CLASS ACTIVITY: RISE OF VERNACULAR PRESS

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE PAST!

Topic: Rise of the Vernacular Press with Special Reference to the Marathi Press

 

Activity:

Imagine it is the year 1897. Newspapers are the only source of information, and the Marathi press is becoming the voice of social reform, education, and India's freedom struggle.

Today, you are a journalist, editor, illustrator, and publisher working for one of Maharashtra's pioneering newspapers. Your mission is to create a Special Historical Newspaper Edition that captures the spirit of the time.

 

Each student selects ONE newspaper: Newspapers to Choose From (Any One)

·       Darpan – Balshastri Jambhekar

·       Kesari – Bal Gangadhar Tilak

·       Sudharak – Gopal Ganesh Agarkar

·       Din Bandhu – Krishnarao Bhalekar

·       Mooknayak – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

·       Bahishkrit Bharat – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

·       Prabhakar

·       Any other Marathi newspaper approved by the teacher.

 

THE CHALLENGE: Create a SPECIAL EDITION of your chosen newspaper as if it has just been published.

Your newspaper should include the following sections:

 

PART 1 – Newspaper Masthead (5 minutes)

Design the front page header.

Include:

·       Newspaper name

·       Date (historical)

·       Price

·       Editor's name

·       Place of publication

·       Motto (create one if unavailable)

 

PART 2 – Lead News Story (25 minutes)

Research and write a 250–300 word front-page news article based on one real issue of the period. Write in the style of an 1800s newspaper. Include:

·       Headline

·       Subheading

·       Dateline

·       Body of the article

 

Choose ONE:

·       Women's education

·       Widow remarriage

·       Child marriage

·       British taxation

·       Swadeshi Movement

·       Plague in Pune

·       Freedom movement

·       Farmer issues

·       Untouchability

·       Social reform

 

PART 3 – Editorial Corner (15 minutes)

Write a 150-word editorial expressing the newspaper's opinion. Write from the perspective of your newspaper's editor.

Examples:

·       "Education is India's Future"

·       "Why Swaraj Matters"

·       "The Need for Social Equality"

·       "The Voice of the Common Man"

 

PART 4 – Historical Advertisement (15 minutes)

Create ONE illustrated advertisement suitable for that era. Make it period-appropriate (relevant to the time).

 

Ideas:

·       Indigenous cloth (Swadeshi)

·       Marathi school

·       Printing press

·       Library

·       Ayurvedic medicine

·       Books

·       Women's education classes

 

PART 5 – Editorial Cartoon (15 minutes)

Draw a political or social cartoon highlighting one issue discussed by the newspaper.

Possible themes:

·       British censorship

·       Heavy taxes

·       Illiteracy

·       Social discrimination

·       Women's rights

·       National awakening

Add a caption explaining the message.

 

PART 6 – "Editor's Desk" Reflection (15 minutes)

Write a 100-word reflection answering:

"If I were the editor of this newspaper, what change would I want to bring to society and why?"

 

PART 7 – Fast Fact Box (10 minutes)

Create an information box containing:

·       Founder

·       Year established

·       City

·       Target audience

·       Major contribution

·       Interesting fact

 

Extension Challenge (If Finished Early)

Add a "Letters to the Editor" section with two fictional letters:

·       One supporting the newspaper's views.

·       One disagreeing with them.

 

Presentation (Last 15 Minutes)

Students display their newspapers around the classroom for a "Press Gallery Walk."

Each student makes a note of two classmates' newspapers, writing:

·       One fact they learned.

·       One feature they found most creative.

 

For Educators:

Evaluation Rubric (20 Marks)

Criteria	Marks
Historical Accuracy	5
Research & Content	4
Creativity & Visual Appeal	4
Journalistic Writing	4
Overall Presentation	3

 

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the activity, students will be able to:

·       Understand the evolution of the Marathi vernacular press.

·       Recognize the contribution of early Marathi newspapers to social reform and nationalism.

·       Interpret historical events from a journalist's perspective.

·       Develop research, critical thinking, creative writing, and newspaper design skills.

 

Why This Activity: In just two hours, each student experiences the multiple roles of an early Marathi journalist—researcher, reporter, editor, illustrator, and publisher. Instead of simply memorizing facts about the rise of the vernacular press, students actively recreate the atmosphere of nineteenth-century journalism and gain a deeper appreciation of how newspapers became powerful agents of social reform, public awareness, and the Indian freedom movement.

 

ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION - CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

 Communication Detectives – Decode the Culture!

 

Topic: Ethnography of Communication

Duration: 60 minutes
Group Size: 5–6 students

Learning Objective: Students will understand the Ethnography of Communication by observing, researching, and analyzing how different communities communicate in different cultural contexts using Dell Hymes' SPEAKING Model.

 

Activity Theme: ‘Every Conversation Has a Culture’

Students become Communication Detectives who investigate how people communicate in different social and cultural settings.

 

Step 1: Pick a Communication Setting (5 minutes)

(Each group randomly picks one communication setting from a bowl.)

Example Settings

·       A Mumbai local train

·       A village panchayat meeting

·       A wedding ceremony

·       A college classroom

·       A fish market

·       A hospital

·       A courtroom

·       A religious place of worship

·       A political rally

·       A cricket match

·       A family dinner

·       A corporate office

·       A social media influencer's livestream

·       A café

·       A school parent-teacher meeting

 

 

 

Step 2: Research & Observe (20 minutes)

Groups research (or use their own experiences) to answer the following questions using the SPEAKING Model.

