The spread of print culture in 19th-century India had a profound and varied impact:

a) Women: Print opened up new opportunities for women. While some conservative families feared it would corrupt them, many liberal fathers and husbands began educating their women at home. Women themselves started reading and writing. Some, like Rashsundari Debi, secretly learned to read and wrote autobiographies. Others, like Tarabai Shinde, wrote passionately about the injustices faced by women. Print provided a platform for women to express themselves and engage with public discourse.

b) The Poor: Print made books and pamphlets cheap and accessible. This allowed poor people to engage with literature and ideas for the first time. Books like the "Gulamgiri" by Jyotiba Phule exposed the injustices of the caste system. Workers in factories, like those in Bangalore, set up libraries to educate themselves. Print gave a voice to the poor and helped link caste discrimination with the nationalist movement.

c) Reformers: For social and religious reformers, print was the most powerful tool for change. They used newspapers and journals to critique existing practices like sati, child marriage, and idolatry, and to spread their ideas about reform. It enabled them to engage in public debates, shaping new opinions and pushing for social change across India.