The record the founders left behind — the first press in the region, the newspaper it printed, the speeches, the commemorative volume, and four decades of award papers.
One of the Trust’s four objects is to enable access to resources that inspire and effect the growth of conscientious journalism. Much of that resource is its own history: the founding of journalism in Jammu & Kashmir, and the record of who has been honoured for practising it well.
Researchers, students and journalists are welcome to write to the Trust for access to material listed here.
Commemorative volume, speeches, citations and award papers.
The record of Ranbir and of the pre-independence J&K press.
Portraits, press gatherings and images from the Trust collection.
Recipients of the JDGD Saraf awards through the decades.
Filter by period or by the kind of material, or search the index by name.
Lala Mulk Raj Saraf overcame every odd to lay the foundation of journalism in J&K — setting up the first printing press in the region and publishing its first newspaper, Ranbir. Om Prakash Saraf would later serve as its news editor.
Reference copy on request
The address at the Newspaper Editors’ Conference, Srinagar, setting out the all-round duties of a journalist — condemning high-handedness, defending the oppressed, and imparting education to the public.
Text held by the Trust
Tributes, speeches and reportage gathered in memory of the Father of Journalism in Jammu & Kashmir — including the chapter “A Red Letter Day” on the founding of the region’s press.
Reading copy on requestA group portrait from the early decades of the J&K press, held in the Trust collection.
Editorial use on request
Founder trustee. Awarded the Padma Shri in 1976 for seventy years of journalism and social service.
Editorial use on request
Founder trustee. News editor of Ranbir, correspondent for Reuters, UNI, Hindustan Times, Tribune and Indian Express.
Editorial use on request
Citations and recipient lists for the flagship award, the L.M.R. Saraf Memorial Award and the annual student prizes at Srinagar, Jammu and Samba.
See the roll of honour
The record of the Trust’s establishment as the Jamna Devi Gyan Devi Saraf Trust, named for the mothers of the founder trustees.
Reference on request
Run by Om Prakash Saraf, one of the most successful children’s magazines of the pre-independence era, with subscribers across India and what is now Pakistan.
Reference on requestA journalist has to keep his readers abreast of the changing events of the ever-changing world, expose the crooked designs of the authorities, and give vent to the public opinion in such a way that its grievances may be redressed, wrongs rectified, rights preserved and democratic principles upheld. The all-round duties of a journalist consist in condemning high-handedness, uprooting cruelty, defending the oppressed and the downtrodden, putting a stop to injustice, helping to provide food for the hungry and employment for the unemployed, removing social evils, and imparting education to the public for their spiritual and mental development.
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