->SdkbBot: /* top */Removed overlinked country wikilink and general fixes (task 2)

2022-01-04T23:42:47Z

top: Removed overlinked country wikilink and general fixes (task 2)

New page

{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
'''Romesh Thapar''' (1922–1987) was an Indian journalist and political commentator. Affiliated with the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], Thapar was the founder-editor of the monthly journal ''Seminar,'' published from [[New Delhi]], [[India]].

==Early life and background==
Thapar was born in [[Lahore]] (now in [[Pakistan]]) to a [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] trading family of the [[Khatri]] caste. He was the brother of [[Romila Thapar]], the historian. General [[Pran Nath Thapar]], sometime [[Chief of the Army Staff (India)|Chief of Army Staff]], was his paternal uncle (father's brother), and the journalist [[Karan Thapar]] is his paternal first cousin. Thapar was also related distantly to the family of Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Nehru's niece, the writer [[Nayantara Sahgal]], was married to Gautam Sahgal, brother of Bimla Thapar, wife of [[Pran Nath Thapar]].<ref>{{cite web | title = When the Devil's Advocate has the Last Word |publisher=The Hindu | url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/when-the-devils-advocate-has-the-last-word/article4799504.ece |date=10 June 2013|accessdate = 14 January 2014 | first = Prashant | last = Jha }}</ref><ref name="ThePrint">{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Nandita |title=Why is Karan Thapar complaining? His dynasty holds a key to Lutyens’ Delhi |url=https://theprint.in/lutyens-league/why-is-karan-thapar-complaining-his-dynasty-holds-a-key-to-lutyenss-delhi/87308/ |accessdate=2 April 2019 |work=The Print |date=2 January 2019}}</ref>

Thapar's family was newly wealthy, having made their fortune in trade during [[World War I]], as commission agents for the colonial [[British Raj|British Indian]] Army. Thapar was therefore sent to England for his education.<ref name="Prakash2010"/> [[Fabian socialism]], which was fashionable in the universities of England in the years between the two world wars, had a deep impact on Thapar at a young age. Starting as a socialist, Thapar developed into a [[Marxism|Marxist]] over the years, and remained a member of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] until his death.

==Career==
Thapar returned to India in the mid-1940s and took a job in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] as a journalist with ''[[The Times of India]],'' while [[Frank Moraes]] was its editor.<ref name="Prakash2010">{{cite book|author=Gyan Prakash|authorlink=Gyan Prakash|title=Mumbai Fables|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TeRWxaJLoDUC&pg=PA138|year=2010|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=1-4008-3594-1|pages=137–139}}</ref> After a couple of years, Thapar used some of his family wealth to start an English language magazine of his own, named ''Cross Roads.'' however low

===Seminar===
On 1 September 1959, Thapar started ''Seminar'' as a monthly journal, with a fund of Rs 11,000. This time, he sought to establish a stable revenue model through subscribers and advertisers.

''Seminar'' continues to be published from Malhotra building in [[Connaught Place, New Delhi|Connaught Place, Delhi]]. The publication is brought out by Thapar's daughter Malavika Singh and her husband Tejbir Singh, who is the editor. In 2009, the publication celebrated its 50th anniversary.<ref name=exp>{{cite web | title = Half a century of ideas|publisher=Indian Express | url = http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/half-a-century-of-ideas/532789/0|date=25 October 2009 | accessdate = 14 January 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Seminar: Fit At Fifty |authors=Anjali Puri, Dola Mitra |publisher=Outlook| url = http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261613 |date=14 September 2009| accessdate = 14 January 2014 }}</ref>

===Other party activities===
During his years in Bombay, Thapar was associated with [[Indian People's Theatre Association|IPTA]], the theatre wing of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPM]]<ref name="Prakash2010"/> He was involved in story formulation and script writing for their films inspired by communist ideology. He also acted bit roles in two Hindi film, being ''[[Footpath (1953 film)|Footpath]]'' (1953) directed by [[Zia Sarhadi]] and [[Merchant Ivory]]'s debut film, ''[[The Householder (film)|The Householder]]'' (1963).<ref>{{IMDb name|0857064}}</ref> Before the advent of television, he also did the commentary in the monthly news-reels produced by [[Films Division]], which were shown in cinema halls prior to the screening of films.<ref name=exp/>

===Politics===
Thapar and his wife grew especially close to [[Indira Gandhi]] through the 1960s and 1970s. Although he had known her earlier, it was after Nehru's death that Thapar became a part of the inner circle of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, along with politicians like [[Dinesh Singh (Uttar Pradesh politician)|Dinesh Singh]]. This connection brought Thapar significant clout in society and government, and numerous sinecures were showered on him as patronage. Thapar served at various times as director of the [[India International Centre]], of the National Books Development Board, of the [[India Tourism Development Corporation]] (ITDC), and as vice-chairperson of the National Bal Bhavan, Delhi (1967–1974),<ref name=exp/> all of which are government [[sinecure]]s conferred on him by successive [[Indian National Congress|Congress party]] governments.

