Society

Bombay Samachar History: Asia's Oldest Newspaper

Bombay Samachar, known today as Mumbai Samachar, was launched as a Gujarati weekly on 1 July 1822 in Bombay by Parsi printer Fardunjee Marzban, to carry shippi…

Swipe to explore ›
AiTimeline Home
FOUNDING IN BOMBAY

Fardunjee Marzban Launches Bombay Samachar

Parsi scholar and printing pioneer Fardunjee Marzban launched Bombay Samachar as a Gujarati weekly on 1 July 1822, to serve Bombay's merchant class with shipping arrival…

AiTimeline Home
BECOMING A DAILY

Bombay Samachar Moves to Daily Publication

Government of India records cite 1832 for the shift to daily publication; other historical accounts describe an intermediate bi-weekly phase before a permanent daily foo…

AiTimeline Home
RECORDING AN UPRISING

Bombay Samachar Reports the 1857 Uprising

The paper's own historical archive includes reporting connected to the 1857 uprising against British rule, including developments involving Tatya Tope and Rani Laxmibai…

AiTimeline Home
FREEDOM MOVEMENT ERA

Congress, World Wars and Quit India

The paper operated through the founding of the Indian National Congress in Bombay (1885), both World Wars, the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the 1942 Quit India mov…

AiTimeline Home
OWNERSHIP CHANGE

The Cama Family Takes Over

Facing financial difficulty, the paper's previous ownership could have closed. Instead, the Cama family - already the paper's newsprint-and-ink supplier - was asked by a…

AiTimeline Home
INDEPENDENCE & NEW STATES

Independence, Republic, and the Split of Bombay State

India became independent on 15 August 1947 and a republic on 26 January 1950. In 1960, the bilingual Bombay State was divided into Maharashtra and Gujarat, with Bombay b…

AiTimeline Home
THE EMERGENCY

Press Restrictions Test the Paper

From 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977, the Indian government imposed extraordinary press restrictions. The paper's current leadership says it continued publishing governmen…

AiTimeline Home
BOMBAY BECOMES MUMBAI

The City is Renamed, and So is Its Newspaper

Bombay was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995. The paper's own name had long carried local usage of "Mumbai na Samachar," and in 2025 PTI reported a politician displaying…

AiTimeline Home
BICENTENARY & DIGITAL ARCHI…

200 Years, and a Race to Digitise the Past

The paper completed 200 years on 1 July 2022, marked by the Government of India with a commemorative postage stamp. In April 2025, editor Nilesh Dave said the paper was…

AiTimeline Home

Want the full timeline?

Read the complete story, FAQs and key facts.

AiTimeline Home