Arun Shourie (born 2 November 1941) is an Indian
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
,
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
. He has worked as an economist with the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
, a consultant to the
Planning Commission of India, editor of the ''
Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' and ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' and a
Minister of Communications and Information Technology in the
Vajpayee Ministry (1998–2004). He was awarded the
Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1982 and the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan 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 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1990.
Popularly perceived as one of the main
Hindu nationalist
Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term ''Hindū rāṣṭ ...
intellectuals during the 90s and early 2000s, for instance writing controversial works on
Islam and
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
apart from attacks on left-wing ideologues, he considers himself skeptical of religions, especially the concept of the organised religion.
Early life
Arun Shourie was born in
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, on 2 November 1941. He studied at
Modern School, Barakhamba
Modern School is a co-educational, private school in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1920 by Lala Raghubir Singh, a prominent Delhi-based businessman and philanthropist, who desired an institution that combined the "best of ancient Indian tr ...
and did his bachelor's in Economics(H) from
St. Stephen's College,
Delhi University
Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) ...
.
He obtained his doctorate in Economics from the
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at
Syracuse University in 1966.
Personal life
Shourie is married to Anita, and they have a son. His sister is the journalist
Nalini Singh
Nalini Singh (born September 01, 1945) is an Indian journalist.
She has been the anchor for several current affairs programs on Doordarshan, and is most known for her program, 'Aankhon Dekhi', on investigative journalism.
She had made another ...
.
Arun Shourie speaks about his personal life and reviews his life events as case diaries "My writing is like the case diary of an advocate which is aimed at winning a case" and his opinions on journalism.
He is skeptical of religions and especially the concept of organised religion. He shared his life experiences in the 2011-book ''Does He Know a Mother's Heart: How Suffering Refutes Religion''. In his 2020-book ''Preparing for Death'', he wrote about dealing with mortality, and added that others can approach this eventuality by looking at the examples of
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...
,
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
,
Ramana Maharshi,
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
and
Vinoba Bhave
Vinayak Narahari, also known as Vinoba Bhave (; 11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982), was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called ''Acharya'' (Sanskrit teacher), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement. He is con ...
.
Career
Economist
Shortly after receiving PhD in economics from
Syracuse University Shourie joined
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
as an economist in 1967 where he worked for more than 10 years. Simultaneously, between 1972–74, he was a consultant to the Indian Planning Commission and it was around this time that he began writing articles as a journalist, criticising economic policy.
Journalism
In 1975, during
The Emergency imposed by then prime minister,
Indira Gandhi, Shourie began writing for the ''
Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' in opposition to what he saw as an attack on civil liberties. The newspaper, owned by
Ramnath Goenka
Ramnath Goenka (22 April 1904 – 5 October 1991) was an Indian newspaper publisher. He launched ''The Indian Express'' in 1932 and created the Indian Express Group with various English and regional language publications.''A doyen of Indian Jou ...
, was a focal point for the government's efforts at censorship. He became a fellow of the
Indian Council of Social Science Research
The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) is the national body overseeing research in the social sciences in India. It was established in New Delhi in 1969.
Council
The Council is currently chaired by Bhushan Patwardhan. Current ...
in 1976. In January 1979, Goenka appointed Shourie as executive editor of the newspaper, giving him a ''carte blanche'' to do with it as he saw fit. He developed a reputation as an intelligent, fearless writer and editor who campaigned for freedom of the press, exposed corruption and defended civil liberties such that, in the words of
Martha Nussbaum, "his dedication to the truth has won admiration throughout the political spectrum".
Shourie has been called a "veteran journalist". Shourie was a winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1982, in the Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts category as "a concerned citizen employing his pen as an effective adversary of corruption, inequality and injustice." In 2000, he was named as one of the
International Press Institute
International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia University ...
's ''
World Press Freedom Heroes
International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes are individuals who have been recognized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute for "significant contributions to the maintenance of press freedom and freedom of expression" and "i ...
''. He has also been named
International Editor of the Year Award {{no footnotes, date=January 2019
''International Editor of the Year Award'' is a prize awarded yearly to journalists and press editors outside the United States by World Press Review ( Worldpress.org) magazine.
The award has been presented by Wor ...
and was awarded The Freedom to Publish Award.
