GROUP THE HINDU - The First Hundred: Editorials from the Hindu 1878 – 1978

First published: December 1978

Reprinted in November 2017

Kasturi & Sons Ltd. 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Kasturi & Sons Ltd.

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai - 600002 and Printed by K. Srinivasan, Srikals Graphics Pvt. Ltd, 5 Balaji Nagar First Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai - 600032, on behalf of Kasturi & Sons Ltd, Chennai - 600002.

Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan

G. Subramania Aiyar, One of the founders and Editor

S. Kasturiranga Iyengar, Editor, 1905-1923

We are pleased to reprint The Hindus book of one hundred editorials, first published in 1978. This volume marked the newspapers views over a dynamic century. Beginning with the first editorial titled Ourselves in 1878, the editorials in this volume reflect The Hindus opinions on the nationalist movement, the end of colonial rule, the birth of a new nation and the slow march towards self-reliance and consolidation. Together they provide a fascinating window to the key events that have shaped the course of the history of India, and indeed that of the world.

Editor, The Hindu

November 2017

CONTENTS

Preface

T HE selection of 100 editorials to mark the 100 years of THE HINDU has not been easy.

For one thing copies of THE HINDU are not available for five years in its early life, including the year when it was born.

For another THE HINDU has been prolific, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in the variety of subjects on which it wrote all these hundred years and any one who wants to pick and choose is confronted with a surfeit of excellent material and the problem is what to discard.

Fortunately for us the first editorial of THE HINDU was preserved by one of its founders, M. Veeraraghavachariar, and we have been enabled to publish it in this volume. It is not certain whether it is the complete editorial or only the most important parts of it but it has all the appearance of being a finished product. To make up for the missing years, three extra editorials have been chosen to complete the tally and two more have been added in view of their importance and significance, bringing the total to 102.

One editorial has been selected for every year of THE HINDU (except in some years where there are two) and in making the choice the effort has been not to concentrate on politics which is the staple food of Indian newspapers, but to cast the net wide to include as much of variety in the topics presented, serious and light, as possible. It is inevitable that a major number of the editorials should relate to the nationalist movement and its leaders and to the alien rulers and their policies, for THE HINDU was the torch-bearer in the fight for independence and for over 60 years its battle cry was Freedom. They tell a story of faith and hope in the Victorian era relentlessly moving on to the age of disillusionment and despair and culminating in the saga of the battle for freedom under Gandhiji.

THE HINDU was from the beginning a keen observer of the international scene and the editorials presented in this book are a representative sample of its outlook and perceptive insight in world affairs.

THE HINDUs interest in social and cultural problems is reflected in some of the editorials, not to speak of its devotion to sport which is represented in the editorial with the title Cricketers All.

THE HINDU specialised in light editorials which sparkled with humour and wit but unfortunately not many could be included because of the limitation imposed by the choice of one editorial for every year.

The editorials collected here represent a cross section of the views and thoughts expressed by THE HINDU over a century and will afford an interesting glimpse into the heart and mind of the great men who made it what it is today.

Although copies of THE HINDU for the first three years are not available, its first inaugural editorial Ourselves was preserved by one of its founders, M. Veeraraghavachariar, but it is not certain what follows is the whole of that editorial or only the most important parts of it.

SEPTEMBER, 20, 1878

I N ACCORDANCE WITH LONGSTANDING ETIQUETTE OBTAINING among the journalistic community, we, seeking admission into it as a new member, herald our first appearance before the public, by a leader rather ostentatiously styled Ourselves in which we will presently set forth the circumstances that justify the appearance of a new paper, its professed intentions and aims, the line of policy it proposes to pursue and the principles by which it is to be guided. It is with great diffidence that we usher this paper into existence presuming that the indulgent public will give us a warm reception by supporting and encouraging us in spite of our shortcomings.

We shall confine ourselves as much as possible to Indian politics. We do not belong either to that class of men who altogether ignore the superiority of western rule and find fault with everything the Government does or to that of those who are so far carried away by the influence of their English education as to cry down everything native and advocate as a rule the preferability of western institutions to those of our community. With many Anglo-Indian statesmen such as Sir Thomas Munro, Sir Henry Lawrence and several others we are of opinion that there has been a tendency on the part of our rulers to interfere too much in the internal administration of the country. We are inclined to be conservative as much as it is consistent with the national progress of the nation. The whole world is destined to be guided by Europe and it will not be desirable even if it were possible to withstand the pressure of the European influence brought to bear upon us by the spread of western knowledge and civilisation among us. The principles that we propose to be guided by are simply those of fairness and justice. It will always be our aim to promote harmony and union among our fellow countrymen and to interpret correctly the feelings of the natives and to create mutual confidence between the governed and the governors. In religion though there have been of late occasions to look with unpleasant feelings and suspicion upon the conduct of a particular sect of missionaries, we shall observe the strictest neutrality; sectarian disputes we shall never allow to appear in our columns. But when religious questions involve interests of a political and social character we shall keep our columns open to any prudent remarks and criticisms.