Last Updated on 6 years by INDIAN AWAAZ
HazaaroN saal nargis apni be noori pe roti hai
badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein deedawar paida
– Iqbal
By Andalib Akhter / New Delhi
Veteran journalist, author, parliamentarian, diplomat, human right activist and above all a great human being, Kuldip Nayyar passes away last night at a private hospital. He was 95. He was not keepin well for sometime. Mr. Nayar was basically a Punjabi, was originally born in Sialkot in 1923.
Nayar started his career with a Urdu newspaper ‘Anjam’ and rose to editorship of several newspapers and news agencies high profile journalist. He was also the author of 15 books including “Beyond the Lines”, “India after Nehru” and “Emergency Retold”.
Later he worked in an ‘Wahdat” newspaper for sometime edited by freedom fighter Maulana Hasrat Mohani he had covered the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He was first to take interview of Pakistan nuclear scientist Abdul Qadir Khan in which he revealed that Pakistan already have nuclear bomb.
Kuldip Nayyar was also a great crusader of human rights. When the Emergency was declared, Mr. Nayar was one of the first journalists to be put in jail.
He was a votary of peaceful relations between India and Pakistan. Every year he used to go to Wagah border for candle march..
I had several opportunity to meet him but we had longest conversation while we travel together from New Delhi to Aligarh by road. We had long discussion in the 3-4 hour journey in which I came to know the different human angle of his personality.
Nayyar Early life, education and marriage
Early life, education and marriage Nayyar was born at Sialkot, Pakistan on August 14, 1923 in a Sikh Khatri family. His parents were Gurbaksh Singh and Pooran Devi. He had his early schooling at the Ganda Singh High School in Sialkot. After school, he studied at a number of institutes including Murray College(Sialkot), F.C.College(Lahore), Law College(Lahore) and Medill School of Journalism(Evanston, Illinois, USA). His degrees include B.A.(Hons.), LL.B., M.Sc. (in Journalism) and Ph.D. (Philosophy). Nayyar and his family had to flee in the aftermath of the Partition in 1947. He married Bharti Nayar on August 28, 1949 and has two sons.
As Journalist
Joint Editor, Anjam (Urdu daily), Delhi(1948-50).
Editorial Assistant, United States Information Service (USIS), Delhi(1950-52).
Press Officer (Press Information Bureau) to the Home Ministers of India (Shri Govind Ballabh Pant and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri) (1954-64).
Chairman of Reorganisation of News Agencies(1977-78) and Transparency International(India).
Editor and General Manager, United News of India (UNI)(1964-67).
Editor of The Statesman, New Delhi(1967-75) and Express News Service(1975-81)
Delhi Correspondent, The Times, London(1965-90)
Correspondent of The Spectator, London(1971-75) and the Evening Star, Washington(1971-75).
As Member
Nayyar has also been on the boards of several important organizations. These include:
Citizens For UNI(2006)
Press Council(1975).
National Integration Council(1990).
Senate and Syndicate, Punjabi University, Patiala.
Senate, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Indian Delegation to the U.N.(1996).
Body of Governors, Gemini News Service, London, UK
Committee on Communications Advisor, Citizens for
Democracy, India.
As Diplomat
High Commissioner to the UK(1990).
As Parliamentarian
nominated to the Rajya Sabha (August, 1997).
Awards
Nayyar has been awarded with:
UNI Employees Federation Award of LIVING LEGEND-MEDIA INDIA , JUNE(2006)
Freedom of Information Award.
Bhai Vir Singh Award.
Pride of India Award.
Maharana Mewar Foundation Award.
All India Artists’ Association Award.
UK Sikh Forum Award.
Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee Award, Amritsar.
Hamdard Institute Award.
Abdus Salam Award for the Best Journalist in South Asia.
Indo-Pak Friendship Award.
Publications
Nayyar has authored several book including :
Between the Lines(1969).
India-The Critical Years(1971).
Distant Neighbours-Tale of Subcontinent(1972).
Supersession of Judges(1974).
India After Nehru(1975).
The Judgement(1977).
In Jail(1978).
Report on Afghanistan(1970).
The Tragedy of Punjab(1985).
India House(1992).
Scoop (2006)
Nayyar’s special interests include:
Affairs of border States, America, Russia, China and countries of the SAARC, the police and human rights. .
President, PM condole his demise
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condoled the death of veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar, remembering his “strong stand” against the Emergency, public service and commitment to a better India.
“Sad to hear of the passing of Kuldip Nayar, veteran editor and writer, diplomat and parliamentarian, and a determined champion of democracy during the Emergency. His readers will miss him. Condolences to his family and associates,” the President tweeted.
Expressing his condolence, Modi tweeted: “Kuldip Nayar was an intellectual giant of our times. Frank and fearless in his views, his work spanned across many decades.
“His strong stand against the emergency, public service and commitment to a better India will always remembered. Saddened by his demise. My condolences.”