Benjamin Guy Horniman was a British journalist who despised the Empire’s rule over India and boldly exposed the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 13, 1919) of several hundred people ordered by the trigger-happy acting Brigadier-General Reginald EH Dyer. One of several sensitive Britons who opposed Great Britain’s imperialism, particularly its oppressive rule over India, Horniman fought for independence in India and to gain public opinion in her early media career in her homeland. Deployed his journalistic skills to
Born on July 17, 1873, to William and his wife Sarah, a Royal Navy officer, Horniman began his media career at the age of 21 with the Portsmouth Evening Mail, and after 12 years working with other English newspapers, He joined The Statesman newspaper in Calcutta. Kolkata) as its new editor in 1906.
In 1913, he got a significant career break from the great leader of the Indian National Congress, Sir Ferozeshah Mehta, to join his newspaper ‘The Bombay Chronicle’, where he could freely spit his anti-colonial venom.
Since Sir Ferozeshah Mehta was a prominent politician and president of the INC, Horniman’s leadership of his newspaper not only promoted the freedom struggle but also independent journalism, which was adopted by a handful of newspapers of that dark age.
A few years later, Horniman, through the Press Association of India, laid the foundation for ‘Federalism in the Fourth Estate’, which aimed to protect the interests of working journalists and the press, protecting them from freedom from arbitrary laws and other pillars. Like the executive, legislature and judiciary, which defined the media as the ‘fourth pillar’.
Strongly asserting the rights of the media, his landmark moment came when he narrated the historical big story of the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre (around April 20, 1919) through the British press to hide details and photographs for the world to rejoice. Censorship was blown away. unaware of it for days
As the British public and opposition revolted over the bloody revelations at their breakfast table, the British rulers in India immediately shut down the Bombay Chronicle and closed it temporarily, capturing a correspondent, Govardhan Das, and giving him three imprisoned for years. In addition to arresting Horniman and deporting him to London that year (1919).
Also read: TMC MP Mahua Moitra hid her Louis Vuitton bag in Lok Sabha during debate on price hike?
Outside India but not down, he continued to pen his sword, from there waging a crusade against the Raj, writing reports, articles and books before returning to India in January 1926 to rejoin The Bombay Chronicle.
Three years later in 1929, he quit his job, started his own newspapers, the ‘Indian National Herald’ and the ‘Weekly Herald’, and then in 1933 the evening ‘Bombay Sentinel’, which he edited for 12 years.
At that time, he came into contact with Russi Karanjia, an aggressive young Parsi magazine, and along with courageous crime reporters Dinkar V. Nadkarni and Zaheer Babar Qureshi, the quartet launched the ‘Blitz’ newspaper with Nadir Boman-Behram as business head. ,
Later, ‘Blitz’ was credited with introducing the ‘investigative journalism’ brand in India, although many – mostly those who were badly affected by it – ridiculed it as ‘sensational’ or ‘yellow journalism’. did.
In 1919, through The Bombay Chronicle, Horniman campaigned for a ‘satyagraha’ against the dreaded Rowlatt Act, advocating for a severe ban on political trials with the intention of ‘silencing’ opponents.
He also served as the Vice President of the Home Rule League founded by Dr Annie Besant in September 1916 and was the Vice President of a nationwide ‘Satyagraha Sabha’ started by Mahatma Gandhi to address public meetings, protests etc. In the end the Rowlatt Act was seen to be shelved.
As the grip of the British Empire slipped on the ‘Jewel in the Crown’, Horniman continued to work with his writings, speeches and political parties, including during the Indian independence movement for years.
He lived to see the day the Union Jack was lowered and the Indian tricolor won and ascended the country – overcoming all odds – and ending more than 25 decades of British rule.
Also read: Nancy Pelosi ‘right’ to go to Taiwan, US said amid warnings of strong China reaction
Horniman died peacefully in Bombay on October 16, 1948, nine months after the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was shot by an assassin in Delhi on January 30, 1948, marking the end of an era in independent journalism, federalism. Is. Media is associated with political activism.
Indian and British media paid rich tributes to his media and political legacy upon his passing, and later the grateful city fathers of Bombay renamed the famous Elphinstone Garden ‘Horniman Garden’ – at a prominent location in today’s South Mumbai. – Where it remains an icon radiating its glory.