The First 100 and The Second 100 - Editorials from The Hindu, 1878-1978 (Set of Two Volumes)

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For one thing copies of THE HINDU are not available for five years i.e. is early life, including the year when it was born.

For another THE HINDU has been prolific, both quantitatively and qualitatively, in the variety of subjects on which it wrote all these hundred years and anyone who wants to pick and choose is confronted with a surfeit of excellent material and the problem is what to discard.

Fortunately for us the first editorial of THE HINDU was preserved IA- one of its founders, M. Veeraraghavachariar, and we have been enabled to publish it in this volume. It is not certain whether it is the complete editorial or only the most important parts of it, but it has all the appearance of being a finished product. To make up for the missing years, three extra editorials have been chosen to complete the rally and. two more have been added in view of their importance and significance, bringing the total to 102.

One editorial has been selected for every year of THE HINDU except in some years where there are two) and in making the choice the effort has been not to concentrate on politics which is the staple food of Indian newspapers, but to cast the net wide to include as much of variety in the topics presented, serious and light, as possible. It is inevitable that a major number of the editorials should relate to the nationalist movement and its leaders and to the alien rulers and their policies, for THE HINDU was the torch-bearer in the fight for independence and for over 6o years its battle cry was "Freedom". They tell a story of faith and hope in the Victorian era relentlessly moving on to the age of disillusionment and despair and culminating in the saga of the battle for freedom under Gandhiji.

THE HINDU was from the beginning a keen observer of the inter-national scene and the editorials presented in this book are a representative sample of its outlook and perceptive insight in world affairs.

THE HINDU's interest in social and cultural problems is reflected in some of the editorials, not to speak of its devotion to sport which is represented in the editorial with the title "Cricketers All".

THE HINDU specialised in light editorials which sparkled with humour and wit but unfortunately not many could be included because of the limitation imposed by the choice of one editorial for every year.

The editorials collected here represent a cross section of the views and thoughts expressed by THE HINDU over a century and will afford an interesting glimpse into the heart and mind of the great men who made it what it is today.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages