Ranbir (newspaper)
| Editor-in-chief | Lala Mulkraj Saraf |
|---|---|
| Founded | 24 June 1924 |
| Language | Urdu language |
| Ceased publication | 18 May 1950 |
| Headquarters | Jammu |
Ranbir (Urdu: رنبیر) was a daily Urdu language newspaper published from Jammu, India.[1][2] It was the first daily newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir.
Founding
[edit]Ranbir was founded and edited by Lala Mulkraj Saraf.[2][3] He had previously worked as sub-editor of Lala Lajpat Rai's nationalist organ Bande Mataram.[3] Saraf had negotiated for some time to obtain the permission from the Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir to publish Ranbir as a statewide weekly.[4][5]
The newspaper was named after Maharaja Ranbir Singh.[4] The first issue of Ranbir was published on 24 June 1924.[4][5] Ranbir would become the first daily newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir.[2] The newspaper was printed at the Government Press.[6] Instantly after its foundation, the paper gained a wide readership in the state.[5]
1930 ban
[edit]In May 1930 Maharaja Hari Singh issued a ban on Ranbir (accusing it of 'subversive propaganda'), following an article about an agitation in Jammu related to the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi in British India.[4][6][3][7] The Maharaja argued that Ranbir had, in its 7 May 1930 (Baisakh 25, 1987) issue exaggerated the participation figures in the Jammu protest and that the newspaper had false alluded that the Maharaja himself would have supported the protests.[7] The newspaper was allowed to resume publication in November 1931.[4] This period was marked by increased pressure towards responsible government in Jammu and Kashmir, a movement that Ranbir supported.[3]
1947 ban and later years
[edit]The newspaper was banned in June 1947, following having demanded accession to India and urged for the release of Sheikh Abdullah.[8] The ban was eventually lifted and Ranbir re-appeared in September 1947. In the following years Ranbir was an important mouthpiece of the anti-Pakistani tendency in Jammu and Kashmir.[3] Ranbir was finally closed down on 18 May 1950.[4]
References
[edit]
- ^ New Book Society of India, New Delhi. Indian Book Trade and Library Directory. New Delhi: New Book Society of India, 1950. p. 478
- ^ a b c Das, Sisir Kumar. A History of Indian Literature. 2.. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 1995. p. 589
- ^ a b c d e J & K Yearbook & Who's Who. Jammu: Rabir Publications, 1987. p. 4
- ^ a b c d e f Taseer, C. Bilqees. The Kashmir of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. Lahore: Ferozsons, 1986. pp. 225–226
- ^ a b c Kapur, Manohar Lal. Maharaja Hari Singh, 1895–1961. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications, 1995. p. 107
- ^ a b Journalism, Vol. 1–4. Department of Journalism, University of the Punjab, 1968. p. 34
- ^ a b Ravinderjit Kaur. Political Awakening in Kashmir. New Delhi: APH Pub. Corp, 1996. p. 121-122
- ^ Epilogue, Vol 4, Issue 11. p. 4