Kewalram Rattanmal Malkani (1921-2003)

K R Malkani, a veteran Sindhi writer and politician, died on 27th October 2003 in Pondicherry, India at the age of eighty-two. A true son of Sindh, Kewalram Rattanmal Malkani was born in 1921 in Hyderabad, Sindh in 1921. Although he had to leave his motherland, Sindh, after the creation of Pakistan, he never ever forgot it. In 1984 he published his famous The Sindh Story, which reflects upon Sindhi national struggle. The book has become a classic amongst some others books written in the aftermath of partition, so much so that the Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, mentioned it in his tribute to Mr Malkani. According to Indian newspaper reports, the PM said, "He (Mr Malkani) will be especially remembered for his book on the history of national movement in Sindh and his advocacy of Hindu-Muslim unity." Mr. Malkani was the first General Secretary of the Editors’ Guild of India (1978-9). He was also a member of India’s Press Delegation to China in 1978.

As about his political career, Malkani played a major role in Indian national politics. From 1991 until very recently, he served as Vice President of B. J. P. On July 3, 2002, K. R. Malkani, was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry, a position he held until his death.

Mr. Malkani also worked as a lecturer at the famous D.G.N. College in Sindh from 1945-7. He was the Nieman Fellow at Harvard University from 1961-2. From 1983 to 1990, he was Vice-Chairman of the Deendayal Research Institute in New Delhi.