1. Name: Print and the Urdu Public : Muslims, Newspapers, & Urban Life in Colonial Life
2. Author: Megan Eaton Robb
3. Genre: Non Fiction/History
4. Book Post No. : 69
5. What is it about? : Madinah was an Urdu newspaper which was published from a small town called Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, India from 1912 till 1973. This book is primarily a study of this hugely influential newspaper and the time and space of its existence. The author, Megan Eaton Robb, who is an Associate Professor in Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania looks at the prevailing political and religious climate of the early 1900s India and how Muslims of small localities or qasbahs used newspapers printed in their qasbahs to create a discourse unique to them and went on to become an influential voice nationally as well as internationally. This book is also a good reminder of the role played by Muslims in India’s freedom struggle.
6. How I came to read it? : This book serves two of my ongoing projects. One is to learn about Urdu and its history. Second is to improve my knowledge regarding Muslims, their place in India and the world, their history and the current situation of the Muslim ummah. Surrey Libraries has some of the best collection of books on Muslims and India and a quick search with Urdu as a keyword resulted in this book.
7. Did I like it? : This was a moderately good read. The author is an Academic and it shows in the writing. To be totally honest most of the writing just flew over my head.
I come from Hyderabad, the South Indian one, where Urdu newspapers are still published. Siasat is the most popular one and I remember flipping through its pages as a kid at my relatives house, not understanding anything but just looking at the pictures. There are other Urdu newspapers like Munsif, Etemaad, and Rehnuma-e-Deccan. Though I could not read Urdu fluently I had some familiarity with these papers, so when I first came across this book, my curiosity was piqued. Initially, I assumed the book covered Urdu newspapers broadly but after starting it I found out it was about one specific newspaper.
The book is divided into 5 chapters. The first is an introduction of Madinah while the second chapter deals with exploring the time and space of the location the newspaper is set in, Bijnor. The third chapter talks about Urdu lithography as it links to Muslim technology. The fourth and fifth chapters deal with International events and Islam, and the Urdu readership of India.
Madinah (I am using the same spelling that the author has used) was started by Majid Hasan in Bijnor, which was a small town away from the major centres of intellectual discussions. Slowly and steadily, with high quality of their work, Madinah became very popular and seeped into the public consciousness. They became so influential that when Madinah published a letter from a reader complaining about the behavior of a chairman of a famous school, it led to an outcry and it had to be resolved with all parties involved.
Madinah reported on all three levels; local, national and international. A local leader not working for the benefit of the village to the movement of British troops during the World Wars, everything was reported on. It frequently got into trouble with the British administration because it wouldn’t stop writing critical editorials about it and had to forfeit a deposit with the British multiple times for their views.
After the India attained its Independence, Urdu lost its significance as the state favored Hindi over it. Because of this Madinah started losing its readership slowly and finally it closed down in 1975.
8. Positives:
- A unique and niche subject matter.
- Throws light on the complex conditions of an Urdu newspapers existence in Colonial India
9. Areas of improvement:
- The language is very “academic” making it hard for a general reader to grasp what is being said. Would have been nice if the writing was more ‘breezy’
10. Any other personal notes, observations, fun facts etc.
In Hyderabad, Urdu newspapers play a crucial role in arranged marriages among Muslims. One can post matrimonial ads in a newspaper like Siasat, which is the most popular Urdu newspaper. Posting on Siasat still remains the most effective way for finding matches-second only to the traditional method of seeking recommendations from friends and family.