Rajkumar Keswani (1950-2021) was an Indian journalist, author, film historian and film distributor. He is known to have predicted the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, one of the world’s deadliest industrial accidents, when more than half a million people were exposed to the highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas emitted by the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal (MIC). Between 1982 and 1984, he wrote numerous articles highlighting safety problems at pesticide plants that preceded catastrophic gas releases. However, his warning was ignored. He died of complications following Covid-19 on May 21, 2021.
Wiki/Biography
Rajkumar Keswani was born on Monday, December 26, 1949, at Sultaniya Zanana Hospital, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India (age 71 at the time of death). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. After studying at Saifiya College, Bhopal, he pursued his Masters in Law from Bhakatulla University, Bhopal.
family
He comes from a Sindhi family.
Parents and siblings
His father, Dada Laxman Das Keswani, was a journalist, author, social reformer and freedom fighter. In 1964, he founded a Sindhi newspaper called The Challenge. He died on May 20, 2020. His mother’s name is Krishnadevi Keswani. She died on December 7, 1996. His brother Shashi Kumar Keswani is the editor of Information Observer.
Rajkumar Keswani with his father Dada Laxman Das Keswani and brother Shashi Kumar Keswani
Rajkumar Keswani’s mother
wife and children
His wife’s name is Sunita Keswani. His son Raunaq Keswani is also a reporter and chief deputy editor of Dainik Bhaskar.
From left to right: Sunita Keswani, Raunaq Keswani, Dada Laxman Das Keswani, Raunaq Keswani’s wife Rajkumar Keswani
Rajkumar Keswani and his son Raunaq Keswani
Profession
Journalism
He began his career as an associate editor at The Sporting Times while in college. Subsequently, he worked with several reputed publications such as Dinmaan, Newstime, The Tribune, The Weekly, The Asian Age, The Independent, The New York Times, Illustrated Weekly of India, Sunday, Sunday Observer, India Today, Outlook, Economics & Politics, The Weekly, The Indian Express, Jansatta and Navbharat Times. From 1998 to 2003, he served as NDTV’s Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh Bureau Chief. In 2003, he started working as editor of Dainik Bhaskar, Indore edition. From November 2004 to August 2009, he worked as a magazine editor at Bhaskar Group. He loves movies and has extensive knowledge of Hindi movies and music. He had a collection of old songs on gramophone discs by singers like Madan Guru, Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar’s father Dinanath Mangeshkar, which he used to listen to at night . He used to write a weekly column on the journey of film songs in Bhaskar’s magazine Rasrang. His weekly column ‘Aaps Ki Baat’ in Dainik Bhaskar, dedicated to music and movies, is very popular.
Photo of Shashi Kumar Keswani in his office filled with books and gramophone
In 2008, he was one of 15 Asian journalists whose articles were published in books in South Korea in six different Asian languages. Throughout his life, he wrote extensively about anecdotes and stories about Bhopal and the city. Keswani has had a long and successful career in journalism and was awarded the Prem Bhatia Award for Outstanding Environmental Reporting in 2010.
