Celebrated Indian English poet Keki N Daruwalla passes away at 87

New Delhi: Renowned English poet and former IPS officer Keki N. Daruwalla has passed away at a Delhi hospital after battling a long illness and pneumonia, his daughter Anaheita Kapadia confirmed on Friday. He was 87 years old.

"He had a stroke a year ago and hadn't been keeping well since. There were stroke related complications. But it wasn't a stroke this time, he basically died of pneumonia," said Kapadia.

Daruwalla, known as one of India’s most prominent writers in English, died on Thursday night. He is survived by his two daughters, Anaheita and Rookvain, along with their husbands and four grandchildren. His last rites will take place on Friday at 4:30 pm at Parsi Aramgah near Khan Market.

Born in Lahore in 1937, Daruwalla completed his studies at Government College in Ludhiana. He joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1958, serving in the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He advanced to become a special assistant on international affairs for then Prime Minister Charan Singh. Later, he worked for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), where he achieved the rank of secretary.

Despite his successful career in law enforcement and intelligence, it was his literary talent that brought him both national and international acclaim. His first poetry collection, Under Orion, was published in 1970, followed by his second book, Apparition in April, which won the Uttar Pradesh State Award in 1972.

He also won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984, which he returned in October 2015 in protest against Sahitya Akademi's failure "to speak out against ideological collectives that have used physical violence against authors". 

Agency