Mughal Administration c8.s6: § 6. News-reporters.
Mughal Administration c8.s6
- Language
- English
§ 6. News-reporters.
c8.s6.1
The agency by which the Central Government learnt the news of the country consisted of (1) the *waqāi-navis*, (2) the *sawānih-nigār*, (3) the *khufia-navis*,—all three of whom sent written reports,—and (4) the *harkārah*, literally meaning a courier of news, but really a spy, who generally brought oral news, and at times also sent news-letters.
c8.s6.2
The terms *waqāi-navis* (sometimes written as *waqāi-nigār* also) and *sawānih-nigār* mean the same thing, *viz.*, a writer or surveyor of occurrences. There was a difference between them in this that the *waqāi-navis* was the more regular and public reporter of the two, while the *sawānih-nigār* was of the nature of a secret reporter on important cases only. There was a *waqāi-navis* attached to every field-army, province and large town, and a *sawānih-nigār* at special places and times only. The latter was intended to be a spy and check on the former! The *Mirāt-i-Ahmadi* (Sup. 175) makes the point quite clear:—"In former reigns *waqāi-navises* were employed [to report provincial occurrences]; but owing to the suspicion of their entering into collusion [with the local officers], *sawānih-nigārs*,—who are also called *khufia-navises*,—were appointed to reside secretly in the subahs and report news. At last when the latter was entrusted with the duty of supervising the postal arrangements within the province, the matter became public." I believe that it was then that a third or most secret class of reporters, i.e., *harkārahs* or true *khufia-navises*, were posted to the provinces. Manucci [ii. 331] implies the same thing.
c8.s6.3
According to a contemporary history of Jahangir, the *Bahāristān-i-Ghaibi* (Paris MS., 101a), the practice of appointing public newswriters to each province and reading their reports openly in the Emperor's Court was introduced by that monarch, to make a display of his greatness before the expected Persian ambassador. Secret news-reporters in the provinces were an important element of the Abbasid administration. [*Camb. Med. Hist.*, iv. 283.]
c8.s6.4
The public intelligencer of a province (*i.e.*, the *waqāi-navis*) appointed agents in most of the small *parganahs* to report to him the occurrences of these places, out of which he selected what was fit for the Emperor's ears and incorporated it in the provincial news-letter. In the offices of the subahdar, the diwan, the faujdar of the environs of the provincial capital, the court of justice, the kotwal's *chabutra*, he stationed his clerks, who brought to him every evening a record of what had occurred there during the day. In many of the important *parganahs*, separate reporters were posted directly from the imperial Court, to send to the provincial diwan *siāha* (ledgers of receipts) of the escheated *jagirs* of mansabdars who were dead, absconding or absent. [*Mirāt*, Sup. 174-175.]
c8.s6.5
The *waqāi-navis* attended when the provincial viceroy held public court, and he recorded the occurrences then and there. The contents of the newsletter drafted by this reporter were communicated to the subahdar or, in the case of a field-army, to the general in command, before being despatched to the Emperor. The *sawānih-nigār* did not do so.
c8.s6.6
In the Manual, the *waqāi-navis* is charged to send his reports of occurrences once every week, and the *sawānih-nigār* eight times in a month. The language implies that the latter officer reported on the whole subah, while the former reported about a particular locality only.
c8.s6.7
In the case of many of the provinces and all the minor armies, the posts of *bakhshi* and *waqāi-navis* were combined in the same person.
c8.s6.8
The *khufia-navis* or ‘secret writer’, was a most confidential agent. He reported secretly on events without any communication with the local authorities, who often did not even know his name. All people were in mortal dread of these secret intelligencers, and their office is, I understand, still maintained in some of our feudatory States.* [*Alamgir-nāmah*, 1081.]
c8.s6.9
“The harkarahs posted in a province have to report the news of all sides and occurrences to the governor of the subah, and to send letters closed in envelopes for being despatched to the imperial Court with the provincial post. The harkarah also keeps his agents in the offices of the nazim and in other places, just like the waqai-nigar and sawanih-navis, and all these three men are called alike ākhbār-navis.” [Mirāt, O.P.L. MS. 691b ; Sup. 175 differs.]
c8.s6.10
∗ The secret intelligencer is now called *pārcha-wālā*, which title must not be confounded with the *pārcha-navis* described in Manual p. 55.
c8.s6.11
The news-letters were sent to an officer of the Court named the Dārogha of Dāk Chauki, i.e., Superintendent of Posts and Intelligence, who handed them unopened to the wazir for submission to the Emperor. These four classes of public intelligencers acted under the orders of this Dārogha who was their official superior and protector. Sometimes an irate governor would publicly insult or beat the local news-writer for a report against himself, and then the Dārogha would take up the cause of his subordinate and get the offending governor punished. The head of the Intelligence Department enjoyed great influence and trust in the reign of Aurangzib, who used to regard the spies as his eyes and ears. Amusing examples of it are given in Hamid-ud-din’s Āhkām-i-Alamgiri, translated into English by me as Anecdotes of Aurangzib, § § 61, 62, 64 and 65.
c8.s6.12
A newly-appointed waqai-navis is given the following shrewd advice in the Manual, pages 51-55 :—
c8.s6.13
“Report the truth, lest the Emperor should learn the facts from another source and punish you! Your work is delicate ; both sides have to be served. Deep sagacity and consideration should be employed so that ‘both the Shaikh and the Book may remain in their proper places!’ In the wards of most of the high officers, forbidden things are done. If you report them
c8.s6.14
truly, the officers will be disgraced. If you do not, you yourself will be undone. Therefore, you should tell the lord of the ward, ‘In your ward forbidden things are taking place; stop them.’ If he gives a rude reply, you should threaten the kotwal of the ward by pointing out the misdeed. The lord of the ward will then know of it. Although the evil has not yet been removed from the ward, yet, if any one reports the matter to the Emperor, you can easily defend yourself by saying that you have informed the master of the ward and instructed the kotwal.
c8.s6.15
“In every matter write the truth; but avoid offending the nobles. Write after carefully verifying your statements.
c8.s6.16
“*Waqāi* should be sent once a week, *sawānih* twice, and the *ākhbār* of harkarahs once [? a month] and the despatches in cylinders (*nalo*) from the *nāzim* and the *diwān* twice every month, in addition to urgent matters (which are to be reported immediately.)” But the practice in Gujrat early in the 18th century was to send all these papers to the Emperor along with the despatches of the provincial governor and diwan and a statement of the cash balance of the Treasury, once a week. [Mirat, ii. Sup 175.]