Sound of alarm ahead of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy
Keswani first became interested in the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal in 1981 when his friend Mohammad Ashraf, who was working at the plant, told him that due to the plant’s maintenance and safety standards Lower, MIC gas leakage may occur. Unfortunately, in December of the same year, Mohammed died in an accident at the factory caused by inhalation of phosgene. Keswani was devastated by the loss of his friend and determined to study the properties of MIC gas. He discovered that MIC contains many other highly toxic gases, including phosgene. His research showed that MIC contains several other highly toxic gases, including phosgene. Additionally, he found that MIC is heavier than air and in the event of a leak, it would likely stay close to the ground rather than rise and disperse into the atmosphere. Two years before the gas leak, Rajkumar Keswani wrote a series of local news articles discussing the Union Carbide Limited of India (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal and its impact on workers and Danger to the community. To draw attention to the issue, Keswani enlisted the help of two former employees who had been laid off from the factory. He spent nearly nine months researching and writing about the situation. He published his first prophetic article titled “Bachaiye Huzoor Is Shahar Ko Bachaiye” (Saint, please save this city) on September 26, 1982, in “Rapat”, a small news publication in Bhopal. His two subsequent articles titled “Jwalamukhi Ke Muhane Baitha Bhopal” (Bhopal sits on the edge of a volcano) and “Na Samjhoge To Aakhir Mit Hi Jaoge” (If you don’t understand, you will all be Published in newspapers such as Jansatta on the 8th. His report was even picked up and shared by national newspaper The Indian Express. In his article he detailed that the plant’s safety standards were inadequate and could have led to a catastrophic leak. Keswani also gave Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Arjun Singh wrote a letter warning him of the dangers of the plant, but never received a reply. Keswani’s last article was titled “Bhopal: On the Edge of Disaster,” Published five months before the 1984 disaster. Unfortunately, his repeated warnings were ignored by both Union Carbide management and the Madhya Pradesh government, and they did not conduct any inquiry or investigation into the plant’s safety standards. People Treat Case Varney was treated like a madman. They once told him,
Arre aisa kabhi hota hai kya? Aisa kabhi hua hai kya is duniya mein? ” (Could something like this happen? Has anything like this happened anywhere in the world?)
He also claimed in an article that in 1975, an Indian bureaucrat named MN Buch asked Union Carbide to move the factory from its current location because of the rapid development of the surrounding residential areas. On December 2, 1984, just over two years after Keswani issued his first triple warning, his prediction proved correct. A chemical accident occurred at the Bhopal pesticide factory of Union Carbide Limited (UCIL) in India. More than 500,000 people in the towns surrounding the factory were exposed to the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate (MIC). The tragedy is considered one of the world’s deadliest industrial accidents. More than 500,000 people were injured and more than 3,000 people died from diseases such as lung cancer, kidney failure and liver disease.
Indian photojournalist Raghu Rai’s famous photo “Burying an Unknown Child” became an icon of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy
In 1985, when Keswani was awarded the BD Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, he wept that his warnings had fallen on deaf ears and said he was probably the first person to receive the award for “such a stunning journalistic failure”. Later, he joined a survivor group in Bhopal.
Rajkumar Keswani joins Dr Rosalie Bertell, director of the International Medical Council, on the 1984 Union Carbide MIC gas leak disaster in Bhopal, which investigates the horrific chemical consequences
others
Before entering journalism, he was associated with the film industry. He had tried his hand at film distribution. Keswani acts as a dealer for CI Circuit. He has released films like “Ayee Milan Ki Bela” (re-release) with OP Goyal and Uttam Nahar. Additionally, he played a role in the colorization of the epic historical drama Mughal-E-Azam (1960). Additionally, he wrote a book titled Dastaan-E-Mughal-E-Azam based on the movie Mughal-E-Azam (1960).
Dastan-E-Mughal-E-Azam by Rajkumar Keswani
In 2020, he wrote a book “Jahan-e-Rumi” about the famous poet Rumi. Before his death in 2021, he was writing a book about the 1957 megahit film “Mother India,” the first Indian film to be nominated for an Oscar. He also wrote a book on Bollywood classics called Bombay Talkies.
Bombay Talkies by Rajkumar Keswani
He also wrote a book, Breaking the Big Stories, about the experiences of journalists around the world who covered the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. He is a member of Keswani Foundation, a family-run organization.
Awards
- 1985 BD Goenka Award for Distinguished Journalism
Photo of Rajkumar Keswani receiving the BD Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism in 1985
- Prem Bhatia Outstanding Environmental Reporting Award 2010
die
On May 21, 2021, Rajkumar Keswani died of complications following Covid-19. He was first treated at JP Hospital in Bhopal and from there he was shifted to Bansal Hospital.
Facts/Trivia
- In 2014, a film called “Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain” was released, telling the story of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. The protagonist in the film, Motwani, was a journalist who recorded the tragedy. fear. The character was reportedly inspired by Keswani.
- In 2023, the web series Railway Man: The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 featured a character named Jagmohan Kumawat (played by Sunny Hinduja), who was inspired by Rajkumar Keswani.
- He was passionate about hockey and supported various hockey players in Bhopal extensively.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education