Senior journalist Kuldip Nayar passes away
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New Delhi: Senior journalist and author Kuldip Nayar died at a hospital here. He was 95, his family confirmed on Thursday. He had been under treatment for age-related conditions at Apollo Hosital.
Nayar breathed his last at the Escorts Hospital at 12.30 a.m., and his cremation will take place at 1 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. Nayar is survived by his wife and two sons.
Nayar, who was also a human rights activist, served as High Commissioner to the UK in 1990 and was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
A syndicated columnist, he has written fifteen books including "Beyond the Lines" and "India after Nehru", "distant Neighbours: A Tale of the Sub-continent", "War a Wagah: India-Pakistan Relationship" and "India House".
His syndicated weekly column "Between the Lines" used to be carried by about 80 publications across the world.
Born in Sialkot, in present day Pakistan, Nayar was born in 1923. He made his debut in joiurnalism with Urdu paper 'Anjaam'. Ever since then there was stopping the prolific writer, committed, uncompromising, vigorously defending press freedom, and markedly against misuse of state machinery.
Apart from his insightful articles and columns, what took him to greater fame was his anti-government columns in Indian Express during the Emergency days. He was a staunch opponent of the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi and explained his decision to write about it later in this way: “If I were to explain this failing to the Indians of today or tomorrow, I would say that we faltered as a nation. Indira Gandhi switched off the lights of democracy to make us grope in the darkness of police raj.”
Prime Minister in a obituary tweet paid his tribute “I respect veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar ji, he fought for freedom during the emergency, he may be a harsh critic of us but I salute him for this,” he had said. Modi today called him an “intellectual giant” and “frank and fearless.”
As a journalist writer with close personal and professional relations with those in Pakistan, Nayar was also a strong exponent of friendly Indio-Pakistan relations, as the number of his books on related issues would vouch for.