Politics
He was nominated from the state of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
as a BJP representative for two successive tenures in the
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
, thus being a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for 1998–2004 and 2004–2010. He held the office of the Minister of Disinvestment, Communication and Information Technology in the government of India under Vajpayee's prime ministership. As Disinvestment Minister, he led the sale of
Maruti,
VSNL
Tata Communications Limited (previously known as Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited) is an Indian telecommunications company. It was previously a government- owned-telecommunications service provider and under the ownership of Department of Teleco ...
,
Hindustan Zinc
Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) is an Indian integrated mining and resources producer of zinc, lead, silver and cadmium. It is a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited. Earlier it was a Central Public Sector Undertaking, sold by Government of India to Ved ...
among others.
Shourie was among many who objected to
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act was a landmark legislation passed by the parliament of India in 1986 to protect the rights of Muslim women who have been divorced by, or have obtained divorce from, their husband and to prov ...
, which the government headed by Rajiv Gandhi proposed to alleviate communal violence and retain
Muslim votes. Claimed by the government to be a reinforcement of India's constitutional secularism, it was widely criticised by both Muslims and Hindus. The liberals among them, says
Ainslie Embree
Ainslie Thomas Embree (; January 1, 1921 – June 6, 2017) was a Canadian Indologist and historian. He was considered a leading scholar of modern Indian history and played a seminal role in the introduction of South Asian studies into US college a ...
, saw it as "a capitulation to the forces of Islamic obscurantism, a return ... to the thirteenth century"; the Hindu revivalist critics thought it was "weakening Indian unity". Shourie wrote articles that tried to show that the treatment of women as required by the Quran would in fact offer them protection, although the application of Islamic law in practice was oppressing them. He was in turn criticised for what was perceived as a thinly-veiled attack on Islam itself, with
Rafiq Zakaria
Rafiq Zakaria (5 April 1920 – 9 July 2005) was an Indian politician and Islamic religious cleric. He was closely associated with the Indian independence movement and Indian National Congress party. He was known for his advocacy of tradition ...
, the Muslim scholar, saying that Shourie's concern for reform of Islam was in fact demonstrative of Hindu contempt that used the plight of Muslim women as an example of the backwardness of the community.
Vir Sanghvi
Vir Sanghvi (born 5 July 1956) is an Indian print and television journalist, author, columnist and talk show host. He has been a member of many professional, academic and government bodies including the National Integration Council. Currently, h ...
termed it "Hindu chauvinism with a liberal face".
After the defeat of the BJP in 2009 general elections, Shourie asked for introspection and accountability within the party. He deplored factionalism within the party and those who brief journalists to aid their own agenda.
Shourie has been described by
Christophe Jaffrelot, a political scientist, as "a writer sympathetic to militant Hindu themes" and has publicly voiced support for the aims of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( ; , , ) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation. The RSS is the progenitor and leader of a large body of organisations called the Sangh Parivar (Hindi for "Sangh family ...
(RSS), a nationalist
Hindutva
Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...
organisation. This has caused unease among some of those who admire his journalism. He has said that, although he sees a danger from perceived Muslim violence such as the
Godhra train burning
The Godhra train burning occurred on the morning of 27 February 2002, in which 59 Hindu pilgrims and '' karsevaks'' returning from Ayodhya were killed in a fire inside the Sabarmati Express train near the Godhra railway station in the Indian ...
incident of 2002, people have tended to redefine the "Hindutva" term. He says that prominent members of the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
(BJP), of which he is a member and which has ties to the RSS — specifically,
L. K. Advani
Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927) is an Indian politician who served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. Advani is one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a longtime memb ...
and
Atal Bihari Vajpayee — have shown their opposition to sectarian hatred and in their attempts to make the BJP inclusive have tried to marginalise those on both the Muslim and Hindu extremes who promote such hatred. As a political scientist he views that present electoral system does not concern competency and integrity. He emphasised his views in a cultural conference called
Tomorrow’s India Global Summit
The Tomorrow's India Global Summit is an annual Global Business, Knowledge and Cultural Event. Tomorrow's India is an important wing of the Global Social (India) Foundation. It is an initiative working towards the elevation of talent across a n ...
and added that the pressure to bring about change in the present electoral system should come from the society.
Writer
Arun Shourie has written numerous books. According to
Martha Nussbaum, the traits of his writings are:
With the exception of
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
, he has little time for any religious thinker and, says Nussbaum, his books "nowhere ... seek to provide balance; nowhere is there a sense of complexity. All have the same mocking, superior tone."
