RAMNIKLAL SOLANKI, a giant of Gujarati journalism and pioneer of British Asian media, passed away this morning , after a brief illness. He was 88.
Mr Solanki was in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, when he suffered a stroke last week. He was admitted to hospital and passed away peacefully on Sunday surrounded by his family.
Mr Solanki was the founder and editor-in-chief of Garavi Gujarat newsweekly and Asian Media Group (AMG), which is today Britain’s biggest and most successful Asian media businesses.
Among its market leading consumer and business titles are Garavi Gujarat newsweekly, Eastern Eye newspaper, Asian Trader and Pharmacy Business.
Mr Solanki’s contribution was recognised by the Queen who honoured him first with an OBE in 1997, and later, a CBE in 2007.
Mr Solanki's long and distinguished career in journalism began more than six decades ago when he wrote for local papers in Gujarat and as the London correspondent of Janmabhoomi Group of newspapers headquartered in Mumbai.
But it was his arrival in England in 1964 that set him on the path to building what would become one of country's most reputable ethnic media publishing houses.
Mr Solanki was urged by the then Indian High Commissioner, Dr Jivraj Mehta, to start a Gujarati newspaper to serve the growing Indian community in Britain. His ambition was to unite and integrate the community and to keep India’s rich cultural heritage and the Gujarati language alive for future generations.
With no financial capital and lacking the technological means to publish such a newspaper, Mr Solanki and his wife Parvatiben launched Garavi Gujarat as a cyclo-styled, black and white newssheet from a small terraced house in Wembley, north London, on April 1, 1968.
The paper rapidly gained a loyal following, soon becoming the biggest-selling Gujarati newspaper outside of India and a focal point for the community.
For more than 50 years, Mr Solanki’s tenacity as a news journalist and his thought-provoking columns won him and the paper many plaudits, and the paper gained a reputation for its fearless, campaigning journalism.
The arrival of Asian immigrants from east Africa a few years later led Mr Solanki to publish stories of families who faced hostility as they adjusted to a new life in Britain. Many of the migrants suffered hardship and Garavi Gujarat highlighted their struggles, with Mr Solanki visiting refugee camps around the country, hearing first hand accounts of those affected by the political upheaval in Uganda.
In 1972, Garavi Gujarat turned from a fortnightly into a weekly. In subsequent years, Mr Solanki interviewed every British prime minister, from Harold Wilson to Tony Blair.
Today Garavi Gujarat is published in the UK and US, and has become the biggest selling Gujarati newspapers outside India.
One of the highlights of Mr Solanki's career was helping to solve the murder of an Asian woman, Rokaya Bibi, in the 1970s. He became personally involved in helping the police solve this case. In the words of detective superintendent John Swain, who was in charge at the time: ‘One journalist, Ramniklal Solanki did much to publicise this murder in Gujarati newspapers. He kept in close touch with my office, and it was largely as the result of his enthusiasm in this case that it was ultimately solved.’
Mr Solanki was also commended by Scotland Yard for his efforts.
AMG also publishes Asian Trader and Pharmacy Business, aimed at independent news agents and pharmacists, respectively, in the UK. Its US publications include Asian Hospitality, whose readers are hotel and motel owners and Priya magazine, which features Asian businesswomen.
Its most recent acquisition was the purchase of Eastern Eye newsweekly and the Asian Rich List in 2009.
As the business expanded, AMG also hosted annual events associated with the newspapers and magazines. They include the GG2 Leadership Awards, the Asian Business Awards, Asian Trader Awards, the Vape Awards, the ACTAs (Arts, Culture and Theatre Awards) and Pharmacy Business Awards.
Each ceremony is attended by Secretaries of State, Cabinet ministers and the events attract more than 800 guests. In 2014, then prime minister David Cameron was the chief guest at the GG2 Leadership Awards.
Mr Solanki is survived by his wife Parvatiben, sons Kalpesh and Shailesh, daughter Sadhana and 11 grandchildren.
AN ASIAN writer has explained how his new book makes Britain’s imperial past “accessible, engaging and thought-provoking” for a younger audience.
