Ranbir () was a daily Urdu language newspaper published from Jammu, India.New Book Society of India, New Delhi. Indian Book Trade and Library Directory. New Delhi: New Book Society of India, 1950. p. 478Das, Sisir Kumar. A History of Indian Literature. 2.. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 1995. p. 589 It was the first daily newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir.
Founding Ranbir was founded and edited by Lala Mulk Raj Saraf.J & K Yearbook & Who's Who. Jammu: Rabir Publications, 1987. p. 4 He had previously worked as sub-editor of Lala Lajpat Rai's nationalist organ Bande Mataram. 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.Taseer, C. Bilqees. The Kashmir of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. Lahore: Ferozsons, 1986. pp. 225–226
The name Ranbir, meaning "knight of the battlefield", was chosen as Saraf had founded the newspaper after battling several odds, and he envisaged that Ranbir would be waging a relentless struggle against those who stood in the way of healthy development of society. The name also coincides with the name of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, son of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of state of Jammu and Kashmir. The first issue of Ranbir was published on 24 June 1924.Kapur, Manohar Lal. Maharaja Hari Singh, 1895–1961. New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications, 1995. p. 107 The printing press to publish Ranbir was also set up by Mulk Raj Saraf and it was named as "Public Printing Press". Instantly after its foundation, the paper gained a wide readership in the state.
1930 ban 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.Journalism, Vol. 1–4. Department of Journalism, University of the Punjab, 1968. p. 34Ravinderjit Kaur. Political Awakening in Kashmir. New Delhi: APH Pub. Corp, 1996. p. 121-122 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. The newspaper was allowed to resume publication in November 1931. This period was marked by increased pressure towards responsible government in Jammu and Kashmir, a movement that Ranbir supported.
1947 ban and later years The newspaper was banned in June 1947, following having demanded accession to India and urged for the release of Sheikh Abdullah.Epilogue, Vol 4, Issue 11. p. 4 The ban was eventually lifted and Ranbir re-appeared in September 1947. In the following years Ranbir was an important and balanced nationalist voice in Jammu and Kashmir. Ranbir continued its run through several years of upheaval was finally closed down on 18 May 1950.
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