THINK!

Krishna Kumar Birla, the second son of the legendary industrialist Ghanshyam Das Birla, passed away just before completing his 90th birthday on Saturday, August 30, 2008. This truly brings the end to an era of Birla-Congress combine. K K Birla was much more like his father, G D Birla, who was always an activist and a political participant. The Hindustan Times fell in his lap in 1957 and grew in his care. The newspaper is now being nurtured by his daughter, Shobhana Bhartia.

Hindustan Times, an ‘English Daily Newspaper’, was founded on September 15, 1924 by Master Sunder Singh Lyallpuri, founding-father of the Akali Movement and the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. The move came at the urging of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya who was a close friend of Master Lyallpuri. Sardar Mangal Singh Gill and Chanchal Singh (Jandiala, Jullundur) were put in charge of the newspaper. Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya and Master Tara Singh were members of the Managing Committee. K. S. Panikar was its first Editor. Devdas Gandhi was also on the editor’s panel. The Managing Chairman and Chief Patron was Master Lyallpuri himself. The opening ceremony was performed by Mahatama Gandhi.

The first issue of Hindustan Times was published from Naya Bazar, Delhi. It was very unfortunate for the Sikhs that due to lack of experience, and jealousy and betrayal of the fellows like Master Tara Singh and Sardar Mangal Singh Gill, as well as due to lack of viable financial resources, the Hindustan Times soon came into severe grip of financial crisis so that its ownership had to be sold to Pt Madan Mohan Malayia. Even Pt Malayia could not keep it running for long and he sold it to G. D. Birla.