Print not only stimulated the publication of
conflicting opinions amongst comrpunities but it also connected communities and people in different parts of India. Following factors discussed below show the growth of nationalism in India throughout print culture
(i) New ideas and debates There were many who criticised the existing practices and campaigned for reforms, while others countered the arguments of the reformers. These debates were carried out openly in public and in print. Printed tracts and newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but they also shaped the nature of the debate. All this assisted the growth of nationalism.
[ii) Print and newspapers Despite repressive
measures, nationalist newspapers grew in numbers in all parts of India. They reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities.
When Punjab revolutionaries were deported in 1907, Balgangadhar Tilak wrote with great sympathy about them in his ‘Kesari.’
(iii) Connecting various communities Print not only stimulated the publication of conflicting opinions amongst communities, but also connected communities and people living in different parts of India. Newspapers conveyed news from one place to another, creating a pan-Indian identity.
(iv) Various novels on national history Many novels written by Indian novelists like ‘Anandamath’ written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhay, created a sense of pan-Indian belonging. Munshi Premchand’s novel, ‘Godan highlightened how Indian peasants were exploited by the colonial bureaucrats.
(v) Various images of Bharatmata Painters like Raja Ravi Verma and Rabindranath Tagore drew images of Bharatmata which produced a sense of nationalism among Indians. The devotion to mother figure came to be seen as an evidence of one’s nationalism.