, political, social and cultural interests of the people of Kerala. The VMFT has brought out other publications of Vakkom Moulavi in print form.
A copy of the available issues of the newspaper was gifted in 1989 by the Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. M.S. Agwani, to Shri K.M. Bashir, Founder of the VMFT (scans of the letters can be found here ). The digitization work began in 2020 and is being undertaken by a team under the guidance of the VMFT Board of Trustees, with contributions from an Advisory Committee.
Each Malayalam article/ advertisement from the original photocopy is typed and proofread before being published on the website. Articles are translated into English and copyedited before being published. Both English and the original Malayalam typed version, as well as the scanned version, are available on the website for easy reference. The typing, proofreading and translation have been done by persons who have worked on similar archival projects.
The project is ongoing and photographs and links to materials are being added to increase the relevance of the collection.