Archives of Contemporary India

Supported by HDFC LTD.

H.K. Dua Papers

H.K. Dua Papers
"Strength and quality of a democratic polity in a large measure depends on the functioning of the constitutional institutions – Parliament, the executive and the judiciary …
… our Constitution provides for a plural polity providing space for all religions, castes, creeds and languages."

A respected diplomat, parliamentarian and newspaper editor, Hari Krishan Dua (born 1937) took to journalism early in life and excelled as a political commentator and analyst. Dua’s journalistic career spans over four decades, his major areas of interest being political and international affairs. He served as editor of The Hindustan Times (1987-94); Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express (1994-96) & The Tribune (2003-09); and Editorial Advisor, The Times of India (1997-98).

He was Media Advisor to the Prime Minister of India (1996-97, 1999-2001) and Ambassador of India to Denmark (2001-03). A nominated member of the Rajya Sabha (2009-2015), he was a member of the National Security Advisory Board and several high-profile committees including Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Committee on External Affairs, Committee on Ethics, and Committee on Health and Family Welfare, etc.

President of the Editors’ Guild of India for two terms (1988-89), he has been the recipient of Durga Ratan Award, G.K. Reddy Award, Bal Gangadhar Tilak Award, B.D. Goenka Award and the Padma Bhushan. H.K. Dua edited a book on demonetization, Demonetization in the Detail.

About the Collection: The papers of H.K. Dua (digital) consists of mainly his articles/columns in newspapers published in Tribune and Hindustan Times, and other dailies from 1981-2015. These articles deal with significant national and international events and political comments on almost all the major figures in Indian and world politics including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Ronald Regan, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Gorbachev, and others. The writings of H.K. Dua are a vital source material for the study of modern and contemporary history of India and the world and give a glimpse of the social and political milieu in the last five decades through the eyes of the media. (Catalogue available)

Donor: H.K. Dua
Acquisition: 2017 & 2018