Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar passed away minutes after midnight on 23 August at the age of 95, ANI reported. His funeral was held at 1 pm on 23 August, at the Lodhi Road crematorium in New Delhi.
Nayar breathed his last at the Escorts Hospital in New Delhi on the intervening nights of 22 and 23 August, at 12.30 am.
Nayar was also an author, with 15 books to his name, and was appointed as High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom in 1990.
He was also nominated as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha in 1997.
Tributes Pour In
Senior journalists, politicians, and other eminent personalities paid tribute to the veteran journalist. From PM Modi to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as well as the Editors Guild of India, which Kuldip Nayar was a founding member of, the nation mourned the passing of Kuldip Nayar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet, said, ” 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 be remembered.”
Life and Work
Kuldip Nayar was born in Punjab’s Sialkot in British India (now Pakistan) on 14 August, 1923 to Gurbaksh Singh and Pooran Devi.
He completed a BA from Forman Christian College in Lahore and LLB from the Law College Lahore.
Kuldip Nayar worked as a reporter in the Urdu press before becoming the editor of The Statesman in New Delhi.
Kuldip Nayar was known as an editor who “refused to bend or crawl” during the Emergency under former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure.
Apart from his work in journalism, Kuldip Nayar was also a part of India's delegation to the United Nations in 1996.
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