{{Short description|Indian writer and journalist}} {{Infobox person | name = Raghu Karnad | image = Karnad at the South Asia Literature and Arts Festival, San Jose, 2019.jpg | caption = Karnad in 2019 | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | education = Swarthmore College<br />St Cross College, University of Oxford | occupation = Journalist, writer | years_active = | title = | spouse = | birthname = | alias = | status = | employer = | father = Girish Karnad | notable_works = ''Farthest Field – An Indian Story of the Second World War'' }}
'''Raghu Karnad''' is an Indian journalist and writer. He is a co-founder of ''The Wire'', an independent news platform in India. Karnad is best known for his book ''Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War'', which won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar and the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize for Non-Fiction.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=March 12, 2019 |title=Raghu Karnad |url=https://windhamcampbell.org/festival/2019/recipients/karnad-raghu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107014756/https://windhamcampbell.org/festival/2019/recipients/karnad-raghu |archive-date=January 7, 2023 |accessdate=March 13, 2019 |publisher=Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes}}</ref> His work often explores themes of history, politics, and culture.
==Early life and education==
Karnad is the son of playwright and actor Girish Karnad and Dr Saraswathy Ganapathy. He completed his schooling in Bengaluru before attending Swarthmore College in the United States. During his studies, he spent a semester at the American University in Cairo and managed to secure a meeting with Yasser Arafat.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.swarthmore.edu/past-commencements/charge-to-raghu-karnad | title=Charge to Raghu Karnad | date=8 July 2014 | access-date=12 December 2018 | archive-date=15 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222733/https://www.swarthmore.edu/past-commencements/charge-to-raghu-karnad | url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, he completed an MSc in Contemporary India at St Cross College, the University of Oxford.<ref>{{Cite web |access-date=30 March 2025 |title=Alumni News: Alumnus Raghu Karnad Selected for Prestigious Fellowship |url=https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/article/raghu-karnad-fellowship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222085300/https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/article/raghu-karnad-fellowship |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |website=St Cross College}}</ref>
==Career== Karnad was a journalist for ''Tehelka Magazine'' in 2008. He reported on conflict and survival situations, including an award-winning cover story filed from Bhopal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-03-07 |title=Tehelka - India's Independent Weekly News Magazine |url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne050408air_water.asp |access-date=2025-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307022604/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main38.asp?filename=Ne050408air_water.asp |archive-date=7 March 2011}}</ref>
He later served as the editor of ''Time Out'' Delhi. Karnad is a widely published essayist, and his work has appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''The Atlantic'', ''Granta'' and ''The Guardian''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-coronavirus-offers-a-radical-new-vision-for-indias-cities-pollution|title=The Coronavirus offers a Radical New Vision for India's Cities|last=Karnad|first=Raghu|date=2020-04-13|access-date=2020-05-13|archive-date=2020-05-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515065309/https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-coronavirus-offers-a-radical-new-vision-for-indias-cities-pollution|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/in-kashmir-indian-democracy-loses-ground-to-millennial-militancy|title=In Kashmir, Indian Democracy Loses Ground to Millenial Militancy|last=Karnad|first=Raghu|date=2019-05-22|access-date=2020-05-13|archive-date=2020-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025024828/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/in-kashmir-indian-democracy-loses-ground-to-millennial-militancy|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-diverging-paths-of-two-young-women-foretell-the-fate-of-a-tribe-in-india|title=The Diverging Paths of Two Young Women Foretell the Fate of a Tribe in India|last1=Karnad|first1=Raghu|date=2018-09-07|access-date=2019-12-26|last2=Datto|first2=Arko|magazine=The New Yorker|issn=0028-792X|archive-date=2020-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111151821/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-diverging-paths-of-two-young-women-foretell-the-fate-of-a-tribe-in-india|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/12/sonia-rahul-gandhi-india-modi-bjp-congress-nehru/548522/|title=Sonia Gandhi Leaves the Stage|last=Karnad|first=Raghu|date=2017-12-16|website=The Atlantic|access-date=2019-12-26|archive-date=2020-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318185219/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/12/sonia-rahul-gandhi-india-modi-bjp-congress-nehru/548522/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://granta.com/the-ghost-in-the-kimono/|title=The Ghost in the Kimono|date=2015-03-04|website=Granta Magazine|access-date=2019-12-26|archive-date=2020-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202155659/https://granta.com/the-ghost-in-the-kimono/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/21/confessions-of-a-killer-policeman-india-manipur|title=Confessions of a killer policeman {{!