"200 Not Out": Mumbai Samachar expands multilingual digital presence

Mumbai: Asia’s oldest surviving newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, is preparing to turn a new page in its illustrious 203-year-old history by launching a project to digitise its rich archives, a collection that chronicles India's most pivotal moments from the 19th century to the present.

Established in 1822 by Parsi scholar Fardunji Marzban, Mumbai Samachar is housed in a colonial-era building at Horniman Circle, Mumbai. 

Through centuries of change — from the colonial era to India's independence and beyond — the Gujarati daily has witnessed and reported the country’s transformation, including landmark events like the First War of Independence in 1857, the death of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, and the birth of the Indian National Congress.

Now, as the newspaper adapts to the digital age, its management has initiated a project to restore and preserve thousands of historical editions.

"We are in talks with different agencies to restore old files in our archives, which we consider a national legacy," said Nilesh Dave, Editor of Mumbai Samachar, as reported by NewsDrum.

"We also plan to create a website featuring nearly 10,000 historic stories published over the last two centuries."

While copies from 1932 onwards are available in the archives, Dave mentioned that some rare editions dating back to 1857 are too fragile to be handled and urgently require restoration.

As part of its expansion strategy, the newspaper has recently launched its English website and plans to soon introduce Marathi and Hindi versions to cater to a broader audience.

Adding another feather to its cap, a documentary titled "Mumbai Samachar 200 Not Out" — capturing the paper's extraordinary journey — will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival this May. The documentary’s trailer was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the full release attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Mumbai last September.

A legacy rooted in community service

Originally launched as Shri Mumbai Na Samachar in 1822, the newspaper initially served as an essential information source for Mumbai’s trading communities, primarily Parsis and Marwaris. Priced at Rs 2 per month for 150 subscribers, the publication provided vital shipping information from Bombay harbour, community death notes, and later, broader news coverage.

Founder Fardunji Marzban, originally from Surat, ventured into the printing and book-binding business before pioneering journalism in Mumbai. By 1832, the newspaper transitioned from a weekly to a daily, with editions initially handwritten and later printed using a machine imported from London.

Notably, Mumbai Samachar’s early contributors and editors included Marathi scholars like Janardhan Vasudev and Vinayak Vasudev. Over the decades, the paper documented critical moments in India’s struggle for freedom — reporting on the activities of figures like Tatya Tope and chronicling the death of Rani Laxmibai during the 1857 uprising.

Resilience through political upheavals

A testament to its independent editorial policy, Mumbai Samachar remained steadfast even during the Emergency era (1975–77) when much of India's press was muzzled.

"We published news from both the opposition and the government and maintained complete neutrality," Editor Dave affirmed.

Recalling a meeting between the newspaper’s owner, Hormusji Cama, and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Dave noted: "Mr. Cama clearly stated that if dialogue channels are closed, solutions become impossible. We have always resisted any form of external pressure."

Even after Bombay was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995, Mumbai Samachar stood as evidence that the city’s indigenous name had deep historical roots. Then-politician Chhagan Bhujbal cited an old edition of the newspaper in the Maharashtra legislature to highlight this fact, despite the company's legal name remaining Bombay Samachar Pvt Ltd.

Today, Mumbai Samachar continues to operate with a single edition available across India — a rare feat in an era of fragmented media. As it embarks on its next journey of digitisation, the historic daily reaffirms its place not just as a witness to India’s story, but as a living, evolving part of it.