On April 30, 2020, Eminent author and columnist Ronald Vivian Smith passed away at the age of 81 in Delhi, due to age-related ailments. He was born in 1938 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh (UP). He was best known for his writings in Delhi.
Key Points:
i.About RV Smith: Smith made Delhi as his second home and was recognised as the city’s greatest chronicler. He was a descendant of Col Salvador Smith (1783-1871), the soldier who trained the troops of Daulat Rao Scindia. He was the son of late journalist Thomas Smith.
ii.News Editor: RV Smith was the former News Editor for The Statesman and also worked with the Press Trust of India (PTI).
iii.After his retirement from The Statesman, RV Smith didn’t drop his pen and continued writing historical columns on the walled city of old Delhi, Anglo-Indian antecedents, egyptology or the occult for newspapers like The Hindu and The Statesman.
iv.His last column in The Hindu on April 25, 2020 was: “How Eurasian women took to ghazals and traditional dances”.
v.Books: Smith authored several books on Delhi, of which “The Delhi That No One Knows” was a bestseller, He also wrote poetry and romantic novels like “Jasmine Nights & The Taj”.
vi.His last book was a collection of potpourri of myths, folklores and historical tales in and around Delhi, titled “Lingering Charm of Delhi”.
vii.Awards: RV Smith received many awards including the Michael Madhusudan Academy award for journalism in 1997-98, the Canon Holland Prize as well as the Rotary Award.
About Delhi:
Chief Minister (CM)– Arvind Kejriwal.
Governor– Anil Baijal.
