Non-fiction
Andrew Otis is a journalist and historian. He holds a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Rochester and is currently pursuing a PhD in Journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Andrew spent five years researching and writing on Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, first as a Joseph P. O’Hern scholar in London and then as a Fulbright-Fellow to Kolkata, India (2013-2014).
Mr Andrew Otis is an American journalist and the author of the top-rated book, ‘Hicky’s Bengal Gazette: The Untold Story of India’s First Newspaper’. In this insightful session he takes us on a fantastic journey of the making of this book and the invigorating tale of James Hicky through his detailed and attractive presentation. In his book as well as the presentation he reveals lesser known facts and information about India’s first newspaper ever, which he has collected through conducting extensive research across continents over a period of five long years. He not only talks about the actuality of things but also enlightens about the significance of the contribution the development in print media brought about by Hicky has made. Mr Andrew displays his findings in a very engaging manner in his presentation. It is clearly evident from his findings how deeply he has studied and explored the original copies of the newspaper ‘Hicky’s Bengal Gazette’. He has done a commendable job in telling this historical tale centering around the freedom of press across time in a very fascinating way.