Balraj Puri (1928-2014) was an Indian

Political commentator A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...

and human rights activist.

Career

A committed peace activist Balraj Puri began his career in journalism in 1942 and since then has worked in or edited several publications. In his 68 years of public career, he has played a crucial role in

Indian politics The Politics and Government of India works within the framework of the country's Constitution, which was adopted in 1950. India is a parliamentary secular democratic republic, described as a “sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republ ...

. He mediated the famous 1975

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah was the founding leader and President of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Confer ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

accord. He worked for communal harmony across India particularly in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and Delhi. From India's first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to the present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Puri was constantly consulted on various aspects of the Kashmir issue. He also played an important role in restoring peace in Punjab in the 1980s.

Awards and recognition

Puri was conferred the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

in 2005, one of India's highest civilian honors, in Literature and Education. On 31 October 2009 he was honoured with Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration at Delhi by the then Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

. Singh described Puri's book ''Kashmir towards Insurgency'' as a primer for anybody trying to understand the intricacies of Kashmir issue. Singh also remarked Balraj Puri's life has been one of selfless service to the society and to our country. It has been a life dedicated to the cause of promoting peace, good-will and communal harmony. It has been a life spent in building bridges between regions and communities.

Bibliography

* ''J.P. on Jammu and Kashmir'' (2005) * ''5000 Years of Kashmir'' (1997) * ''Kashmir Towards Insurgency'' (1993) * ''Jammu & Kashmir: Triumph and Tragedy of Indian Feder'' alism (1981) * ''Jammu – A Clue to Kashmir Tangle'' (1966)

References

External links

Human Rights Journal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puri, Balraj Indian political journalists Journalists from Jammu and Kashmir Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education 1928 births 2014 deaths People from Jammu (city) 20th-century Indian journalists Writers about the Kashmir conflict Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians 20th-century Indian politicians