It is common knowledge that India's first printing press, as well as Asia's, was started in Old Goa in 1556. But, do you know that for around 100 to 120 years, printing was banned in Goa and was re-started only in 1821.
“The press was suppressed in Goa in the late 17th century and in the 1700s. The one single press, functioning from Rachol, was run by the Jesuits and as they were running ‘amok’ — as the Portuguese described — and had to be controlled. And, the printing press was one of the tools to do so,” stated historian, writer and translator, Murali Ranganathan.
He was speaking at a lecture titled, ‘From Piedade to Pakhtunkhwa via Parel: The Artistic Peregrinations of Jose Maria Gonsalves’ at Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts, Panjim, recently.
Interestingly, the first Japanese book was printed in Goa in the late 1500s, and Goa also produced the first Tamil types in 1576.
Ranganathan, who is the grantee of the first edition of the VM Salgaocar Foundation Scholars-in-Residence 2024 programme, and has extensively studied print history, also discussed the Romi script of the Konkani language.
“Romi Konkani is a print heritage kind of issue. The first works were printed in Romi Konkani in 1612. They just didn’t have Devanagari type made at that time in Goa and elsewhere. The Devanagari script came up quite late in the 1850s,” he disclosed.
Gonsalves published two albums illustrating Mumbai, showcasing its landscape and architecture. The first, published in 1826 was in black and white, while the second was published in 1833, and was in colour.
“When you have the heritage of a script, it is difficult to discard it. I don’t see any harm, and one can write a language in any script you want. Also, Konkani is a rich language as it has four or five scripts,” Ranganathan added.
During his one-hour lecture, he also spoke about tracing the journey of Jose Maria Gonsalves (1800–1845), a prominent lithographer, who drew and illustrated Mumbai in the 1820s and ‘30s.
He was a Goan from Piedade, who migrated to Mumbai in his 20s, and lithography came to Mumbai in 1823.
Gonsalves published two albums illustrating Mumbai, showcasing its landscape and architecture. The first, published in 1826 was in black and white, while the second was published in 1833, and was in colour.
They were among the first lithographic illustrated books to be printed in the city.
He has also illustrated the map of Panjim, as well as the very famous Panjim riverfront from the Betim side.
He has also illustrated the map of Panjim, as well as the very famous Panjim riverfront from the Betim side.
Gonsalves worked in Bombay (now Mumbai) as an engineer and was involved in making charts, maps, etc. He was one of the many Goans who migrated to Mumbai in 19th century and contributed immensely to the print world of Mumbai.
Ranganathan also spoke about Govind Narayan who migrated from Goa in 1820s as a 10-year-old. He is considered the first urban biographer of Mumbai, having published Mumbaiche Varnan (1863) in Marathi, a book now regarded as a classic.
Ranganathan spoke extensively about the East India Company’s embassy which was sent to Sindh and Kabul from Mumbai.
It involved Lt Alexander Burnes, who was a traveller and negotiator; one Mohan Lal, Navrozji Fardunji as a translator, and Gonsalves himself in his capacity as an illustrator.
According to Ranganathan, Navrozji Fardunji probably wrote the first travelogue in Gujarati.
All three, except for Gonsalves, wrote travelogues about their trip, which lasted from 1836 to 1838.
According to Ranganathan, Navrozji Fardunji probably wrote the first travelogue in Gujarati. He was then part of various reformist projects and was termed 'Tribune of India.'
Ranganathan spoke about Rama Kamati who was a prominent person in Mumbai in the 17th century. He was the agent of the Portuguese in Mumbai, and even represented them as their ambassador in Shivaji’s court.
“The British were afraid of him, and so, they framed him and stripped off his wealth and imprisoned him. He died in 1721,” he mentioned.
“Kamati was forgotten, but then, Shenoi Goembab wrote a biography on him in Konkani. It traces Kamati’s life and also tracing picture of Goans in 17th Century.”
The lecture was peppered with interesting anecdotes with focus on Gonsalves and many more Goans who contributed to the printed world all these years.
Visitors can check out the College of St Paul in Old Goa, and the Rachol Seminary to catch a glimpse of Goa's printing history.