I was a stringer for three mainstream English newspapers in the 1950s; additionally, I also published a weekly named the Vanguard that was quite popular. One could the number of professional journalists in Dehradun then count on the fingers of one’s hand. Of that small lot, I was the only one to boast of Master’s and Law degrees; my peers then looked at me with some respect albeit mingled with a degree of envy.

Writer Raj Kanwar and sister Kamla with Pandit Nehru on November 14, 1959 at Circuit House, Dehradun. pic courtesy/ Raj Kanwar