Question

Explain print and censorship in simple words!!

Answer 1

Press played a key role in the nationalist movement ,even though its pioneers came from a small westernised educated elite. these pioneer recognised a powerful weapons in the press which used to arouse the people against the britishers.
i.Dramatic performance act was enacted in 1876 to suppress the writing and staging of the allegely seditious drammas.
ii.the vernacular press act was enacted in 1878. it aimed at silencing any attempts by indian language press to criticise the government.
iii.the censorship act was passed in 1878 notwithstanding strong peotests from the press.
.iv.the government kept regular track of the vernacular newspapers pyblished in different provinces .when report was jusged as seditious,the newspaper was warned and if the warning was ignored the press was liable to be seized and the printing machi ery confiscated.

Answer 2

Print had a huge impact on its readers and hence the East India Company wanted to restrict the publications.

In the 1820s, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed certain regulations to control press freedom. After the revolt of 1857, the Englishmen demanded to clamp the local press and wanted to control the spread of nationalism.

The Vernacular Press Act which was passed in 1878 gave the government right to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press.

In spite of these controls, the number of nationalist newspapers increased throughout the India. When Company attempted to suppress any nationalist expression, militant protests were launched. Print culture became one of the major driving forces behind the Indian freedom struggle.