India and the world of print


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

India and the world of print

India and the World of Print: Before the age of print, ideas and information were in written form.

Manuscripts before the Age of Print: India had a very rich and ancient tradition of hand written manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian as well as in various Vernacular languages. These manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper. Manuscripts were highly expensive and got damage easily. They had to be handled carefully and were not widely used in everyday life.Manuscripts continued to be produced till well after the introduction of print , down to the late nineteenth century . The pre-colonial Bengal had developed an extensive network of village primary schools. Here, many students did not read texts because teachers dictated texts from their memory and students wrote them down. Many students thus became literate without reading any kinds of texts.

Print Comes to India: The first printing press came to Goa with the Portuguese missionaries in the mid—16th century. Jesuit priests learnt Konkani and printed several books. About 50 books had been printed in Konkani and Kanara languages in 1674. Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in 1579 in Cochin and in 1713, the first Malayalam book was printed. In 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had printed 32 Tamil books.English language press didn't grow in india till quite late even though the english East India Company began to import presses from the late seventeenth century . 

Vernacular Language :- The Languages spoken in a particular area or by a particular group especially one that is not the official or written language . 

Diwan -  Hafiz was a 14th century poet whose collected works are known as Diwan Manuscripts lie this continued to be produced for the rich even after the coming of the letterpress.

 
 


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