Pratap: A Defiant Newspaper

by Chander Mohan, 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 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.

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 6, 2025

Reviews

[Siddharrth Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A united India wanted to free itself from the unjust reigns of the British and in the process, produced the heroics of the admired ‘conservatives’ in Gandhi, Nehru to the ‘extremists’ in Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad. Although to bracket Nehru in the ‘conservatives’ would be harsh as he was duly moderate and an articulate par excellence.

But it wasn’t just the struggle of the above admired, but of many unsung heroes in Batukeshwar Dutt, Jatindra Nath Das and Hari Krishan to name a few. They were a brute force and a serious thorn in the eye of the British but hardly got the adulation from the natives that they richly deserved.

Pratap: a defiant newspaper, is penned by a daddy-daughter duo of Chander Mohan and Jyotsna Mohan, who have done an exceptional job in throwing light on the above martyrs and the corresponding incidents that unfolded during pre-partition, the infamous Emergency of 1975 and a terror hit Punjab of the 1980s.

Pratap’s patriarch, named Mahashay Krishan wrote daily editorials and challenged the might of the then dispensation. But this was when a pen was mightier than a sword and wasn’t readily pliable as it is today. This book additionally highlights the role of his son Virendra and how he played a key role in India’s freedom struggle.

This book is firmly unputdownable and highly recommended to the like-minded.

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[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an absolute must for anyone interested in knowing the details of the freedom struggle not as years, numbers or statistics but as lived by people through those painful times . A book that tells how revolutionary zeal grew in the bossom of a nation suppressed for centuries. How journalism of those days contrasted with the one we see these days. It’s a page turner eliciting many a wow, oh and ah. You savour every page like a delicacy not only because of the stories but also the style of writing.

[Vijaya Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a page turner and a must read… it transports the reader back to the days where men and women were not only courageous but knew the importance of living for a cause greater than just themselves. We owe these people our greatest gratitude and respect. A book that makes one reflect on how our current times are so far removed from such valour and integrity and humility.