}} Raghu Karnad and Grace Jajo|last1=Karnad|first1=Raghu|date=2016-07-21|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-26|last2=Jajo|first2=Grace|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=2019-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214181819/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/21/confessions-of-a-killer-policeman-india-manipur|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2019, he was one of the writers invited to the Neilson Hays Bangkok Literature Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prestigeonline.com/th/pursuits/art-culture/3-dynamic-cultural-festivals-take-over-bangkok-from-october-to-december/|title=3 Dynamic Cultural Festivals Take Over Bangkok from Oct - Dec 2019|date=2019-10-23|website=Prestige Online|access-date=2019-12-26|archive-date=2019-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220053523/https://www.prestigeonline.com/th/pursuits/art-culture/3-dynamic-cultural-festivals-take-over-bangkok-from-october-to-december/|url-status=live}}</ref>
In addition to print journalism, he has hosted podcasts like ''Friend of the Court'', which examines India's landmark constitutional cases.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Season 1 |url=https://www.anildivanfoundation.org/friend-of-the-court |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=AnilDivanFoundation}}</ref>
=== ''The Wire'' and journalism === In 2015, Karnad was part of the founding team of ''The Wire (India)'', and later held the position of Chief of Bureau in New Delhi<ref name="mint">{{cite news |last1=Choudhary |first1=Vidhi |date=8 May 2015 |title=Former editor of 'The Hindu' to launch news website |url=http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/hh3F4srDSuGG7aQaQWqckL/Former-editor-of-The-Hindu-to-launch-news-website.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170607052050/http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/hh3F4srDSuGG7aQaQWqckL/Former-editor-of-The-Hindu-to-launch-news-website.html |archive-date=7 June 2017 |accessdate=12 June 2017}}</ref> including during India's 2019 general elections. He has written, produced, and presented video essays for ''TheWire'', and a short documentary film titled ''Encounter: A Killer Cop Speaks''.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIl8mtnx25s |title=Encounter: A Killer Cop Speaks {{!}} Fake Encounters {{!}} Manipur {{!}} |date=2017-12-23 |last=The Wire |access-date=2025-02-06 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
Karnad consulted on the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary series ''Bad Boy Billionaires'', which was partly based on his 2012 investigative essay in ''The Caravan''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=From the streets to the halls of power, Bangalore's liquor industry has shaped the city's destiny for more than a century |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/city-bottle |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=caravanmagazine.in}}</ref>
=== Books ===
==== ''Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War'' (2015) ==== In 2015, Karnad published ''Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War'', a nonfiction narrative exploring India's role in World War II through the personal histories of his family members. The book won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar – Sahitya Akademi |url=https://sahitya-akademi.org.in/?page_id=5884 |access-date=2025-02-06}}</ref> It was also shortlisted for the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-15 |title=6th edition of Tata LitFest to begin from Oct 29 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/6th-edition-of-tata-litfest-to-begin-from-oct-29-495639-2015-10-15 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=India Today}}</ref> the Crossword Book Award, and the Hessell-Tiltman Prize in the same year.<ref>{{cite news |date=2 March 2016 |title=Raghu Karnad's book shortlisted for Hessell-Tiltman Prize |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/raghu-karnad-s-book-shortlisted-for-hessell-tiltman-prize-116030200709_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729010830/http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/raghu-karnad-s-book-shortlisted-for-hessell-tiltman-prize-116030200709_1.html |archive-date=29 July 2016 |accessdate=12 June 2017 |work=Business Standard India}}</ref>
