Prominent journalist and author Kuldeep Nayyar passed away at the age of 95 in New Delhi on Thursday. He was admitted to a hospital following a brief illness.
According to reports, the funeral will be held at 1 pm at the Lodhi crematorium in Delhi. Nayyar, who was born on born August 14, 1923, is survived by his wife and two sons.
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. Saddened by his demise. My condolences.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2018
Kuldip Nayar/Kuldeep Nayyar a veteran Indian journalist, syndicated columnist, human right activist and an impeccable author passed away at 95 in Delhi, leaving behind a vaccumm that will be difficult to fill. May his soul rest in peace.#KuldeepNayyar #KuldipNayar pic.twitter.com/dvGaMAaFuW
— Geetika Swami (@SwamiGeetika) August 23, 2018
Rest in peace #KuldeepNayyar Sir. Thanks for setting the highest benchmarks in the field of ethical journalism which will always be an inspiration for all of us. Alvida pic.twitter.com/3nfD0rnK2H — Samir Abbas (@TheSamirAbbas) August 23, 2018
Nayyar was an eminent author and a former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom in 1990. He was one of the first journalists to be arrested during Emergency. He was also nominated as a Member of the Rajya Sabha in 1997.
He had started his career as an Urdu Press reporter and was deeply interested in friendship and peaceful relations of India and Pakistan. In his autobiography Beyond The Lines, he penned down about his interview with Pakistan's nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and it was revealed that Pakistan had a nuclear device even before it was assumed to have had it.
He later worked with The Statesman and also wrote columns and op-eds in 14 languages for over 80 newspapers. He was also known as a peace and human right activist.
He used to express his views freely on political issues and had also supported the movement of Anna Hazare. He was honoured with Astor Award for Press Freedom in 2003 and Shaheed Niyogi Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2007.
