Raj Kanwar (born 1930) is an Indian journalist, writer and entrepreneur based in Dehradun.
Life
Raj Kanwar was born in Lahore 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] His stories would go on to attract the attention of The Indian Express and was hired by the paper as a reporter in Delhi.[4]
He 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 recalls that about a hundred Russians had come to Dehradun 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.[4]
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 was written columns for numerous newspapers. As of 2020, Kanwar is 90. As he is not able to write himself, he takes the assistance of a secretary.[5]
Publications
- Upstream India: Fifty Golden Years of ONGC (2006). ISBN 9788190390309
- ONGC: The Untold Story (2018). Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-9388271394
- Dateline Dehradun (2020) Self published/ Saraswati Press.[6] Foreword by Navtej Sarna.[7] ISBN 978-9353968793
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Vijay, Sunita (7 October 2020). "Mr Raj Kanwar: Doyen of the Literary World". Garhwal Post. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Roy, Suparna (2020-10-06). Saxena, Sparshita (ed.). "'90 and going strong': Author Raj Kanwar from Dehradun all set to release his 4th book". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gupta, Surbhi (2020-11-12). "Why the Doon Valley is home to veteran journalist Raj Kanwar". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kanwar, Raj (17 November 2020). "A trip down memory lane with Nehru and Indira". Tehelka. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Vij, Sanjana (2020-10-07). "90-Year-Old Author Raj Kanwar All Set To Release His 4th Book". The Notorious Reader. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Saili, Ganesh (2 August 2020). "'Dateline Dehra Dun' book review: A quiet visit to the past". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Chopran, Jaskiran (14 May 2020). "A book that evokes nostalgia for the Doon Valley". The Pioneer. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)