However, during the [[Emergency (India)|Emergency of 1975]], Thapar was marginalized by the Gandhis (Indira and [[Sanjay Gandhi|Sanjay]]) for not being "supportive" enough.<ref name=nyt/> With the loss of political clout, his social standing waned and he had to limit himself to journalism.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=Rajni>{{cite web | title = Personally speaking|author=Rajni Kothari|authorlink=Rajni Kothari|publisher=Seminar| url = http://www.india-seminar.com/1999/481/481%20kothari.htm |year=1999| accessdate = 13 January 2014 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1945, Thapar married Raj Malhotra (1925–87), who also hailed from a Punjabi Khatri family of Lahore. The couple lived in a flat in Mafatlal Park, in the upmarket [[Breach Candy]] neighbourhood of [[Mumbai]], and were notable mainly for being well-connected socialites.<ref name="Prakash2010"/><ref name=nyt/> They had a son named [[Valmik Thapar|Valmik]] and a daughter named Malavika.

Thapar's son, [[Valmik Thapar]], is a prominent tiger conservationist. He is married to occasional actress [[Sanjana Kapoor]], daughter of bollywood actor [[Shashi Kapoor]] by his actress wife [[Jennifer Kendal]], an Indian of British heritage. Valmik and Sanjana are the parents of a son, Hamir Thapar.

Thapar's daughter, Malavika Singh, who now runs the ''Seminar'' magazine, is married to Tejbir Singh, who edits the magazine. Tejbir Singh is the nephew of writer [[Khushwant Singh]] and grandson of the construction magnate [[Sobha Singh (builder)|Sir Sobha Singh]].<ref>{{cite web | title = 'Delhi, the perpetual city, has a soul unlike Mumbai'|publisher=Hindustan Times| url = http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/delhi-the-perpetual-city-has-a-soul-unlike-mumbai/story-OIEhyhQ6Zzym8nfR2pVa2K.html |date=6 December 2013|accessdate = 22 January 2014}}</ref> Malavika and Tejbir have a son, Jaisal Singh, who runs as many as five wildlife resorts (the "Sujan" chain of boutique properties) in Rajasthan. He is married to Anjali Anand, only child and heiress of Deep C. Anand, founder of the Anand group of companies which had a turnover of Rs. 6100 crore in 2014-15.<ref name="Anjali, her father's heir">[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/news/auto-components/anjali-singh-the-successor-of-anand-group/articleshow/43450929.cms Anjali, her father's heir]</ref> Anjali is being groomed to take over the business empire built by her father; she has also been instrumental in the meteoric expansion of her husband's wildlife resort venture. Jaisal and Anjali are the parents of twins born in 2012.<ref name="Anjali, her father's heir"/>

Raj Thapar died in 1987 of cancer, at the age of 61. Romesh Thapar died a few months later. A few years later, Raj Thapar's memoir, ''All These Years'' was completed, edited and published by her daughter Malvika Singh in 1991. It was based on her diary which she had kept over two decades.<ref name=exp/><ref name=nyt>{{cite news |title=New Delhi Journal; The Kitty Kelley of Delhi Scandalizes the Nabobs|author= Bernard Weinraub|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/09/world/new-delhi-journal-the-kitty-kelley-of-delhi-scandalizes-the-nabobs.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=9 July 1991 |accessdate=13 January 2013}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=Storm Over Hyderabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TAfdHAAACAAJ|year=1948|publisher=Kutub Publishers}}
* {{cite book|author1=Romesh Thapar|author2=M. K. Rajan|title=Nehru's foreign policy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Ko5AQAAIAAJ|year=1951}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=India in Transition|url=https://archive.org/details/indiaintransitio0000thap|url-access=registration|year=1956|publisher=Current Book House}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=Book development in national communications and planning|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsgXAAAAIAAJ|year=1975|publisher=UNESCO Regional Centre for Book Development in Asia}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=The Indian dimension: politics of continental development|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gH8eAAAAMAAJ|year=1977|publisher=Vikas|isbn=978-0-7069-0538-0}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=Change and Conflict in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ku8EAAAAMAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Macmillan}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=The Waste and the Want: Thoughts on the Future|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_cYAAAAYAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Orient Longman}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=An Indian Future|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ookeAAAAMAAJ|year=1981|publisher=Allied Pub.}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=Indira Gandhi: Some Thoughts on a Sixteen Year Reign|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VJRymgEACAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Thapar}}
* {{cite book|author=Romesh Thapar|title=These Troubled Times..|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OOnw_FVc8KkC|year=1986|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=978-0-86132-127-8}}
* {{cite book|author=Raj Thapar|title=All these years: a memoir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HghlAAAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Seminar Publications}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.india-seminar.com/ Seminar, Official website]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thapar, Romesh}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian male journalists]]
[[Category:Indian political writers]]
[[Category:Indian publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Indian magazine founders]]
[[Category:Indian magazine editors]]
[[Category:Punjabi people]]
[[Category:Academic journal editors]]
[[Category:Indian political journalists]]
[[Category:Free speech activists]]
[[Category:Indian Marxists]]
[[Category:Writers from Lahore]]
[[Category:Writers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian writers]]

Romesh Thapar - Revision history

->SdkbBot: /* top */Removed overlinked country wikilink and general fixes (task 2)