Renowned poet and former IPS officer Keki N Daruwalla, an inspiration to many young writers and poets, died at a Delhi hospital on Thursday night.
Renowned poet and former IPS officer Keki N Daruwalla, an inspiration to countless young writers and poets who looked at him as a mentor, died at a Delhi hospital on Thursday night after a prolonged illness. He was 87.
Daruwalla’s last rites were carried out on Friday afternoon at the Parsi Aramgah in Delhi. “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,” his daughter Anaheita Kapadia told PTI.
Daruwalla published his first volume of poetry in 1970, titled Under Orion, followed by Apparition in April (1971), Crossing of Rivers (1976), The Keeper of the Dead (1982) – for which he won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1984 – and The Scarecrow and the Ghost (2004), among others. Apart from poems, Daruwalla was also a short story writer and a novelist – and Love Across the Salt Desert, a collection of short stories published in 2006, is one of his notable works, along with his novel Pepper and the Christ (2009).
“Every writer looked at him as their personal friend. The first time I met him was in 1995, and was awestruck. He made light of his stature. A few years later, we reconnected and held creative writing workshops together for the Sahitya Akademi, and once the internet age was upon us, we began exchanging emails and continued to do so till he published Landfall, his volume of poetry, in 2023. He never made you feel like he was a literary giant. Keki had a perspective which wasn’t just global, it was civilisational. He wrote about Persia with the same felicity as he did about rituals in Benares. He was the last of the great poets,” said author Neelum Saran Gour, who won the Sahitya Akademi award last year.
“Keki Daruwalla was a dear friend of over four decades. His kindness, his integrity, and his larger philosophical vision are aspects of him I shall never forget. His literary legacy extends to a vast repertoire of outstanding poetry as well as his mastery as a narrator and prose stylist . I greatly admired his novels and short fiction, especially his recent work in those genres. His passing leaves a vacuum in the literary community,” said Namita Gokhale, writer, publisher and festival director at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
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Keki N Daruwalla – A Tribute
Hello everyone, this blog post will be a bit different to my usual work. This is going to be a tribute to my Grandpa, Keki N Daruwalla. I’m sure by now you have all heard the heartbreaking news of his passing on Thursday the 26th of September. I am not sure if I will be able to do justice in reiterating the incredible person you were Grandpa but I sure would like to try.
“Keki N Daruwalla, is a famous Author, Poet and he is also my Grandpa”. I think I was in second grade when I had a school project where I had to talk about someone famous, and naturally, I chose him. Even at that young age, I was so proud to tell the world about who he was. I made a little paper book, filled with everything I knew about him – with help from Mama of course who was even more proud of him. Those who had the pleasure of knowing him loved him almost as much as we did.
In his early days, Grandpa served as an esteemed IPS officer, always a figure of strength and respect. What some of you may not know is that Grandpa was also part of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) in India. For his writing, both as a poet and an author Grandpa recieved many awards. In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri – one of the highest honours an Indian citizen can receive. I actually remember when it was announced he would be awarded the Padma Shri, my family and I had gone down to Delhi to celebrate his birthday and see the Republic Day parade, it was then when it was announced and we were all so proud.
This is only one of the few awards he received the other include, The Commonwealth Poetry Prize, Queen Elizabeth II fellowship, Uttar Pradesh State Award and most recently Final poetry collection. There was also one more award he received and returned along with other writers due to the lack of action and protection of writers in India.
But even the strongest of us face challenges. This last year and a half has been very difficult for you in terms of health and in relation for us, to have to see you struggle. Beginning last year when you had the stroke and fell, all the health problems truly began. There was a time last year where it started to look like we were going to lose you, but Grandpa being the strong person he was pulled through. I am so eternally grateful for that one extra year we got with you, especially when I was able to see and spend some time with you last year in October. You were in and out of hospitals for so long, it was so hard for us all to see, I can’t imagine what you must have been going through or feeling.
Throughout this journey, I want to thank our family—Mama, Dada, Anna Masi, Arshish Masa for being there every step of the way. And a special thank you to Sunita Masi, who went above and beyond in caring for Grandpa. I know he would have deeply appreciated everything all of you did for him.
To us the Daruwalla grandchildren—Shayan, Freyana, Sanaya, and me—Grandpa was a pillar of wisdom, love, and strength, that will live on in our hearts. The time we spent with him is something we will always treasure, and I am certain that he left a piece of himself in each of us through his words, his lessons, stories and his unwavering love
I thought writing this would be one of the best ways to honour you and your legacy, by doing something we share a love for, writing. I miss you terribly Grandpa but I get some peace thinking about how you are no longer in pain or suffering. I am sure you are up there, and have reunited with Khursid Granny, Tehemtan Uncle and all our other loved ones. I hope you and Tehemtan Uncle have opened a bottle of Black Label Whiskey and enjoying a drink together, while looking down at all of us. I know I will see you again someday and till then I will cherish all our memories, and keep them close to my heart. You were a true inspiration and I am forever, proud to be your granddaughter.
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