Eminent writer and renowned poet Kailash Vajpeyi has passed away due to heart attack in New Delhi at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife Dr Rupa Vajpeyi and daughter Ananya Vajpeyi. The legend was born on November 11, 1936 in Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh. He had received his doctorate from the Lucknow University. In 1960 he worked with Times of India, Mumbai and then he started teaching at Delhi University.
He published a total of 28 books, including 14 volumes of poetry. Some of his famous works include,
- Sufinama
- Sankrant
- Dehant se Hatkar (Away from Death)
- Teesra Andhera (Third Darkness)
- Prthvi ka krshnapaksha
- Rajdhaniand Bhavishya Ghat Raha Hai (The future is shrinking).
Kailash Vajpeyi is a well traveled poet. He taught for several years in Mexico. He was highly influenced by Zen Buddhism, Vedanta, and Sufism. In his early years, Kailash wrote lyrics as well as politically-aware and anti-establishment poetry. Some his poems were banned, which includes Naya Rashtrageet (A new national anthem).
Awards and Honors
- Hindi Academy in 1995
- S S Millennium Award in 2000
- Vyas Samman in 2002
- Human Care Trust Award in 2005
- Sahitya Akademi for his work, ‘Hawa mein Hastakshar’ in 2009
- Vachaspati title from Lucknow University
- Honored by Delhi Academy of Letters
- Honored by New York’s Literary Society