Historian
D.N. Jha criticized Shourie's book ''
Eminent Historians'', which concerned the
NCERT textbook controversies, that it contains "slander" and "has nothing to do with history."
IIT Kanpur
In 2000, Shourie pledged the entire amount (Rs. 12 crore) of discretionary spending available to him under
Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
''Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme'' (MPLADS) is a scheme formulated by Government of India on 23 December 1993 that enables the members of parliaments (MP) to recommend developmental work in their constituencies with an emphas ...
(MPLADS) to setting up of Bio-Sciences & Bio-engineering Department at the
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) Hindi: भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान कानपुर) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was ...
. In 2005, he again pledged Rs. 11 crore for developing a separate building for
Environmental Sciences
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geo ...
and
Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering is a professional engineering discipline that encompasses broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect and ...
at the institute.
[http://sudhirjain.info/documents/grapevine/newsletter/2004-05/grapevine_I_2004_05.pdf]
Books
Author
*''Symptoms of fascism'', New Delhi : Vikas, 1978, 322 p.
*''Hinduism : essence and consequence : a study of the Upanishads, the Gita and the Brahma-Sutras'', Sahibabad : Vikas House, 1979, 414 p.
*''Institutions in the
Janata phase'', Bombay : Popular Prakashan, 1980, 300 p.
*''Mrs Gandhi's second reign'', New Delhi : Vikas ; New York : Distributed by Advent Books, 1983, 532 p.
*''The Assassination & after'', New Delhi : Roli Books Internat., 1985, 160 p.
*''On the current situation : new opportunities, new challenges'', Pune : New Quest, 1985, 57 p.
*''Religion in Politics'', New Delhi : Roli Books, 1987, 334 p.
*''Individuals, institutions, processes : how one may strengthen the other in India today'', New Delhi, India ; New York, N.Y., U.S.A. : Viking, 1990, 239 p.
*''The State as charade:
V.P. Singh,
Chandra Shekhar
Chandra Shekhar ( 17 April 1927 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian politician who served as the 8th Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with ...
& the rest'', New Delhi : Roli Books, 1991, 425 p.
*''"The Only fatherland" : communists, "Quit India", and the Soviet Union'', New Delhi : ASA Publications, 1991, 204 p.
*''These lethal, inexorable laws:
Rajiv, his men, and his regime'', New Delhi : Roli Books, 1991, 433 p.
*''A Secular Agenda: For Saving Our Country, for Welding It'', New Delhi : ASA Publications, 1993, 376 p.
*''Indian Controversies: Essays on Religion in Politics'', New Delhi : Rupa & Co., 1993, 522 p.
*''Missionaries in India : continuities, changes, dilemmas'', New Delhi : ASA Publications, 1994, 305 p.
*''World of Fatwas: Shariah in Action'', New Delhi : ASA Publications, 1995, 685 p.
*''Worshipping False Gods:
Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly of India, Constit ...
, and the facts which have been erased'', New Delhi : ASA Publ., 1997, 663 p.
*''Eminent Historians: Their Technology, Their Life, Their Fraud'', New Delhi : ASA Publ., 1998, 271 p.
*''Harvesting Our Souls: Missionaries, Their Design, Their Claims'', New Delhi : ASA Publ., 2000, 432 p.
*''Courts and Their Judgments: Premises, Prerequisites, Consequences'', New Delhi : Rupa & Co., 2001, 454 p.
*''Governance And The Sclerosis That Has Set In'', New Delhi : ASA Publ., 2005, 262 p.
*''Will the Iron Fence Save a Tree Hollowed by Termites?: Defence Imperatives Beyond the Military'', New Delhi : ASA Publications, 2005, 485 p.
*''Falling Over Backwards: An Essay on Reservations, and on Judicial Populism'', New Delhi : ASA : Rupa & Co., 2006, 378 p.
*''The Parliamentary System: What We Have Made Of It, What We Can Make Of It'', New Delhi : Rupa & Co., 2006, 264 p.
*''Where Will All this Take Us?: Denial, Disunity, Disarray'', New Delhi : Rupa & Co., 2006, 604 p.
