Dear reader,
Have you heard of Ramachandra V. Patwardhan? He was a Hindu priest who lived in New York between the 1940s and 1990s. He died on May 30, 1996, in Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan, aged 79. I discovered Pandit Patwardhan and his contributions to New York’s Indian community in the book 52 McGs: The Best Obituaries from Legendary New York Times Reporter Robert McG Thomas.
On June 23, 1996, The New York Times carried McG’s obituary of Patwardhan (“R.V. Patwardhan, Hindu Priest With New York Verve, Dies at 79”). The brilliantly written obit highlighted Patwardhan’s life and impact as New York City’s only Hindu priest for nearly three decades when Indian culture was still a curiosity there. Thomas wrote: “The first wedding ceremony he [RVP] performed, in 1956, was considered such an exotic novelty that it was broadcast live on television”. The piece revealed much about the community and an era.
Arriving in 1947 to study law, Patwardhan became crucial to the growing Indian community in New York as he began to officiate weddings and ceremonies. Known affectionately as Nana or Panditji, he left a lasting legacy in New York’s Hindu community. Most striking was how he adapted Hindu rituals to New York life, streamlining weddings and providing English explanations. As Thomas wrote: “Mr. Patwardhan, who performed most of his ceremonies in small apartments and was as respectful of the city’s fire laws as he was disdainful of superstition, simply created a symbolic wedding fire by arranging tiny strips of wood in a small brazier and setting them alight.” That casual, oddball description, which Thomas loved, is both educative and entertaining. It exemplifies great obit writing, which transcends from mere death notices to sociocultural texts. This is why obituaries have a global fanbase, which includes this writer who proudly collects obituaries from The Economist, the UK’s The Telegraph, the NYT, and more.
The rich history of obituaries dates back to ancient civilisations. In Egypt, hieroglyphic inscriptions on tomb walls could be considered an early form. In Rome, as early as 59 BCE, “acta diurna” or daily public notices printed on papyrus sometimes included death announcements of prominent citizens. The modern obituary came with the printing press, paving the way for the widespread circulation of death news. The London Times, founded in 1785, is often credited with establishing the obituary as a regular newspaper feature.
Obituaries gained particular significance during the American Civil War, becoming the primary source of information for many families of soldiers, and slowly evolving to include details about funeral dates and wakes. By the 19th century, the obituary as we know it had become a newspaper staple, whether brief notices or lengthy tributes. As obituaries grew in importance, newspapers established dedicated “Special Desks” and archives with ready-to-publish obituaries for notable figures. The role of the “Obituary Editor” emerged, who sometimes became more well-known than the chief editor.
The founding of “The Society of Professional Obituary Writers” (SPOW) in 2007 marked a new level of professionalisation, providing training and resources for journalists to develop specialised skills in obituary writing.
The late 20th and early 21st centuries have seen a renaissance in obituary writing, characterised by more creative, honest, and sometimes humorous approaches. Notable writers from this “golden age” include (and this is entirely a subjective selection): Alden Whitman of The New York Times, fondly called “the Gentleman of Death,” known for meticulously researched “advance obits” of figures like Oppenheimer. A communist, Whitman was a target of McCarthy-era surveillance. Hugh Massingberd of The Daily Telegraph, who revolutionised British obituaries in the 1980s with a more colourful and candid style, is often called the father of the modern obit. Then there is Margalit Fox of The New York Times, praised for her literary flair and ability to unearth fascinating stories about both famous and obscure individuals. Fox appears in the documentary film Obit about NYT’s obituary writers (Is this the only cinematic work in this department?).
Ann Wroe of The Economist, known for her poetic and philosophical approach, often finds profound meaning in seemingly ordinary lives. The Economist‘s beautifully curated obit column on the last page has cult status. A notable recent entry was Lini Puthussery, a “conscientious nurse” from Kerala who died of the Nipah virus in 2018 and whose diligence helped identify and check the virus’s spread.
Some of the most memorable obituaries break from convention. In the Frontline newsroom, we recently discussed with admiration Michael Barber’s 2001 obituary of writer Simon Raven, a “promiscuous chronicler of upper-class life”: “The death of Simon Raven, at the age of 73 after suffering a stroke, is proof that the devil looks after his own. He ought, by rights, to have died of shame at 30, or of drink at 50.”
Obituaries are windows into a society’s values, norms, and preoccupations, and reflect changing attitudes towards death, success, and a life well lived. The obituaries for K.J. Baby, an educationist and activist from Wayanad, Kerala, for instance, boldly discussed his alleged suicide and the philosophy behind it.
In recent years, obituary writing has become part of a larger “Business of Death” industry. Professional companies now manage all aspects of death rituals and ceremonies, including writing and publishing obituaries. Whether this commoditisation benefits the art of obituary writing remains debatable. As Fox writes: “Obituaries have little to do with death and in fact absolutely everything to do with the life.”
India is not renowned for its obituaries, but figures like Khushwant Singh, who wrote his own epitaph, have somewhat illuminated the field. Here’s one I spotted some years ago, published by the Press Trust of India, about one of my childhood heroes. Rappai the “eater”, who lived in Thrissur (my hometown), died in December 2006. PTI’s unsigned obit warmed my heart when it called Rappai “an integral part of Thrissur life” and went on to say “a teetotaller and man of clean habits, Kurian Rappai’s lone weakness was eating huge quantities of meals, delicacies, fruits, and sweets. An integral part of Thrissur’s life for long, Rappai never lacked generous patrons who volunteered to treat him with feasts to satisfy his zest for food. Rappai had won many eating competitions in Kerala. His fans used to say that he would certainly have snatched the gold had there been an eaters’ Olympics.”
Frontline’s dedicated obit section features a diverse list of names, including celebrities, activists, unsung heroes, sportsmen, and unusual commoners. Our latest print issue carries two obituaries by T.K Rajalakshmi, honouring legal luminary A.G Noorani and communist leader Sitaram Yechury, both of whom contributed uniquely to the idea of a secular, plural India. Read them and share your thoughts. Or, write a short tribute to them yourself and send it to us. And if you have stumbled upon a superb obit lately, let this fan know.
Wishing you a lovely week ahead,
For Frontline,
Jinoy Jose P.
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