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Raj Kanwar (journalist)

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Indian journalist and writer (1930–2022)

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. 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. 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. In 1953 he started an English weekly called 'Vanguard'. Here he started writing about government organisations such as the Ordnance Factory in Dehradun and the Survey of India. His stories would go on to attract the attention of The Indian Express and was hired by the paper as a reporter in Delhi.

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. He went on to become the first public relations officer for the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC). 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". Kanwar was then sent to Gujarat to help with ONGC operations followed by a posting in Sibsagar in Assam.

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. In Dehradun he started "Witness - Newsweekly with a Difference". 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.

In 1970 he founded SK Oilfield Equipment Co which is now run by his son. 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. He was a regular writer of obituaries for Doonites. He initiated Writers' Combine, a group focusing on young writers and readers in the valley.

Kanwar died on 31 October 2022, at the age of 92. He had been working on his fourth book titled "Writer of Obituaries".

Publications

References

  1. ^ Vijay, Sunita (7 October 2020). "Mr Raj Kanwar: Doyen of the Literary World". Garhwal Post. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. ^ Gupta, Surbhi (12 November 2020). "Why the Doon Valley is home to veteran journalist Raj Kanwar". The Indian Express. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. "Veteran journalist & author Raj Kanwar passes away". Pioneer Edge. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  5. ^ Kanwar, Raj (17 November 2020). "A trip down memory lane with Nehru and Indira". Tehelka. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. 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.
  7. ^ "Veteran journalist Raj Kanwar is no more". Garhwal Post. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  8. Chopra, Jaskiran (15 July 2019). "Nayantara: Each writer has his or her own voice and must discover it". The Pioneer. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  9. "'The Writers' Combine' constituted to encourage young talent". Garhwal Post. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  10. "'Chronicler of Dehradun', veteran author Raj Kanwar dies at 92". The Times of India. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  11. "ONGC – The Untold Story' launched". Pioneer Edge. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  12. Saili, Ganesh (2 August 2020). "'Dateline Dehra Dun' book review: A quiet visit to the past". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  13. Chopran, Jaskiran (14 May 2020). "A book that evokes nostalgia for the Doon Valley". The Pioneer. Retrieved 19 February 2021.

Further reading

Primary sources

As a book reviewer
As an obituary and tribute writer
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