“Pratap: A Defiant Newspaper” by Chander Mohan and Jyotsna Mohan
The Urdu newspaper Pratap – and its Hindi counterpart Vir Pratap – had a long and eventful history. Launched by Mahashay Krishan on 30 March 1919 and ably carried on by his son Virendra and later his grandson Chander, it was a torchbearer against the British Raj that covered all the major events during India’s struggle for independence and after, until it wound up in 2017.
This book, published by HarperCollins India, chronicles the exciting lives of the newspapers, their founder and editors, as well as landmark events of Indian history, from Independence to the Emergency and Operation Blue Star. Pratap was known for its bold stance, which lead to it being shut down for a year by the British administration within twelve days of its launch, the arrest of its founder and editors-in-chief multiple times, and even a parcel bomb being delivered to its office in 1983. An icon of Indian journalism, Pratap is a reminder of the importance of speaking truth to power. Its story deserves to be read by all.
A veteran journalist and columnist, Chander Mohan was the distinguished editor of the Hindi daily Vir Pratap for forty years. Born in Lahore in pre-partition Punjab, he has been a leading voice in Hindi journalism in North India, writing searing and uncompromising editorials. From travelling in Rajiv Gandhi’s press entourage to Lahore with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he is privileged to have witnessed several eras of politics and media. Semi-retired, he pens ‘Maryadain’, a weekly column for a national newspaper while managing several educational institutions in his hometown, Jalandhar. Journalism and education are his two passions, and he finds a way for both to complement each other.
As a journalist with nearly three decades of experience across TV, print and digital media, Jyotsna Mohan has always sought to hold up a mirror to society. Her journey led her to pen her debut book Stoned, Shamed, Depressed, an Amazon bestseller that dives deep into the secret lives of India’s teens and reveals challenges that resonate with young people globally. A columnist for publications in India and abroad, her writings reflect societal issues and challenge the status quo, which she says is her family legacy! She brings this outlook to her online talk show Table Talk with Jo. Born in Jalandhar, Jyotsna now lives with her husband and two children in Abu Dhabi.
Read an excerpt from this book on Moneycontrol.
10 May 2025
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