In this post Chakali Chandra Sekhar introduces his new article, ‘Rediscovering Hitavadi: A Forgotten Pioneer of Telugu Vernacular Print and Missionary Journalism’, recently published in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society.
Emerging from the turbulence of post-1857 colonial India, Hitavadi was conceived as more than a religious tract. It was a radical endeavour and a transformative force in shaping the vernacular public sphere in Telugu-speaking regions of colonial South Asia.
What happens when a piece of history fades into obscurity, only to resurface decades later, its story fragmentary but profound? This is the journey of Hitavadi: An Illustrated Telugu Magazine, the first Telugu-language literary journal, founded in 1862 by Rev. John Edmund Sharkey of the Church Missionary Society. A ground-breaking publication of its time, Hitavadi offered more than religious messaging. It became a beacon for social reform, intellectual engagement, and public debate in Telugu-speaking regions of colonial South Asia.
Hitavadi was conceived as more than a religious tract. It was, in many ways, a radical endeavour.
The story of Hitavadi is one of resilience, innovation, and, perhaps most importantly, rediscovery. For decades, scholars knew little about this magazine beyond its name. Its surviving issues were scattered across global archives, and its contributions were largely overlooked. In my new article, ‘Rediscovering Hitavadi: A Forgotten Pioneer of Telugu Vernacular Print and Missionary Journalism‘—now published in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society—I piece together the legacy of this remarkable publication. The findings reveal a magazine that was not merely a Christian periodical but a transformative force in shaping the vernacular public sphere.
Emerging from the turbulence of post-1857 colonial India, Hitavadi was conceived as more than a religious tract. It was, in many ways, a radical endeavour. Published in the Telugu language, the magazine sought to make knowledge widely accessible. Its aim was not just to inform but to foster a literate, morally conscious society. Hitavadi was, at its core, a bridge: it connected missionary ideals with local needs, sacred discourse with secular education, and regional communities with global narratives. Its pages featured topics ranging from women’s education to global geography, from critiques of caste practices to reflections on spiritual salvation.
By weaving these diverse strands together, Hitavadi crafted a space where Telugu-speaking readers could engage with ideas that challenged, inspired, and shaped their world.
Hitavadi’s cover page of the January–December 1862 issue
But Hitavadi’s story is also one of loss. Most of its issues have vanished, casualties of time and fragile archives. My research involved months of meticulous archival work in libraries across India, the UK, and the USA. Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place. Twelve issues from 1862, three from 1864, and an unexpected discovery—a 1904 issue—gave glimpses into the magazine’s evolution and changing editorial voice. These fragmented finds were a revelation. The inaugural 1862 issue positioned Hitavadi as a response to India’s perceived need for moral and intellectual reform in the wake of the Sepoy Uprising.
By 1904, under the editorship of Rev. Dhannavada Anantam, the magazine had evolved into a platform for collaborative authorship, blending missionary voices with contributions from local Telugu writers. This transition from missionary-led to hybrid authorship mirrors broader changes in Telugu society, as vernacular print culture became a tool for democratising knowledge.
In revisiting Hitavadi, we confront vital questions about the role of print in shaping society.
Hitavadi is perhaps best understood as an early experiment in creating a ‘vernacular public sphere’. Drawing on Jürgen Habermas’s concept, this space allowed Telugu readers to engage in moral and social debates that transcended traditional hierarchies. Unlike earlier media confined to Brahmin elites, Hitavadi catered to a broader audience, using accessible language to tackle complex themes. For example, the magazine championed women’s education, critiqued caste inequalities, and promoted temperance movements, aligning its mission with national reformist efforts.
Simultaneously, its pages featured arithmetic puzzles, scripture-based riddles, and articles on natural sciences, encouraging readers to think critically and participate actively. This blend of moral guidance and intellectual engagement was a hallmark of Protestant missionary periodicals, but Hitavadi localised this approach, making it uniquely relevant to its Telugu-speaking audience.
Girls’ school (Hitavadi, June 1862, 85)
In revisiting Hitavadi, we confront vital questions about the role of print in shaping society. How did vernacular journals like this one challenge colonial hierarchies? What does their legacy tell us about the intersection of religion, media, and social reform in 19th-century India?
As my research shows, Hitavadi was more than a magazine. It was a lens through which readers viewed the world—and themselves—in a time of great change. By rediscovering its history, we recover a lost chapter of Telugu print culture and gain insight into how ideas travel, adapt, and endure.
The rediscovery of Hitavadi reminds us that history is often incomplete, shaped by the fragments we recover and the stories we choose to tell. For me, the journey of reconstructing this magazine’s legacy was as much about the process as the product—a reminder of the fragile yet enduring power of the written word.
About the Author
Chakali Chandra Sekhar is a faculty member at SRR & CVR Government Degree College in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.
His doctoral research significantly contributed to understanding Dalit conversions to Christianity in Colonial Rayalaseema, one of the Telugu-speaking regions of India. The recipient of a UK-Visiting-Charles Wallace India Trust Award and Doctoral Fellowships at SOAS, University of London (2016) and the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, Gottingen (2017), Dr Sekhar’s research interests are Dalits and religion, archives, gender, print and social history.
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