Reality Scribes

Reality Scribes
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This podcast traces the origins of journalism in India. The hosts, Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate, take you through the history of Indian society's news and information ecosystems, India's news culture and how these have evolved over years, decades and centuries.

Episodes

  1. 06/14/2025

    Episode 9: James Silk Buckingham's "Calcutta Journal" - The Paper of the Public (Part 2)

    In this episode, Vasundhara and Sumit tell you the story of Cornishman James Silk Buckingham and how he went from being a sailor to becoming the editor of the most successful newspaper in colonial Bengal between 1818 and 1823. This episode features special guests Dr. Ritika Prasad and Dr. Callie Wilkinson. You can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources: Margarita Barns: The Indian Press: A History of the Growth of Public Opinion in India, G. Allen & Unwin Limited, 1940. Ralph E Turner: James Silk Buckingham (1786-1855) - A Social Biography, William and Norgate Ltd., 1934. Ritika Prasad: "Imprimatur as Adversary: Press freedom and colonial governance in India, 1780–1823", in Modern Asian Studies, 2021(03). Wilkinson, Callie. "“Pernicious publicity”: The East India Company, the military, and the freedom of the press, 1818–1823." Journal of British Studies 61.4 (2022): 915-948. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "Alone with my thoughts" by Esther Abrami Allegro by Emmit Fenn Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    49 min

  2. 06/07/2025

    Episode 8: James Silk Buckingham's "Calcutta Journal" - The Paper of the Public (Part 1)

    In this episode, Sumit and Vasundhara tell you the story of Cornishman James Silk Buckingham and how he went from being a sailor to becoming the editor of the most successful newspaper in colonial Bengal between 1818 and 1823. This episode features special guests Dr. Ritika Prasad and Dr. Callie Wilkinson. You can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources: Margarita Barns: The Indian Press: A History of the Growth of Public Opinion in India, G. Allen & Unwin Limited, 1940. Ralph E Turner: James Silk Buckingham (1786-1855) - A Social Biography, William and Norgate Ltd., 1934. Ritika Prasad: "Imprimatur as Adversary: Press freedom and colonial governance in India, 1780–1823", in Modern Asian Studies, 2021(03). Wilkinson, Callie. "“Pernicious publicity”: The East India Company, the military, and the freedom of the press, 1818–1823." Journal of British Studies 61.4 (2022): 915-948. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "Alone with my thoughts" by Esther Abrami Allegro by Emmit Fenn Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    52 min

  3. 05/31/2025

    Episode 7: The Era of Formal Press Censorship in India

    In this episode, Sumit and Vasundhara tell you how the East India Company turned a system of informal censorship of newspapers into formal censorship in 1799. This episode features special guests Dr. Ritika Prasad and Dr. Callie Wilkinson. You can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources: Margarita Barns: The Indian Press: A History of the Growth of Public Opinion in India, G. Allen & Unwin Limited, 1940 Charles MacLean: The Affairs of Asia, Considered in their Effects on the Liberties of Britain, In a Series of Letters, Addressed to Marquis Wellesley, Late Governor-General of India, C. Maclean, London, 1806. Robert Rouiere Pearce: Memoirs and Correspondence of the Most Noble Richard Marquess Wellesley, 1846. Abul Faiz Salahuddin Ahmad: The Development of Public Opinion in Bengal, 1818-1835.   University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (United Kingdom) ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  1961. 11010653. Ritika Prasad: "Imprimatur as Adversary: Press freedom and colonial governance in India, 1780–1823", in Modern Asian Studies, 2021(03). Wilkinson, Callie. "“Pernicious publicity”: The East India Company, the military, and the freedom of the press, 1818–1823." Journal of British Studies 61.4 (2022): 915-948. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "Alone with my thoughts" by Esther Abrami Allegro by Emmit Fenn Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    53 min

  4. 05/24/2025

    Episode 6: William Duane's "Republic of Letters" (Part 2)

    In this episode, Sumit and Vasundhara tell you the story of William Duane and his newspaper called The Indian World, which he started in 1792 in Calcutta. Before long he had run afoul of the East India Company yet again. This episode features special guest Dr. Ritika Prasad. You can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources: Nigel Little: Transoceanic Radical: William Duane, Pickering and Chatto, 2014. Ritika Prasad: "Imprimatur as Adversary: Press freedom and colonial governance in India, 1780–1823", in Modern Asian Studies, 2021(03). Wilkinson, Callie. "“Pernicious publicity”: The East India Company, the military, and the freedom of the press, 1818–1823." Journal of British Studies 61.4 (2022): 915-948. Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Verso: 1983. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "Alone with my thoughts" by Esther Abrami Allegro by Emmit Fenn Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    34 min

  5. 05/17/2025

    Episode 5: William Duane's "Republic of Letters" (Part 1)

    In this episode, Sumit and Vasundhara tell you the origin story of William Duane, the editor of the Bengal Journal in Calcutta. Duane was a follower of the philosophy of Thomas Paine and a Freemason, who printed an unsubstantiated rumour about the death of Governor General Cornwallis, which led to tense relations between the East India Company and the French presence in Bengal in the late 1700s. This episode features special guest Dr. Callie Wilkinson. You can support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources: Nigel Little: Transoceanic Radical: William Duane, Pickering and Chatto, 2014. Wilkinson, Callie. "“Pernicious publicity”: The East India Company, the military, and the freedom of the press, 1818–1823." Journal of British Studies 61.4 (2022): 915-948. Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Verso: 1983. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "Alone with my thoughts" by Esther Abrami Allegro by Emmit Fenn Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    36 min

