January 19, 2021—In the Sunday New York Times appeared the obituary of Ved Mehta, who died a week earlier.
I have posted it at left. Born in Lahore in the Punjab, he studied in the United States.
The New Yorker death notice of January 10 reports that he asked David Astor, editor of the Observer, about writing for them a very long series of articles about traveling in India. He suggested the only likely place to publish something that long ("and boring") was the New Yorker magazine.
Mehta became a contributing writer for the New Yorker and made New York his home.
He wrote about his early days in India as a boy made blind by meningitis, about learning Braille, riding a bike and a horse, and his experiences as a student.
He wrote a three-volume life of Mahatma Gandhi and profiles of Oxford dons, a book about William Shawn of The New Yorker and political rivalries in India, among many topics.
I got know him and his wife Linn Cary Mehta through their loyal participation in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race Dinner in New York City over many years.
The Times obituary is followed by an appreciation by his friends Dan and Joanna Rose, who have also been regular participants in the New York City Boat Race Dinner.
When Ved Mehta spoke about his residence at Oxford, Balliol College, he expressed his respect and affection. He was not so keen on Trinity College, on the other side of the wall, but he didn't seem to hold it against me. His presence at future Oxford events will be missed.
