AKHTAR-I-SHAHANSHAHI is an Urdu book that briefly introduces, in alphabetical order, Urdu newspapers, magazines, publishers and printing presses that were active in the subcontinent between 1840s and 1880s. First published in 1888, it was never reprinted despite its historical importance and the rare information it contained. This much sought-after work has finally been reprinted after the lapse of over a century and a half. Compiled by Prof Dr Tahir Masood and published by Idara-i-Farogh-i-Qaumi Zaban, Islamabad, the new edition has just been published.
In the 290-page first edition, about 1,500 publications, publishing houses and presses were listed along with a brief intro. But it was unsuitably titled Savaneh-i-Umri-i-Akhbaaraat, Hissa-i-Awwal, Akhtar-i-Shahanshahi — or, literally, ‘the biography of newspapers, the first part, the star of the Empire’ — alluding to ‘the heavenly guiding light of the great British Empire’ that ‘illuminated’ India back then, as it was a common practice among the authors of the day to name their books poetically and sometimes to style their works so as to show their obedience to the colonial masters. Tahir Masood has rightly amended the strange-sounding title to Akhtar-i-Shahanshahi, as it is commonly known by this moniker, and subtitled it Urdu Sahafat Ki Awwaleen Directory, or Urdu journalism’s first-ever directory. It in fact is a directory that lists 568 newspapers, 203 magazines, 70 guldastas (bouquets, literally), or periodically published selections from poetry, and 656 printing presses and publishing houses active in the subcontinent in 1840s to 1880s.
Surprisingly, in spite of the fact that the book had always been in great demand and often discussed and referred to in academic works, not only was it never reprinted but the information on its author Akhtar-ud-Daula Haji Syed Muhammad Ashraf Naqvi, too, remained largely scant. Now Tahir Masood has appended a very informative article by Naadim Sitapuri at the back of the book. Titled ‘Hindustani Sahafat Ki Pehli Tareekh’, or the first history of Indian journalism, the article, first published in July 1958 issue of Aajkal, Delhi, gives some vital information on the book and the author.
As mentioned by Naadim Sitapuri, the author Haji Syed Muhammad Ashraf Naqvi’s ancestors had migrated from Amul, Tabaristan, to India centuries ago. Muhammad Ashraf Naqvi was born in Sitapur, some 85km North of Lucknow. The year of his birth could not be ascertained but he might have reached the century mark when he died in 1928 or 1929, wrote Naadim Sahib. Ashraf Naqvi went to Lucknow and enjoyed its literary and cultural grandeur a little before its fall to the British. Having served some royals there for a while, Ashraf Naqvi was ennobled as Akhtar-ud-Daula, or the star of the state. Then he began touring the length and breadth of the subcontinent, collecting information on periodicals and printing presses for years. Ashraf Naqvi owned Akhtar Press and published several newspapers and magazines that included Akhter-i-Hind, Ashraf Gazette and some others. He was the honorary secretary of Anjuman-i-‘Ilmi, a literary organisation, and Naadim thinks the phenomenal rise of literary, social and reformist organisations in India in the wake of the tragedy of 1857 was a planned move by the British to divert the attention of the populace from the debacle and Majlis-i-‘Ilmi was just another body of that kind.
As mentioned by Naadim, the second part of the book was under compilation and Naadim had seen its manuscript. It listed newspapers published between 1888 and 1920, but it was incomplete and with pages left blank for the missing pieces of information. Had senility not taken the better of him, Ashraf Naqvi would have completed the second volume too, says Naadim.
Akhtar-i-Shahanshahi has been criticised for certain lapses, some of which Tahir Masood has expounded in his intro, but it is also the sole source of some rare pieces of information on certain publications. For instance, it has mentioned Khaadim-ut-Tulaba, an educational magazine launched by Altaf Husain Hali and Moulvi Zakaullah from Delhi in 1887, notes Naadim. Ashraf Naqvi had begun the work on this book in 1879 when he began serialising a list of newspapers in Tehzeeb-ul-Aasaar, published by Munshi Munni Lal Bilgirami from Sitapur. Later on, the same list was expanded fully and became a book. Akhtar-i-Shahanshahi was translated into English by Dr Qasim Ali Sajan Lal, but it remained unpublished, wrote Naadim in his article, and no further information on this translation is available.
Tahir Masood has done a great favour to the readers by rearranging the contents according to the category, that is, newspapers, magazines and presses. Scholars and students will cherish this new edition indeed.
Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2026
