Archive · 13 Sep 2025
Kolkata Lawyer Launches India's First Hindi Newspaper in 1826
Imagine a time when newspapers were only in English and Bengali.
Then, a lawyer named Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla decided to start a newspaper in Hindi, a language spoken by many people but not yet printed.
He launched 'Udant Martand' in Kolkata in 1826.
It was a weekly paper with news and stories, but it was hard to send the paper to readers far away and the paper cost too much.
Despite these difficulties, it started the tradition of Hindi journalism, giving a voice to many and influencing India's freedom movement.
Udant Martand, India's first Hindi newspaper, was launched in Kolkata on May 30, 1826.
The newspaper was founded by Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla, a lawyer.
Published weekly, the paper used the Devanagari script and a blend of Hindi dialects.
The paper struggled due to high postal costs and few subscribers.
Despite lasting only 18 months, it paved the way for Hindi journalism.
- Who
- Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla
- What
- Launched Udant Martand, India's first Hindi newspaper.
- When
- May 30, 1826
- Where
- Kolkata (Calcutta)
- Why
- To provide a printed voice for the Hindi language.
- Newspaper Name
- Udant Martand
- Launch Date
- May 30, 1826
- Founder
- Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla
- Location
- Kolkata (Calcutta)
- Language
- Hindi
- Frequency
- Weekly
- Script
- Devanagari