Today it is agreed that China had print technology by about 868 AD. It is said that the Arabs learnt paper making from the Chinese. Paper was made for the first time in Baghdad in 793 AD and in Cairo in 900 AD . It took another 200 hundred years for Europe to master the art of paper making. Although, bock printing was known in Europe, moveable types brough the printing machine through the work of Johannes Guttenberg in the 15th century around 1440. There are others in Europe who are also credited of inventing print technology. The first book to be printed was the Bible. Thereafter, the print technology spread all over Europe and came to Portuguese Goa in 1556 though the Jesuits.
Although India had the concept reduplication, as we have found several seals in Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Valley Civilization, print technology came to India for the first time probably on 6th September in 1556 ( there is a confusion about the month and the date. Some say that it was August and others think that it is 3rd September 1556) through the Jesuits in Goa. It was an accidental arrival. The printing press was supposed to go to Abyssinia but found its resting place in Goa. It said that the Emperor of Abyssinia did not have good relations with the missionaries. This is why it’s seems that the printing press was kept in Goa.
The printing Press soon made its home in the College of St. Paul in Old which was earlier named as the College of Santa Fe and was established by Fr, Diogo Borba. The idea was to supply printed literature from Goa to different places that needed Christian literature. This is why maybe we have the first book in print from was in Tamil printed in Old Goa. We can trace a book titled, Magseph Assetat, printed in Goa and sent to Abyssinia in 1642. Even the first book in Japanese was printed in Old Goa
Press began working immediately on its arrival and Doutrina Christa a catechism of St. Francis Xavier was the first printed book. It was in Portuguese. Krist Purana of Fr. Thomas Stevens that was first published in Rachol Printing Press , the then second printing press in Goa in the year 1616 and re-printed in 1649. In this context one thing needs clarity. Fr. Stevens does writes to his authorities in Rome to send types sets in local language. Now this local language is interpreted as Konkani. He also seem to describe a difficulty when he says that the local language needs 600 molds and the characters are syllables and not alphabets as the case of 24 alphabets of European languages ( we know 26 alphabets today for English). This local script is interpreted as Nagri. Perhaps, it could be kandvi which was in official use in the ganvkaria records at the arrival of the Portuguese.
This issue needs more studies. It could well be Nagri but from what we get in the request letter of Thomas Stevens who does not seem to name the script of the local language one is not justified to say that Thomas Stevens was referring to Nagri Script. Although, I hid mention reading Fr. Antonio Pereira that Fr. Stevens was asking for the type set for devnagri . But looking at his letter of request (which I saw later) where he writes about it, it seemed that he is talking about the local script and not necessarily Nagri.
A new generation of missionaries that came among the Franciscans were not keen to study Konkani and appeared to have led the Portuguese Government to ban Konkani in worship. With the banning of the Jesuits the work on Konkani almost came to a standstill. It is credit to the then people of Goa who even under hostile conditions kept Konkani alive. The Catholics who even braved the inquisition kept the flame of Konkani burning even when the Portuguese had given themselves three years to wipe the face of Konkani from the face of Goa.
Although, it is also true that many rich and influential families among the Catholics embraced Portuguese language and began to think that Konkani was the language of the servants, Konkani still survived. With the rise Marques de Pombal at the helm of affairs in Portugal, the printing activity almost came to a halt. It is said that Pombal feared that the Jesuits will use the press for their ends. With the suppression of the Jesuits, all printing activities in Goa completely ceased. The suspicion of the Jesuit and fear of the print technology may be the reason that we cannot find even a slight trace of the printing press of Rachol in the Rachol Seminary today. Such suspicion may have also discouraged the use of Krist Puran in worship. Dr Pandurang Pissurlenkar says that there is evidence that even singing parts of Krist Purana was stopped in 1776 in the churches in Goa.
But by 1821 the press reappeared in Goa. Government then brought the printing press from Bombay and initiated the printing of a weekly that was called Gazeta de Goa by order dated August 29, 1826 . Government then bought up another weekly on 13th June 1835 but suspended its publication in two years. This was followed by the publication of Government paper 7th Dec 1837.
The Portuguese Government of Goa started printing in Nagri in 1853. Nagri was used to print Marathi text. It seemed disfavor to nagrized Konkani continued. It is not clear if there was any literature in Nagri script. Hence, it seemed that Nagrized Konkani will have to wait for the 20th century Mumbai revolution of Konkani led by the likes of Shenoi Goybab. The print revolution truly started in Goa although Chinese did have print technology but not as dynamic as the print technology of the West. Roman script is the prime heritage of this print legacy linked to Goa. It appeared that JD Fernandes , Borkar Printers, and Gomantak Printers were the prominent printers in 1940s and 1960s ( still Portuguese Goa). Printing is still flourishing in Goa although digital world is slowly taking over as it merges print, audio and visual medium within it. Goa remains the cradle of printing for India and Asia.
