The Pioneer (periodical)

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Letterhead from Pioneer office in Allahabad, from Mahatma Letter No. 105
Letterhead from Pioneer office, from Mahatma Letter No. 109

The Pioneer was an Anglo-Indian newspaper founded in Allahabad in 1865 by George Allen, an Englishman who had had great success in the tea business in north-east India in the previous decade.[1] It issued a weekly as well as a daily edition (circulation of 5,000).

In 1872, Alfred Percy Sinnett became the editor of the newspaper, and oversaw the transformation of the newspaper to one of exercising great influence in British India.[2] It was regarded as "the ablest and most influential of all Indian newspapers published in the interior of the country.[3] After Mr. Sinnett became involved in Theosophy in 1880, the newspaper, which was said to be a "virulent mouthpieces of British government propaganda"[4] began to show a sympathetic view towards the natives. This cost him his job, as a man named Rattigan took over as editor, giving APS a year's salary in compensation.[5] In 1883 Sinnett returned to London.

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), in his early 20s, worked at the newspaper office in Allahabad as an assistant editor from November 1887 to March 1889.[6]

Notes

  1. Das Gupta, Uma. 1977. "The Indian Press 1870-1880: A Small World of Journalism", Modern Asian Studies, 11(2):213-235. pp 233-234.
  2. Das Gupta, Uma. 1977. "The Indian Press 1870-1880: A Small World of Journalism", Modern Asian Studies, 11(2):213-235. pp 233-234.
  3. Rudyard Kipling - Biographical Sketch at About.com Classic Literature
  4. Indian Newspaper Reports at Adam Matthew Publications
  5. George E. Linton and Virginia Hanson, eds., Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett (Adyar, Chennai, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1972), 242.
  6. Rudyard Kipling - Biographical Sketch at About.com Classic Literature

Further reading