Pratap: A Defiant Newspaper

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 went on to cover all the major events during India's struggle for Independence and after, until it was shut down in 2017.

This book chronicles the exciting lives of the newspapers, their founder and his sons, as well as several landmark events in Indian history, from the Independence movement to the Emergency and Operation Blue Star. Their bold stance and courageous reporting drew censure and criticism from both the administration and certain segments of the public: the paper was shut down for a year by the British within twelve days of its launch, the founders and editors-in-chief were arrested multiple times and a parcel bomb was delivered to its office in 1984.

An icon of Indian journalism, the story of Pratap deserves to be read by all.