Pritish Nandy, a person of eminence in the Indian media, passed away on January 8, 2025, at the age of 73. A leader: in the field of literature, journalism, and filmmaking. Nandy excelled as a poet, writer, editor, director, and television personality. He was a parliamentarian and an animal rights activist too.
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Pritish Nandy was born on January 15, 1951, in Bhagalpur, Bihar, to a Bengali family. Son of Satish Chandra Nandy and Prafulla Nalini Nandy. His brother, Ashis Nandy, is a renowned academic. Nandy pursued his education at La Martiniere College and Presidency College in Kolkata. Later Nandy was married to Rina Nandi. He was blessed with two daughters, Rangita and Ishita, who are film producers, and his son, Kushan, is a film director.
Literary Career
Nandy's literary path began at a young age. He went on to author 40 books of poetry in English and translated poems from Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi into English. The best was the translation of the new version of Isha Upanishad. Nandy edited and published "Dialogue," a poetry magazine it was a platform for contemporary Indian poetry in English and translation. In July 1981, Nandy was nominated as a Poet Laureate by the World Academy of Arts and Culture at the Fifth World Congress of Poets in San Francisco.
Journalistic Career
Nandy started his journalism career in 1980s. He served as a publisher for The Times of India Group from 1982 to 1991, as well as the editor of several prominent publications, which included, The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Independent, and Filmfare. As an editor he was characterized for his boldness and innovation. This was very evident when he was the editor of The Illustrated weekly of India. He experimented with new ideas fearlessly with new writers and reporters which he inducted. This made the magazine a must read for the younger generations. His used to write his column for many news paper in India along with his blog on Times Online which was quite popular. In 1988 he was elected to Rajya Sabha as a representative of Shiv Sena. As a parliamentarian his debate and support was for awareness on important issues and progressive policies.
Film and Television Career
Late 1990s saw Nandy ventured into filmmaking. He started Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) in 1993. Some of the popular films are "Kaante," "Sur," "Jhankaar Beats," "Chameli," "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi," and "Pyaar Ke Side Effects." PNC also produced more than five hundred news and current affairs for doordarshan, Zee TV and Sony TV. Not to forget “The Pritish nandy Show” in the early 2000s, on Doordarshan which interviewed prominent personalities from various fields. His web series "Four More Shots Please" produced for Amazon Prime Video received – an International Emmy nomination in 2020 and won several other awards worldwide.
Legacy
Pritish Nandy was a game changer and first mover for Indian media. He was a visionary leader, a fearless journalist, a gifted writer, and an advocate for animal rights. His contributions to the field of communication will always continue to inspire future generations in years to come. He had his boldness and commitment for excellence by pushing the boundaries which ever project he work for. His other streak of creativity – calligraphy and paintings and had his share of six exhibitions on the same. He was a source of inspiration and mentored many writers, journalist and filmmakers.
Throughout his illustrious career, Pritish Nandy received numerous awards and honours, including:
Padma Shri (1977)
EM Forster Literary Award
UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award
International Association Award from the Humane Society of the United States
