On this day, missionaries William Carey and his associates formed a Baptist Mission station in Serampore and set up the Serampore press.

Carey had seen the advertisement of a printing press in a Calcutta paper and bought it for ₹400. It was set up in his house.

The press was meant for evangelical purposes, but would play a crucial role in the history of Bengal and India by providing a great impetus to publishing in Indian languages.

In 1800, it published a Bengali translation of the “Gospel According to St Matthew”. It published Christian tracts, literary works in Indian languages and translations of the Bible in 25 Indian languages. One of its major contributions was the publication of textbooks in Indian languages.

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