The transformation of tradition bound Sindhi society commenced after the British conquest in 1843. Education and a new way of thinking crept in slowly and gradually. Printing and publishing were also introduced, initially in Karachi and overtime to Hyderabad. The most striking feature of this welcome change in the old capital was the commencement of literary magazines in the Sindhi language which laid a firm foundation for this genre.
In fact, magazines or periodicals are far more widely read than books. This notion was clearly understood by promising young English-educated Muslims and Hindus alike. The torch bearers were two Advani brothers Navalrai and Hiranand who hailed from Hyderabad. The Advani brothers under the impact of Brahmo Samaj, commenced social reformation activities in Karachi and Hyderabad in the late 19th century. They had a massive programme of social reformation in mind.
As the first step the Advani brothers founded at Hyderabad, the prestigious educational institution called Navalrai Hiranand Academy which became more famously known as Union Academy. Founded in 1888 this high school served as a hub of educational, cultural and social activities and produced enlightened Hindu intelligentsia under the leadership of Sadhu Hiranand Shaukiram Advani (1863-1898).
Sadhu Hiranand who earlier edited the Sindh Sudhar (Sindhi) and the Sindh Times (English) at Karachi founded a small printing shop for lithographing school registers, forms and stationery articles and named it the Sarsvati Press. From here appeared the first two pioneering magazine Sarsvati and Sudhar Patrika.
In November 1890 the monthly Sarsvati appeared under the auspices of the Hindu Reform Association at the Union Academy. Hiranand edited the journal until he died due to the plague in 1898. Khanchand Partabrai Lalvani succeeded him for the next nearly 30 years. The teachers and senior students enormously contributed to the journal.
The Sarsvati contained literary pieces in prose and poetry. Its mainstay were informative articles on topics such as education and the reformation of society. Some articles with regards to health were specifically addressed to women, hygiene, child rearing and home economics.
A progressive journal of its time, the Sarsvati also contained political and administrative news, as well as biographies of Sikh and Brahmo Samaj leaders. Extremely moderate regarding its editorial policies, the magazine’s writers respected the sentiments of their compatriots. Far from being provocative it behaved rationally when its Karachi-based contemporary Sophia which was owned by a Bengali Christian, launched an aggressive movement against other religions. In response the Sarsvati published a Sindhi translation of Dr Draper’s outstanding work History of Intellectual Development of Europe.
The monthly journal Sudhar Patrika was an organ of the Union Academy and the Hindu Reform Association. It appeared in Gurmuthi script, rival of the Arabic-Sindhi script, which was specifically introduced in 1867 at primary schools for Hindu girls. The Patrika was edited by Naralari Shaukiram Advani, a high-ranking government official who supported the Union Academy and the social reformation movements.
The Sudhar Patrika was especially intended for women and struggled hard for their rights. Considered to be the most progressive periodical of its time, it contained articles, short stories, and some letters, written by Bulchand Kodumal, which were supposed to be from an unhappily married girl to her mother. These letters caused a sensation, bringing tears to the eyes of women and moving the menfolk as well.
The Patrika continued publication into the 20th century, after a brief absence in 1898 due to the widespread plague which proved fatal for the owner Sudhur Hiranand. Printed at Sarsvati Press, it was moderately priced at one anna a copy or twelve annas per annum. In 1916 the Patrika sold 250 copies a month which according to the standards of the time was quite a feat.