Raj Kanwar (1930 – 31 October 2022) was an Indian journalist, writer and entrepreneur based in Dehradun.
Life
Raj Kanwar was born in Lahore, British Raj, on 8 October 1930.[1][2] In June 1947 his family shifted to Dehradun with the intention of waiting out the riots of that year. What was meant to be a short stay, turned permanent.[1][3] In college in Dehradun, Kanwar started writing, becoming a student editor of a fortnightly publication. He also became a stringer for The Tribune, The Indian Express and The Statesman in the 1950s.[1][3] In 1953 he started an English weekly called 'Vanguard'.[1] Here he started writing about government organisations such as the Ordnance Factory in Dehradun and the Survey of India.[4] His stories would go on to attract the attention of The Indian Express and was hired by the paper as a reporter in Delhi.[5]
Kanwar left his job in New Delhi and in 1959 he joined the government of Himachal Pradesh as an editor in its public relations department.[1] He went on to become the first public relations officer for the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC).[3] Kanwar recalled that about a hundred Russians had come to Dehradun to set up ONGC, and as such the city was influenced by their presence; vegetable sellers would learn Russian words; "desi vodka was invented".[3] Kanwar was then sent to Gujarat to help with ONGC operations followed by a posting in Sibsagar in Assam.[5]
After three years he resigned from his post in ONGC and went to Calcutta for an advertising job. He left in a year and returned to Dehradun.[1] In Dehradun he started "Witness - Newsweekly with a Difference".[1] Inspired by American author Erle Stanley Gardner's titles such as "The case of the defective registers", he would choose similar titles for his investigative exposes.[1]
In 1970 he founded SK Oilfield Equipment Co which is now run by his son.[1] As a freelancer he has written columns for numerous newspapers. As of 2020, Kanwar was 90; as he was not able to write himself he took the assistance of a secretary.[6] He was a regular writer of obituaries for Doonites.[7] He initiated Writers' Combine, a group focusing on young writers and readers in the valley.[8][9]
Kanwar died on 31 October 2022, at the age of 92.[10] He had been working on his fourth book titled "Writer of Obituaries".[7]
Publications
- Upstream India: Fifty Golden Years of ONGC (2006). ISBN 9788190390309
- ONGC: The Untold Story (2018). Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-9388271394[11]
- Dateline Dehradun (2020) Self published/ Saraswati Press.[12] Foreword by Navtej Sarna.[13] ISBN 978-9353968793
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Vijay, Sunita (7 October 2020). "Mr Raj Kanwar: Doyen of the Literary World". Garhwal Post. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ Roy, Suparna (6 October 2020). Saxena, Sparshita (ed.). "'90 and going strong': Author Raj Kanwar from Dehradun all set to release his 4th book". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d Gupta, Surbhi (12 November 2020). "Why the Doon Valley is home to veteran journalist Raj Kanwar". The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ "Veteran journalist & author Raj Kanwar passes away". Pioneer Edge. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ a b Kanwar, Raj (17 November 2020). "A trip down memory lane with Nehru and Indira". Tehelka. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ Vij, Sanjana (7 October 2020). "90-Year-Old Author Raj Kanwar All Set To Release His 4th Book". The Notorious Reader. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Veteran journalist Raj Kanwar is no more". Garhwal Post. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Chopra, Jaskiran (15 July 2019). "Nayantara: Each writer has his or her own voice and must discover it". The Pioneer. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "'The Writers' Combine' constituted to encourage young talent". Garhwal Post. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "'Chronicler of Dehradun', veteran author Raj Kanwar dies at 92". The Times of India. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "ONGC – The Untold Story' launched". Pioneer Edge. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ Saili, Ganesh (2 August 2020). "'Dateline Dehra Dun' book review: A quiet visit to the past". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ Chopran, Jaskiran (14 May 2020). "A book that evokes nostalgia for the Doon Valley". The Pioneer. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
Further reading
- Bakshi, Tania Saili (31 October 2022). "Raj Kanwar with malice to none". News Post.
- Lal, Aloke (1 November 2022). "Raj Kanwar: From a Rolling Stone to a Celebrated Author". Garhwal Post.
Primary sources
- Kanwar, Raj (27 May 2022). "The evening 58 years ago when I saw off Nehru on his last flight". Deccan Herald.
- Kanwar, Raj (17 August 2022). "Himachal's miracle man". Tribune India. Raj Kanwar recalls Samuel Evans Stokes
- Kanwar, Raj (1 June 2013). "A bond with Ruskin". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
Raj Kanwar recalls his friendship with author Ruskin Bond
- As a book reviewer
- Kanwar, Raj (22 January 2022). "1965: A Western Sunrise is a Masterpiece in Military History". The Citizen.
- Kanwar, Raj (2 May 2020). "Tale of Indians who migrated to Burma". Tehelka.
- Kanwar, Raj (October 2015), "A Strategic Vision Needed to Tap the Hidden Potential of Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF), Defence Watch, IDSA, pp. 42–43
- As an obituary and tribute writer
- Kanwar, Raj (16 June 2022). "How I became a writer of obituaries". Tehelka.
- Kanwar, Raj (24 June 2012). "A witness to many milestones". The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum. Obituary of Nergis Dalal, writer, mother of Roshen Dalal.
- Kanwar, Raj (April 2017), A Rose by any Name, vol. XLIXI, The Rose Bowl. Newsletter of The Doon School Old Boys' Society, pp. 8, 9. Obituary of Gulab Ramchandani
- "A tribute by Raj Kanwar – Army veteran Col Prem Sibal passes away". Garhwal Post.
- "A tribute to Indian-American centenarian Om Julka". Times of India Blog. 12 October 2022.
- "A tribute to the doyenne of Doon artists, Monica Talukdar". Times of India Blog. 1 August 2022.
This page was last edited on 27 September 2023, at 01:51