*''Are We Deceiving Ourselves Again?: Lessons the Chinese Taught Pandit Nehru But which We Still Refuse to Learn'', New Delhi : ASA Publ., 2008, 204 p.
*''We Must Have No Price: National Security, Reforms, Political Reconstruction'', New Delhi : Express Group : Rupa & Co., 2010, 343 p.
*''Does He Know A Mothers Heart : How Suffering Refutes Religion'', Noida : HarperCollins, 2011, 444 p.
*''Two Saints: Speculations Around and About
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...
and
Ramana Maharishi
Ramana Maharshi (; 30 December 1879 – 14 April 1950) was an Indian Hindu sage and '' jivanmukta'' (liberated being). He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is mostly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.
He was born in Tiruchuli, T ...
'', Noida : HarperCollins, 2017, 496 p.
*''Anita Gets Bail: What Are Our Courts Doing? What Should We Do About Them?'', Noida : HarperCollins, 2018, 288 p.
*''Preparing For Death'', India Viking, 2020, 528 p.
*''The Commissioner Of Lost Causes'', Penguin Viking, 2022, 616 p.
Co-author
*with Amarjit Kaurn, Raghu Rai et al., ''The Punjab story'', New Delhi : Roli books international, 1984, 199 p.
*with
Sita Ram Goel
Sita Ram Goel (16 October 1921 – 3 December 2003) was an Indian historian, religious and political activist, writer, and publisher in the late twentieth century. He had Marxist leanings during the 1940s, but later became an outspoken anti-co ...
, Harsh Narain, Jay Dubashi and
Ram Swarup
Ram Swarup (Hindi: राम स्वरूप ; – ), born Ram Swarup Agarwal, was an Indian author and one of the most important thought leaders of the Hindu revivalist movement.Adelheid Herrmann-Pfandt: Hindutva zwischen „Dekolonisierung ...
, ''
Hindu Temples - What Happened to Them
''Hindu Temples – What Happened to Them'' is a two-volume book by Sita Ram Goel, Arun Shourie, Harsh Narain, Jay Dubashi and Ram Swarup. The first volume was published in the Spring of 1990.
Contents
The first volume includes a list of 2,00 ...
Vol. I : A Preliminary Survey'', New Delhi : Voice of India, 1990, 191 p.
*with
Sita Ram Goel
Sita Ram Goel (16 October 1921 – 3 December 2003) was an Indian historian, religious and political activist, writer, and publisher in the late twentieth century. He had Marxist leanings during the 1940s, but later became an outspoken anti-co ...
,
Koenraad Elst
Koenraad Elst (; born 7 August 1959) is a Flemish right wing Hindutva author, known primarily for his support of the Out of India theory and the Hindutva movement. Schola ...
,
Ram Swarup
Ram Swarup (Hindi: राम स्वरूप ; – ), born Ram Swarup Agarwal, was an Indian author and one of the most important thought leaders of the Hindu revivalist movement.Adelheid Herrmann-Pfandt: Hindutva zwischen „Dekolonisierung ...
, ''Freedom of expression — Secular Theocracy Versus Liberal Democracy'',
Voice of India
Voice of India (VOI) is a publishing house based in New Delhi, India, that specialises in Hindu nationalist books and serves as one of the most important tools in the development of Hindutva ideologies.
History
Ram Swarup and Sita Ram Goel tr ...
(1998).
*with
Arun Jaitley
Arun Jaitley (28 December 1952 – 24 August 2019) was an Indian politician and attorney. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Jaitley served as the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs of the Government of India from 2014 to 2019. Jai ...
,
Swapan Dasgupta, Rama J Jois, Harsh Narain''-
The Ayodhya Reference:Suprema Court judgment and commentaries'',
Voice of India
Voice of India (VOI) is a publishing house based in New Delhi, India, that specialises in Hindu nationalist books and serves as one of the most important tools in the development of Hindutva ideologies.
History
Ram Swarup and Sita Ram Goel tr ...
(1994)
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
Interview at rediff.com
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shourie, Arun
1941 births
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Delhi
Indian anti-communists
Indian investigative journalists
Living people
Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh
People from Jalandhar
Punjab, India politicians
Ramon Magsaysay Award winners
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education
St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni
World Bank people
20th-century Indian journalists
Indian male journalists
Journalists from Punjab, India
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni
Commerce and Industry Ministers of India
Modern School (New Delhi) alumni