Raja Rampal Singh
Raja Sir Rampal Singh (born 22nd August 1849-28th February 1909) was a ruler of Kalakankar estate of Oudh from 1885 to 1909.[1] Rampal Singh was a Congress sympathiser. He was one of the founding member of Indian National Congress Party. In consequence, Mahatma Gandhi and other congress leader used to visit him quit frequently. Pandit madan Mohan Malviya had very intimate relations with Raja of Kalakankar. paper Hindusthan, with nationalist outlook from Kalakankar. The Raja Saheb of Kalakankar had started a Hindi weekly, Hindusthan, in 1883 to spread the message of freedom.
Publication of Hindosthan
The Hindosthan was started by Raja Rampal Singh of Kalakankar, situated on the banks of the Ganga, about 15 miles from Allahabad, is a very picturesque place Of the population of 1000 or so, the educated ones could, in effect, be counted on one's finger tips. The Ganga surrounds Kalakankar on three sides. All around is dense forest. All the houses in Kalakankar, except Raja Rampal Singh's own palace or the so-called 'fort', were made of mud and their roofs of burnt clay tiles. Even though, from the point of view of communications, this place was hardly suitable for publishing a newspaper, the Raja was fond of it and had it connected telegraphically. The only son of his father, Rampal Smgh was ambitious. He learnt Hindi, English and Sanskrit, and became an honorary magistrate at the age of eighteen. He went to the United Kingdom, along with his wife. After two years she passed away and he came back to India with an English wife. He again returned to Britain In August 1883, he started the monthly Hindosthan from the UK. This was in English and Hindi. Its Urdu edition was also brought out for some time. Later, it became a weekly. The articles in Hindi and Urdu were the Raja's own, those in English of Mr. George Temple's. He returned to Kalakankar in 1885, and started the country's first Hindi daily newspaper Hindosthan.[2]
Personal life
Raja Rampal Singh married 1stly, to Rani Subhag Kunwar, who died about 1871 in London, and married 2ndly, Princess Alice (an English lady). He married 3rdly, Rani Radha (a Muslim).
References
- ^ "Kalakankar (Taluq)". Royal Family of India.
- ^ "Hindi media and an unreal discourse". The Hindu. November 18, 2009.
