# Keki N. Daruwalla (24 January 1937 – 26 September 2024)

- Link: https://writersworkshopindia.com/2024/09/30/keki-n-daruwalla-24-january-1937-26-september-2024/
- Published: 2024-09-30T15:11:24+00:00
- Author: us\_basu

We mourn the death of the acclaimed author, Keki N. Daruwalla, who passed away on
26 September at the age of 87. His debut poetry collection _Under Orion_ was published
by Writers Workshop in 1970, followed by _Apparition in April_ in 1971, which brought
him the Uttar Pradesh State Award in 1972. He went on to write many other books 
of poetry, short stories, novels and nonfiction prose.

Daruwalla received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984 for _The Keeper of the Dead_(
1982).  He returned this award in 2015 in protest after the death of writer M M 
Kalburgi, stating: “…In recent months it (the Akademi) has not stood up as boldly
as it should for values that any literature stands for, namely freedom of expression
against threat, upholding the rights of the marginalised, speaking up against superstitions
and intolerance of any kind. The Akademi has also not distinguished itself in standing
by authors who are under political duress. Nor has the Akademi, under your dispensation,
spoken out against organisations/ideological collectives that have used physical
violence of the worst sort against authors.”

In his stellar literary career, Daruwalla also won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize
for Asia in 1987, and the Padma Shri. He had a distinguished career as an IPS officer,
rising through the ranks to become special assistant on international affairs to
Prime Minister Charan Singh in 1979. He went on to join the Research and Analysis
Wing, from where he retired as chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee in 1995.

We are saddened by the demise of this great man who had, to quote Nissim Ezekiel,“
the energy of a lion”. Keki contacted Writers Workshop whenever he came to Kolkata,
asked about our books and maintained regular correspondence, his last exchange with
us in 2021 an email reassurance that he had recuperated from Covid-19.

 

 

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From ‘Modern Indian Poetry in English’, WW, 1971