Kailash Vajpeyi

KAILASH VAJPEYI, 1936-2015, a poet and thinker, was a pre-eminent figure of his generation in the world of Hindi letters. He wrote in Hindi and English, poetry as well as prose. He featured as a prominent face on television and a familiar voice on radio from the mid-1960s until his death. Born in Uttar Pradesh, Vajpeyi was educated at Lucknow University and moved to Delhi around 1960. His columns discussing books, arts, ideas, philosophy and religion appeared in leading Hindi and English newspapers, magazines and journals. He received numerous literary and cultural awards, published close to twenty books and made about as many documentary films. He travelled all over the world between 1970 and 2010. His poetry has been translated into several Indian and European languages.

He won a Sahitya Akademi Award (Hindi Poetry) in 2009 for his collection Hawa Mein Hastaakshar.