Reality Scribes
Reality Scribes
Podcast Description
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.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores the evolution of India's news culture from the 1700s onwards, with specific episodes like 'Competitive Terrains of Information' examining information ecosystems during the Mughal Empire and the impacts of colonialism on indigenous journalism practices.
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.
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
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Reality Scribes has been conceptualised, scripted, narrated and produced by Sumit Chaturvedi and Vasundhara Sirnate.
Disclaimer
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