  6. 05/10/2025

    Episode 4: The "Papa" of the Bengal Press (Part 2): The Trials of James Augustus Hicky

    In this episode, Vasundhara and Sumit tell you about the first ever trials about press freedom in India in which editor and publisher James Augustus Hicky, faced charges of libel from Governor General Warren Hastings. The episode features special guest, Dr. Andrew Otis, Hicky's biographer. Our Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/c/RealityScribes Sources: Andrew Otis: Hicky's Bengal Gazette: The Untold Story of India's first Newspaper. Westland Books, 2018. Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Verso: 1983. University of Heidelberg, Digital Archive. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "No. 2 Remember Her" by Esther Abrami Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    41 min

  7. 05/03/2025

    Episode 3: The 'Papa' of the Bengal Press (Part1): Hicky's Bengal Gazette

    In this episode, Vasundhara and Sumit tell you the origin story of James Augustus Hicky, the Irishman who started Asia's first newspaper, Hicky's Bengal Gazette. The episode features special guest, Dr. Andrew Otis, Hicky's biographer. Sources: Andrew Otis: Hicky's Bengal Gazette: The Untold Story of India's first Newspaper. Westland Books, 2018. Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Verso: 1983. University of Heidelberg, Digital Archive. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "No. 2 Remember Her" by Esther Abrami Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    44 min

  8. 04/26/2025

    Episode 2: The Revolt of Mr. Bolts and the Making of the Newspaper Moment in India

    In this episode, Vasundhara and Sumit delve into the history of the Dutch adventurer William Bolts. Bolts was employed by the East India Company and became a successful and wealthy trader in India . His business practices were often unscrupulous. However, what he did have was insider information on how the East India Company conducted its business in India. At one point, after repeated confrontations with higher Company officials, Bolts decided to tell all. The East India Company tried to stop him. This is the story of how William Bolts became one of the first whistleblowers on the East India Company and how it signalled the arrival of the newspaper moment in India. Cultural historian and an expert on British history, Dr. Callie Wilkinson joins us for the first time in this episode sharing her insights on the topic of protest culture in late 1700s. As a friend of the podcast she will be reappearing in many of our subsequent episodes. You can support our work on Patreon:https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources used in this episode: NL Hallward: William Bolts: A Dutch Adventurer under John Company, 1920. Willem GJ Kuiters: The British in Bengal, 1756-1773. A society in transition seen through the biography of a rebel: William Bolts (1739-1808), 2003. Margarita Barnes: Indian Press : A History of the Growth of Public Opinion in India. London: Allen & Unwin, 1940 William Bolts: Considerations on India Affairs, particularly respecting the present state of Bengal and its dependencies, 1772. Benedict Anderson: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Verso: 1983. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci "On the Delta" by John Patitucci Podcast Artwork: Sumit Chaturvedi Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    47 min

  9. 04/19/2025

    Episode 1: Competitive Terrains of Information

    In this podcast, Sumit and Vasundhara begin their exploration of the history of Indian journalism, going back to the 1700s, joined by Mughal history scholar and expert, Aparajita Das. In the first episode, "Competitive Terrains of Information," they examine the information ecosystem that existed during the reign of the Mughal Empire in India. They find that even before printing presses existed in India, there was a well-developed information gathering and dissemination network, which slowly died out as the British colonized India. As new printing technologies developed along with shifts in political dominance, information-bearing communities were marginalized and their traditions and histories were lost.  You can support our work on Patreon:https://patreon.com/RealityScribes Sources used in this episode: Hayden Bellennoit: "Between qanungos and clerks: the cultural and service worlds of Hindustan's pensmen, c. 1750–1850" in Modern Asian Studies, Volume 48 / Issue 04 / July 2014, pp 872 -910. Jadunath Sarkar: The Mughal Administration (Six Lectures), Patna University Readership Lectures, 1920. Tabrez Ahmed Niyazi: "Internet Vernacularization, Mobilization, and Journalism" in Shakuntala Rao (ed) Indian Journalism in a New Era -Changes, Challenges and Perspectives, OUP. Margrit Pernau: "The Dehli Urdu Akhbar:Between Persian Akhbarat and English Newspapers", Annual of Urdu Studies vol. 18 (2003). Michael H Fisher: "The Office of Akhbār Nawīs: The Transition from Mughal to British Forms" in ⁠Modern Asian Studies ⁠, ⁠Volume 27 ⁠, ⁠Issue 1 ⁠, February 1993 , pp. 45 - 82. Christopher Alan Bayly: Empire and Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870. No. 1. Cambridge University Press, 1996. Music The following tracks were used in this episode and were taken from the YouTube Audio Library. They do not require attribution under the YouTube Audio Library License. However, we will credit the artists for their work. "East West" by John Patitucci "Stealth" by Aakash Gandhi "Low Noon" by John Patitucci Social Media X: @realityscribes Instagram: @realityscribes Facebook: Reality Scribes YouTube: Reality Scribes Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.

    37 min

  10. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    Introducing Reality Scribes

    Introducing Reality Scribes, a podcast that brings you the story of the origins of Indian journalism straight from the crucible of colonialism in India in the late 1700s. Hosted by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate. Music "The Road to Mordor" by Ezra Lipp Audio from YouTube Audio Library.

    4 min

Trailer

About

This podcast traces the origins of journalism in India. The hosts, Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate, take you through the history of Indian society's news and information ecosystems, India's news culture and how these have evolved over years, decades and centuries.

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  • Creator
    Reality Scribes
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
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    © Reality Scribes
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