James Augustus Hicky’s Bengal Gazette reported on the troubles of native residents in Kolkata, challenged rampant corruption in the East India Company and even questioned why Britain was fighting wars in India.
Promotion
James Augustus Hicky’s sojourn in India began in a rather inauspicious manner. The Irishman behind the establishment of India’s first-ever newspaper was a one-time surgeon, who arrived in Kolkata (Calcutta) back in 1776 to establish his shipping business.
Unfortunately, the shipping business fell apart. Unable to pay back the money Hicky borrowed from the banks, most of his belongings were seized, while he went to prison for a short while.
(But he did manage to squirrel away Rs 2,000 with a trusted friend. This money was eventually used to order types and construct a printing press.)
After spending a few years in prison, Hicky was released, and on January 20,…