Kuldip Nayar (1923–2018)

Kuldip Nayar, the eminent journalist who breathed his last on 23 August 2018, will, of course, be remembered first and foremost for the remarkable continuity and extraordinary reach of his writings, stretching over several decades. But, in addition, he will also be remembered for his contribution to many social movements and causes. In fact, in recent years, several important events by significant social movements were not considered complete without his blessing, and he reciprocated this reverence by agreeing to attend such events despite the difficulties created by age-related factors. His deep commitment to the unity and harmony of people of various religious communities made his presence all the more instrumental at these events, especially in these deeply disturbing times.

The right to information (RTI) movement was one such movement where
he made an important contribution. Nayar, Nikhil Chakravartty, Ajit Bhattacharjee and Prabhash Joshi were the four senior-most journalists who contributed to strengthening the RTI movement in its early, critical phase. All four also shared another common commitment: they were all particularly affectionate towards the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and its leading activists, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh. Roy often recalls the generous hospitality of Nayar when he placed his entire house at the disposal of dozens of MKSS activists who had come to Delhi for some pressing work.