LMU students, faculty, and staff now have online access to past issues of The Times of India from 1838-2007, including news articles, photos, advertisements, classified ads, obituaries, cartoons, and more. The Times of India is the most widely circulated English daily newspaper founded to serve British residents of West India. Today, this historical newspaper serves researchers interested in studying colonialism and post-colonialism, British and world history, class and gender issues, international relations, comparative religion, international economics, terrorism, and more.
From the vendor’s page: “In its pages, The Times of India illuminates key historical events such as the Sepoy Mutiny, which led to British rule in India; the formation of the Indian National Congress; and the rise of Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement. It captures the 1947 partitioning of India and Pakistan, the war over the Kashmir region, and the creation of Bangladesh. It reports on the assassinations of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi; the Bhopal industrial disaster, which resulted in thousands of deaths; and the rise of Pakistan as a nuclear power. And, it provides coverage of sports, the Indian film industry, and other stories of everyday life.”
Here are a few choice selections, courtesy of librarian Marie Kennedy:
- The author of this January 31, 1960 article seems surprised by the fact that students in Indian universities “sometimes refuse to take their examinations and tear up the examination papers” in acts of political protest, noting that American students are too worried about “flunking” a course to be concerned with politics. (Editor’s note: Oh, how wrong the author would soon become!)
- There is also this “10-point strategy to boost farm output” from January 3, 1970 encouraging heavy use of organic matter and remote sensing technologies.
- More significantly, The Times of India can be used to research the changing nature of India’s government as it transitions away from colonial rule, following the Indian Independence Act 1947. In this May 12, 1952 front-page article (pictured above), The Times describes the establishment of a new organisation to serve as a direct link between citizens and cabinet members.
This new resource provides LMU students with full access to this historical newspaper. If you need help accessing or using this resource, please contact a librarian.