Media — the fourth pillar of democracy — is trusted with the role of being a watchdog, ensuring accountability and transparency.

True to this, through the ages, journalists have wielded their pens to advocate for change.  Today, we shine the spotlight on five such journalists who stood up to the exploitative colonial policies.

1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak Despite the Vernacular Press Act (1878) passed by the British to curb the freedom of the Indian press, Tilak started ‘Kesari’, the Marathi weekly, in 1881, which routinely published nationalist articles.

A particular report in which Tilak supported revolutionaries who had tried to assassinate Douglas Kingsford, the then Chief Presidency Magistrate, got him arrested by the British on charges of sedition.

2. G Subramania Iyer The freedom fighter and social reformer is hailed for establishing two prominent newspapers: ‘The Hindu’ (which is still one of India’s most respected papers) and ‘Swadesamitran’ (one of the first Tamil newspapers).

Subramania Iyer was more comfortable writing in English, but his intent behind starting Swadesamitran was to incite the feeling of patriotism among the Tamil people. Through his publications, he wanted to chronicle the Indian Freedom Movement.

3. Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal Ghosh Brothers Sisir Kumar and Motilal started the Amrita Bazar Patrika, a daily which was published originally in Bengali and later in English.

The paper operated out of a battered wooden press which cost only Rs 32, and the articles published were openly critical of the British regime. It is said that they were also one of the reasons why Subhas Chandra Bose and other students expelled from the Presidency College, Calcutta were readmitted.

4. K Ramakrishna Pillai His name is synonymous with Swadeshabhimani (meaning ‘The Patriot’) — a Malayalam publication which became popular for its articles against British rule in the princely state of Travancore.

Pillai’s articles called for social transformation, urging the people of Travancore to demand self-rule, writing actively against corruption in the state.

In 1910, the newspaper was confiscated by the British, and Pillai was arrested and banished to Tirunelveli, where he spent the rest of his days writing and campaigning for civil rights.

5. Madan Mohan Malaviya While Malaviya is more popularly known as the founder of the Banaras Hindu University, his contributions to journalism are noteworthy.

When the British government passed the Press Act and Newspaper Act in 1908, Malaviya started an English daily, titled ‘The Leader’ in 1909, along with Motilal Nehru. The publication was a cornerstone of the writing of that era.