Venkat Raman
Auckland, February 28, 2024
It is with deep regret that we report the passing away of veteran Journalist Nyayapati Vira Raghava Swami (NVR) Swami in Hyderabad, India at 9.15 am (IST) or 4.45 pm (NZT) today, February 28, 2024.
The end came after he was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in the Telangana capital, with his wife Sumathi, eldest son Vijay and daughter Kalyani by his side.
He was 85 years old and left behind his family comprising his wife Sumathi, two sons (Vijay and Ravi Nyayapati), a daughter (Kalyani) and six grandchildren.
Swami was one of my closest friends and for more than 50 years we were together in the field of journalism. While we lived and worked in different places (he in Africa and I in the Middle East), we always compared notes on topics of reader interest including the Non-Aligned Movement, the rise of India as a major economic power, the Cold War and its politics and most significantly, the importance of reporting truth.
When we ‘lost track of him’ along with the then Morarji Desai when their VVIP plane crashed in Jorhat in 1977, we prayed for his safety. I continue to pray now, hoping that the news of his passing is a mistake.
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A long innings with PTI
The Press Trust of India (PTI), one of the bastions of Indian media was the company with which he was associated as a Reporter for more than 40 years, before spending a few years in Southern Africa with Thomson Publications (publishers of the India Today).
In 2002, he moved to Auckland with his family of two sons, and their wives, to dote over their children. I remember driving with him to various press conferences and events. After PTI, Indian Newslink was his favourite institution.
“I am planning to write when I return from India,” was a part of his text message in January. I was happy to read that again and again.
Swami hailed from a journalistic family and spent his entire career in political journalism.
He reached the pinnacle of his career with objective and insightful journalism.
A Respected Scribe
His style of writing and political intuition saw several Indian leaders such as Presidents Giani Zail Singh, Sanjeeva Reddy, K R Narayanan, R Venkataraman, Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao consulting him on many issues of national interest. He accompanied many of them on their State visits overseas even when he was stationed overseas.
In 1983, PTI shifted him to Kenya to cover Indo-African relations.
In Africa, his proximity and closeness with leaders such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Robert Mugabe and Kenneth Kaunda (Zimbabwe) formed a healthy professional envy with his colleagues and the diplomatic corps. For him, political journalism in Africa came with several risks.
In 1984, while attempting to report the coup de tat by the Army in Uganda, Swami was locked up in prison for several days.
Ravi Nyayapati, Swami’s youngest son, said that his father had a unique tale of surviving the plane crash in 1977.
“He used to describe the ‘honour of pulling out India’s then Prime Minister Morarji Desai from the burning plane.’ He had an unwavering passion and commitment to his profession. Upon survival, his first action was to report the event to the world media. We as a family learnt that he was alive only when we heard a radio bulletin in which he announced, ‘NVR Swami reporting from the crash site. Dad was a source of inspiration and guidance to all of us,” he said.
Ironically, even the 1977 plane crash did not send him to a hospital, but his remarkable 85-year life away from a hospital came to an abrupt end three weeks ago, when he fell and broke his hip. That was just two days before he was due to return to Auckland.
Sadly, he succumbed to a lung infection following two surgeries, and his wish to return home to New Zealand was left unfulfilled.
I am still coping with this harsh news, despite my long career in Journalism.
I am still hoping for a correction.
Meanwhile, I recall with satisfaction the Fifth Annual Indian Newslink Sports and Community Night held on October 8, 2018, at Alexandra Park in Auckland, where he was honoured with a Special Commemorative Award for his services to Journalism.
Indian Newslink will pay another tribute to this great friend shortly. Meanwhile, we offer our condolences to the grieving family.
