Jammu, April 7 -- Lala Mulk Raj Saraf was a pioneer in journalism, especially in the J&K State. He was born on 8th April 1894 at Samba to father Dayanand Saraf and mother Smt. Jamuna Devi. After matriculation, he joined Prince of Wales College (now Government Gandhi Memorial Science College, Jammu) and graduated from Punjab University, Lahore. Congress leaders had started working for "Daily Bande Matram", a leading newspaper of the time which gained popularity among leading papers of the country, and consequently it was here that Saraf joined the nationalist daily Bande Matram as a sub-editor, being brought out by the great nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai, popularly known as the Sher-e-Punjab.

Saraf was elevated as sub-editor by the m...