The book received a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly'', and historian Simon Winchester, writing for ''The New York Times'', described it as "so heart-stoppingly beautiful I want all around to read it too."<ref name=":1" />
A Marathi translation was published in 2015 by Karuna Gokhale through Rajhans Prakashan.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karnad |first=Raghu |title=Farthest Field |publisher=Rajhans Prakashan |isbn=978-93-86628-11-4 |language=mr |translator-last=Gokhale |translator-first=Karuna |trans-title=Palbharahi Nahi Hay Hay}}</ref>
A precursor to ''Farthest Field'', Karnad's long-form essay ''Everybody's Friend'' was published as an e-book in 2012. Historian Simon Schama, writing for ''The Financial Times'', called it "nothing short of brilliant."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Long-form writing is alive and kicking |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e8b9ba74-49e2-11e2-a7b1-00144feab49a |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=www.ft.com}}</ref>
== Awards == Karnad has received multiple awards for his journalism and literary work, including:
* 2022-'23 Fellow at the NYPL Cullman Fellowship (2022–23) at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 April 2022 |title=Meet the 2022–2023 Fellows of the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers |url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2022/04/12/cullman-center-fellows |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412155925/https://www.nypl.org/blog/2022/04/12/cullman-center-fellows |archive-date=12 April 2022 |accessdate=13 July 2022 |work=nypl.org USA}}</ref> * Windham-Campbell Prize for Non-Fiction<ref name=":0" /> (2019) awarded by Yale University's Beinecke Library for ''Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War''. * Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Grant (2018) for a story on tribal women, education, and dispossession,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raghu Karnad |url=https://pulitzercenter.org/people/raghu-karnad |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Pulitzer Center}}</ref> published in The New Yorker as ''The Diverging Paths of Two Young Women Foretell the Fate of a Tribe in India''.<ref name=":2" /> * The Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for a writer in English (2016) for ''Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War''.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Winchester |first1=Simon |date=9 July 2015 |title=India's Second World War: the history you don't hear about |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/07/indias-second-world-war-history-you-dont-hear-about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613011433/http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/07/indias-second-world-war-history-you-dont-hear-about |archive-date=13 June 2017 |accessdate=13 May 2017 |work=New Statesman}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Mukherjee |first1=Neel |date=5 June 2015 |title='Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War,' by Raghu Karnad |url=https://www.ft.com/content/59342720-0a17-11e5-a6a8-00144feabdc0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818020922/https://www.ft.com/content/59342720-0a17-11e5-a6a8-00144feabdc0 |archive-date=18 August 2018 |accessdate=13 May 2017 |work=The Financial Times}}</ref> * The inaugural Financial Times-Bodley Head Essay Competition (2012) for ''Everybody's Friend: Looking for the Second World War in India's North-East''. * The Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize (2008) by the European Commission in Strasbourg for his reporting in ''Air, Water, Earth and the Sins of the Powerful''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lorenzo Natali Grand Prize for 2008 has been awarded to a journalist from Benin, Larisse Houssou, for an article on Darfur |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_08_1714 |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=European Commission - European Commission}}</ref> * The Press Institute of India National Award for Reporting on the Victims of Armed Conflict in 2008 for The Hunting Party Returns.
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|last1=Karnad|first1=Raghu|author-mask=0|title=Everybody's Friend|date=4 March 2013|publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1448181650}} * {{cite book|last1=Karnad|first1=Raghu|author-mask=0|title=Farthest Field – An Indian Story of the Second World War|year=2015|publisher=William Collins |isbn=978-0008133238}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://literaryreview.co.uk/reluctant-allies Review] of ''Farthest Field'' by John Keay on Literary Review * [https://www.npr.org/2015/08/22/433515258/in-wwii-millions-of-indians-fought-for-a-britain-they-abhored Interview] on NPR
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Karnad, Raghu}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Parsi people Category:21st-century Indian journalists Category:Living people