Printing Industry in the Indian Subcontinent: The Medium of Interaction and Mutual Interaction between Britain and the Indian Community

With the arrival of the Portuguese in the Indian subcontinent in the tenth century AH / the sixteenth century AD, the printing industry entered the land. The reason for the transfer of this industry to the Indian subcontinent was to carry out propaganda missions for Christian missionaries. As a result, the production and distribution of Christian propaganda books began in native languages of the Indian subcontinent. With the introduction and then consolidation of the power of the British East Indian Company in India, the print industry turned into a media and tool for influencing and expanding Britain's social and cultural activities in the region. On the other hand, the familiarity of Indian society with the printing industry and the applications of this socio-cultural media also provided the basis for using this industry among the native peoples of the Subcontinent. This article based on descriptive-analytical approach will study the role of printing press in cultural relation between British East India Company and Indian Society. The findings of this study suggest that British East India Company had used the printing press for cultural and social domination in Indian subcontinent, whereas Indian natives and reform movements used this industry as a tool for confronting against the cultural influence of Britain and preserving their native, ethnic and written heritage.