Chandulal Chandrakar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Chandulal Chandrakar

• He was born into a family of farmers.

• He joined the national movement for freedom when he was in college.

• In 1942, he was arrested for participating in the Quit India Movement but released due to his exams.

• In 1945, after completing his college education, he began working as a journalist, at the age of 25 years and continued till 1980.

• He started his career by joining the daily ‘Aaj’ newspaper in Banaras.

• Later, he worked as a correspondent for ‘Aryavart’ newspaper.

• Mahatma Gandhi asked his son, Devdas Gandhi, who was the editor of the Hindustan Times to invite Chandulal Chandrakar to work in his newspaper.

• He became the assistant editor of the Hindustan Times in 1946. Later, he became a city reporter and an editor of the newspaper.

• From 1964 to 1980, he served as the editor-in-chief of Hindustan Times.

• He worked as a special correspondent in the murder case of Mahatma Gandhi.

• As a journalist, he had reported on 9 Olympic Games and 6 Asian Games for newspapers since 1948.

• He also worked as an editor in the ‘Hindustan’ (Hindi Daily).

• He was the first person from Chattisgarh to become an editor of a national newspaper.

• He wrote numerous articles on the economic conditions of several countries of the world.  He also wrote articles on foreign travels, national events, and international events.

• His articles have been published in national as well as international newspapers.

• He was a very experienced journalist and had visited more than 138 countries as a journalist.

• In 1983, he represented India at UNESCO, Paris and the Congress Party at the 100th Death Anniversary of Karl Marx in Berlin.

• During the 1990s when the demand for Chattisgarh to become a separate state rose, a statewide political forum, Chhattisgarh Rajya Nirman Manch, was established. It was led by Chandulal Chandrakar.

• He worked for the development of villages and helped in the opening of libraries and youth organisations in Madhya Pradesh.

  

• He loved gardening, especially roses, seasonal flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

• In 2013, Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Medical College in Durg, Chhattisgarh, was established and named after him. In 2021, it was acquired by the Chhatisgarh government.

  

• The government of Chattisgarh has established a fellowship in Chandulal Chandrakar’s name, along with the award, Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Journalism Award, for his contribution to journalism.
• Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel considers Chandulal Chandrakar as his political guru.