Element	What to Find
S – Setting	Where does the communication happen?
P – Participants	Who is communicating?
E – Ends	What is the purpose of the communication?
A – Act Sequence	How does the conversation usually unfold?
K – Key	What is the tone (formal, emotional, humorous, serious)?
I – Instrumentalities	Which language, dialect, gestures, or digital tools are used?
N – Norms	What communication rules or etiquette are followed?
G – Genre	Is it a debate, negotiation, storytelling, prayer, announcement, argument, etc.?

 

 

Step 3:

Option A: Acting Challenge: Each group acts out the scenario bringing out the communication in their particular scenario using the research that they have done in Step 2.

Option B: Freeze Frame Challenge (15 minutes)

Instead of acting out the whole scene, each group creates three Freeze Frames (Tableaux) representing different moments in the communication.

For example, if the setting is Mumbai Local Train:

·       People boarding the train

·       A vendor selling products

·       Passengers asking for directions

The audience observes each freeze frame and identifies the SPEAKING elements.

 

Step 4: Communication Detective Report (15 minutes)

Each group presents a 2-minute report explaining:

·       What makes this communication unique?

·       Which cultural values are reflected?

·       How would communication change if the setting were different?

Example:

"Communication in a courtroom is highly formal and rule-bound, whereas communication in a fish market is fast, informal, multilingual, and relies heavily on gestures."

 

 

Bonus Challenge: "Culture Switch!" (10 minutes)

After presenting, the teacher changes one element.

Examples:

·       The wedding is now held online.

·       The village panchayat becomes a corporate board meeting.

·       The fish market conversation happens in a luxury mall.

·       The classroom discussion becomes an Instagram Live session.

Groups explain:

·       How would communication change?

·       Which SPEAKING elements would remain the same?

·       Which elements would change the most?

 

 

 

FOR EDUCATORS

Assessment Rubric

Criteria	Marks
Research & Understanding	10
Correct Use of SPEAKING Model	10
Play / Creativity of Freeze Frames	5
Analysis & Explanation	10
Teamwork	5
Total	40

 

Why This Activity Works

·       Students observe communication instead of memorizing definitions.

·       They learn that communication is shaped by culture, context, roles, and social norms.

·       The Freeze Frame approach is simple, engaging, and suitable even for students who are shy about acting.

·       It helps students apply Dell Hymes' Ethnography of Communication to real-life situations, making the theory memorable and relevant.

EVS Class Activity (NEP)

Voices from the Movement – A Living Newspaper

Topic: Narmada Bachao Andolan & Chipko Movement

Duration: 60–75 minutes
Group Size: 5–6 students per group

Concept

Instead of giving a regular presentation, students create a "Living Newspaper" where every student becomes a different "voice" from the movement. The audience pieces together the entire story through these perspectives.

 

Group Allocation

Group 1: Chipko Movement

Group 2: Narmada Bachao Andolan

Each group must research extensively before preparing their presentation.

 

Part 1

Research Checklist: Students must research:

·       Why did the movement begin?

·       Where and when did it start?

·       Who were the major leaders?

·       What environmental issue was being addressed?

·       Who supported the movement?

·       Who opposed it?

·       What methods of protest were used?

·       What role did women play?

·       What role did the media play?

·       What were the achievements?

·       Is the issue still relevant today?

 

Activity Instructions:

The group prepares a Living Newspaper consisting of different "voices."

Each member represents one stakeholder and speaks for 1–2 minutes.

Possible roles include:

Chipko Movement

·       Gaura Devi

·       Local villager

·       Forest official

·       Timber contractor

·       Journalist

·       Environmental scientist

Narmada Bachao Andolan

·       Medha Patkar

·       Farmer displaced by the dam

·       Government official

·       Environmental activist

·       Dam engineer

·       Television reporter

Students should speak in the first person, sharing their perspective rather than simply narrating facts.

 

Part 2

The Twist: Newsroom Desk

One student acts as the News Anchor.

The anchor introduces the story:

"Welcome to Eco News Live. Today we travel to Uttarakhand in 1973..." (or) "...to the banks of the Narmada River..."

The anchor then introduces each "voice."

This makes the presentation flow like a live news broadcast.

 

Creative Ending

The final speaker asks the audience one question, for example:

"Would you have hugged a tree to save a forest?"

"Should development come at the cost of people's homes?"

"Can environmental protection and economic growth coexist?"

The audience answers briefly, turning the presentation into a discussion.

Additional activity (if time permits)

Activity: "Museum of the Movement"

Each group turns their classroom space into a mini museum dedicated to one movement.

They create six museum exhibits, each based on their research.

Suggested Exhibits

Exhibit 1: Timeline of the Movement

Exhibit 2: Leader's Corner (Gaura Devi or Medha Patkar)

Exhibit 3: The Environmental Issue (forest conservation or river/dam displacement)

Exhibit 4: Newspaper Headlines from the Time

Exhibit 5: Voices of the People (quotes from villagers, activists, officials, and affected communities)

Exhibit 6: Legacy – Why the Movement Still Matters Today

 

Visitors (other students) move from exhibit to exhibit while group members act as museum guides, explaining each section.

 

At the end, every visitor completes an "Exit Ticket" by writing:

·       One new fact they learned

·       One question they still have

·       One action they think people should take today to protect the environment

 

 

Why These Activities Work (Note For Educators)

Both activities require research before presentation, encourage students to understand multiple viewpoints, and replace traditional presentations with storytelling and interaction. They help students connect historical environmental movements with current issues while developing research, communication, and critical-thinking skills—particularly valuable for media and mass communication students.