A Hundred Years of Jaina Journalism

Summary

Jyoti Prasad Jain’s article surveys the evolution of journalism and its impact on the Jain community. He begins by noting that curiosity—the urge to know—has driven human achievements and that journalism has been the primary tool for disseminating knowledge and inspiring creativityhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_1978_04_Romanized/520050. The article traces the development of printing from Gutenberg’s movable‑type press, which produced the first printed books in Europe in the mid‑15th centuryhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_1978_04_Romanized/520050#:~:text=temporal%20progress%20of%20mankind,England%20the%20art%20of%20printing, to the arrival of the printing press in India in 1556https://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_1978_04_Romanized/520050#:~:text=book%20in%20English%20in%201476,progress%2C%20it%20now%20being%20possible. Journalism, Jain observes, emerged as a regular institution only after printing technology was established; early forms such as news‑letters evolved into newspapers like Venice’s **gazzetta** and the **Bengal Gazette**, India’s first newspaperhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_1978_04_Romanized/520050#:~:text=term%20%27journal%27%20originally%20meant%20a,and%20named%20after%20the. He argues that the growth of journals was intertwined with social progress: by spreading ideas, newspapers catalysed the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe and later reform movements in Indiahttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_1978_04_Romanized/520050#:~:text=strides%2C%20as%20they%20have%20done%2C,Far%20from%20it%2C%20India. Turning to Jain journalism, the article recounts how Jain communities adopted the press to preserve teachings, announce community events and debate reform. The **Jain Gazette**—a weekly magazine published by the Dharm Sanrakshini Mahasabha—has appeared regularly for more than a century and is regarded as the world’s oldest Jain periodicalhttps://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/Digambar_Jain_Mahasabha#:~:text=,10. Early editors and contributors used vernacular and English to reach diverse audiences and addressed topics ranging from ethics and philosophy to politics and education. The article highlights the proliferation of other Jain magazines, including women’s journals and temple newsletters, demonstrating how the press fostered literacy and unity. By chronicling a century of Jain journalism, Jyoti Prasad Jain shows that the Jain community harnessed modern media to transmit its ancient values, engage with political change and build a global network of readers.