Award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera’s new book, Journeys of Empire, explores empire through 10 journeys he described as being “extraordinary”. Sanghera said his book, published last month by Puffin UK, is “a way of helping children understand how Britain’s biggest story still shapes the world today.”
“We’re not taught this history very well,” he told Eastern Eye.
“The empire is morally complex – sometimes we were good, sometimes bad – so, how do you even begin talking about it? It’s also contentious. There are millions of us whose families were colonised, and millions whose families were the colonisers.”
Teachers cannot teach what they themselves were never taught, Sanghera pointed out.
“There are multiple layers to why British people are so bad at talking about this history. It touches on race, misogyny and geopolitics. It’s easier just not to talk about it.”
And , the cover of his book
Following the success of his bestselling children’s title Stolen History, Sanghera’s this latest work continues Sanghera’s mission to write for readers aged nine and above. With a focus on human experiences, Sanghera said he wanted show that history is not just a list of dates or conquests – it’s a tapestry of stories that connect people.
Born in Wolverhampton to Punjabi immigrant parents, he began school unable to speak English. Later he graduated with first-class honours in English language and literature from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
He has since built a career as a writer and journalist.
His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, and his novel, Marriage Material, were both shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards. Empireland, Sanghera’s exploration of Britain’s colonial legacy, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non- Fiction, named a Book of the Year at the 2022 National Book Awards, and inspired the Channel 4 documentary series Empire State of Mind.
His first children’s book, Stolen History, introduced young readers to the complex and often overlooked realities of empire. With Journeys of Empire, Sanghera aims to go further. “When I finally learned about the British empire, it changed how I saw myself, how I saw Britain, and how I saw India,” he said.
“It seemed obvious that you’d want to give this gift to young people – because your 40s is a bit late to be learning all this.”
Sanghera said the 10 journeys in the book take readers across continents and centuries, revealing both the ambition and the brutality of empire.
“The British empire covered a quarter of the world’s surface and a large portion of its population. It was seven times the size of the Roman empire,” he said.
Aiming to ensure diversity in both perspective and geography, Sanghera said he chose stories from various countries and different phases of the 400-year history.
Alongside India and Mahatma Gandhi, readers will learn about Guyana’s indentured labour system, Gertrude Bell’s adventures in Iraq, and the British invasion of Tibet led by Francis Younghusband.
“I wanted to highlight areas often left out of mainstream narratives,” the writer said. The stories are written with an accessible and honest tone, and with humour.
“Violence is a tricky area,” Sanghera said. “You can’t go into graphic detail, but you also shouldn’t whitewash it. The violence and racism of colonialism were intrinsic. “I tried to strike a balance - acknowledging the brutality without overwhelming young readers.”
Writing for children isn’t much different from writing for adults, Sanghera said.
“You still need engaging stories and to hold attention. The main thing is to avoid big words that might put them off.”
He pointed out how storytelling can counter the allure of digital screens.
“Kids are addicted to screens, and reading rates are falling globally. That’s disastrous for mental health, intellectual development, and politics,” he said.
“When you get news from screens, you’re in an echo chamber – you’re not being challenged or taught to think in a nuanced way.”
Sanghera’s hope is that stories of Journeys of Empire – from pirates to princes and explorers to rebels – will draw in young readers to a world of curiosity and reflection. He said, “The British empire is a complex story. Even the ‘good guys’ had flaws. That’s what makes it worth understanding.”
At the heart of his book is a message about complexity and contradiction. “The empire involved slavery and the abolition of slavery. It caused environmental destruction and inspired environmentalism. We live in a world that struggles with nuance, but that’s what makes us human,” Sanghera said.
“My hope is that readers – kids and adults – learn that opposite things can be true at the same time.”
After six years of writing about empire, Sanghera said he’s ready for a change. His next book will focus on the late pop star George Michael, due out in June next year.
“I thought George Michael would be a nice break from empire. But then I learned that his father came from Cyprus - which was under British rule. The reason he left Cyprus was because of the British. So, even George Michael’s story connects back to empire. You can’t escape it, wherever you go.”
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