India’s first Hindi newspaper: the story of Udant Martand (1826)
On 30 May 1826 Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla launched the weekly Udant Martand in Calcutta — the day marked as Hindi Journalism Day. Facts about India’s early newspapers.
Rohit Tandon · 8 October 2026 · 3 min read
Today there are hundreds of Hindi newspapers, magazines and news websites, read by crores of people every day. But Hindi journalism began almost two hundred years ago with one small weekly paper, printed in Calcutta, far from the Hindi-speaking region. Its name was Udant Martand.
Udant Martand: key facts
| First issue | 30 May 1826 |
|---|---|
| Place | Calcutta (Kolkata) |
| Editor and publisher | Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla |
| Frequency | Weekly (every Tuesday) |
| Meaning of the name | "The rising sun" or "the sun of news" |
Why from Calcutta?
At the time Calcutta was the capital of British India and the biggest centre of printing presses. Newspapers were coming out in English, Bengali and Persian, but none in Hindi. Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla, from Kanpur, worked at a court in Calcutta. He felt that Hindi speakers should have a newspaper in their own language. The paper was written in Khari Boli with a touch of Braj Bhasha.
A short life, a big impact
Udant Martand did not last long. Most of its readers lived far away, and the postage for sending the paper was high. It got no concession on postal charges from the government, and for lack of money it had to close in December 1827. Even so, it showed that newspapers could be published in Hindi too, and Hindi journalism later played a big part in the freedom movement.
Did you know? In memory of the first issue of Udant Martand, "Hindi Journalism Day" is observed every year on 30 May.
India's early newspapers
- Hicky's Bengal Gazette (1780): India's first newspaper, started in English from Calcutta by James Augustus Hicky on 29 January 1780. It was soon shut down for criticising the East India Company.
- Samachar Darpan (1818): one of the first Bengali newspapers, started by the missionaries of Serampore.
- Jam-e-Jahan-Numa (1822): counted among the first papers of Urdu journalism.
- Udant Martand (1826): the first Hindi newspaper.
Newspapers in the freedom movement
In the 19th and 20th centuries newspapers became the voice of the national movement. Papers such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak's "Kesari" (Marathi) and "Mahratta" (English), Mahatma Gandhi's "Young India" and "Harijan", and Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi's Hindi weekly "Pratap" made people aware. Many editors went to jail for it.
Hindi journalism today
Two hundred years ago a single Hindi weekly had to close for lack of money; today Hindi publications make up the largest number of the newspapers and magazines registered in India. Radio, TV and the internet carry Hindi news to every village. The number of Hindi readers who read the news on their phones also keeps growing. This long journey began with that small Udant Martand, which is now seen as the foundation of Hindi journalism.
Remember for the exam
First Hindi newspaper: Udant Martand (30 May 1826, Calcutta, Pandit Jugal Kishore Shukla) · India's first newspaper: Hicky's Bengal Gazette (1780).
Read more: India's first general election · History questions.
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