Indian journalist, foreign correspondent, columnist and newspaper editor
Surendra Nihal Singh (April 30, 1929 - April 16, 2018 ),[1] commonly referred to as S Nihal Singh, was an Indian journalist, foreign correspondent, columnist and newspaper editor.[2][3] He remained the editor of The Statesman, The Indian Express, Indian Post and Khaleej Times. [1] As a foreign correspondent mostly for the Statesman and later for Khaleej Times, he was posted in Moscow, London, the US, Netherlands, Singapore, Pakistan and Indonesia and, in time, became known for his commentary on national affairs, foreign policy and international affairs.[1][4]
At age 18, his first article was published in The Tribune. He started his career in 1951 as a sub-editor with The Times of India. This was followed by a two-and-a-half decade-long stint with The Statesman. Starting as a staff reporter with The Statesman, Calcutta (Now Kolkata) eventually became its Resident Editor in 1973 and Chief Editor in Kolkata in 1975. A short stint as Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express (1981-82) led to becoming the founding editor of The Indian Post, Mumbai, in 1987. After it closed, he became the Editor of the Khaleej Times, Dubai (1994). During this stint, he was again a foreign correspondent in many countries.[9][10]
Once he returned to Delhi, he remained a syndicated columnist well into his late 80s, with several publications, including The Tribune and Asian Age. [2][11] In 2011, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the field, by Indian Journalists' Association in UK [12][13] In the same year, he published his autobiography Ink In My Veins – A life in journalism. [14]
During a career spanning several decades, he wrote 14 books, including The Rocky Road to Indian Democracy: Nehru to Narasimha Rao, The Yogi and the Bear: A Study of Indo-Soviet Relations’', ‘'Ink in My Veins: A Life in Journalism (autobiography ) and The Gang and 900 Million: A China Diary.
He died in New Delhi, after suffering from renal failure for several months, at age 89.[1] He is survived by his sister-in-law Indoo Nihal Singh and four sisters. His wife, a Dutch national, died much before in the 1990s, the couple had no children. [9] Upon his death, noted newspaper editor and former Rajya Sabha MP, H.K. Dua called him the “last of the liberal, democratic editors”.[1] A Hindustan Times obituary called him a "pioneer in journalism".[17]
^"This was intended to recognise an exceptional person who has either served as an Indian Journalist in the United Kingdom or as a British Journalist in India,
