Praful Bidwai passed away on the 23rd of June due to cardiac arrest. He was a journalist, an activist, a researcher and a political commentator.
I first met Praful at a protest in Jantar Mantar and was immediately struck by his energy, commitment and passion for exposing the truth behind the shiny image of the nuclear industry in India. Since then, over the years, I have heard him countless times speak on a wide range of issues and every time with much conviction and precision.
I knew he had a science background but I never knew quite how strong his academic qualifications were – he read science and technology, philosophy and economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, before pursing development studies, political science and research in the labour movement and environmental issues.
Science is one thing, but his commitment to speaking truth to power was another. His career in journalism, first as a columnist at Economic and Political Weekly and then later, as a senior editor at Times of India, led to his columns being regularly published in The Guardian, The Nation, Le Monde Diplomatique as well as Il Manifesto.
29 June 2015
Praful Bidwai. Image Credits: tni.org
But I guess I knew him through activism and his commitment to changing the world. I went to meet him at his house once to ask him to be a speaker at one of the activities we were organising and I remember our conversation drifting through many issues, including the left movement. All through that conversation there was classical music playing in the background.It was an intergenerational evening – like all of the encounters I’ve had with him. Praful never made anyone feel younger than him or less experienced, he treated everyone as his equal.
Praful was a founding member of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, an umbrella organisation for Indian peace groups. He has been a strong critic of the Indian nuclear industry and an investigative article he published in the Times of India in the early 80s exposed how 350 workers at Tarapur Atomic Power Plant were exposed to high levels of radiation. His contribution to nuclear disarmament has also been appreciated around the world, and deservedly so. The world needs peace more than ever, and coalitions, organising and movement building for peace will one day create the world he wanted to see.
In June last year, a supposedly leaked Intelligence Bureau report listed Bidwai, along with others, as anti-national – which seems to be the spirit of the time.
After the "offloaded" incident, Praful and I had a long chat on the phone and he told me to remain strong in the fight against this government. We talks about how the IB and MHA would try and play every trick out there and the importance of standing up and defending democracy and the right to dissent.
There is not one word that could define or accurately encompass all that Praful stood for - you were an activist who defended the truth and took on the world, a journalist who exposed lies, an author with a unique perspective and above all, a friend and guide to us all. You will continue to inspire us in all that we do to change this world to make it a better place.
Priya Pillai is a senior campaigner with Greenpeace India