Om Thanvi

Om Thanvi was born in the town of Phalodi in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.[6] His father was a teacher. He grew up in Bikaner and took his post graduation degree in Business Administration from Rajasthan University.

Thanvi started journalism in his student days in 1977 contributing to weekly 'Marudeep', daily 'Yugpaksh' (Bikaner) and weekly 'Ravivar' (Calcutta). After completing his studies, Thanvi started his mainstream journalism in 1978 with 'Itwari', a weekly paper from the Rajasthan Patrika in Jaipur, Rajasthan. From 1980 to 1989 (for about nine years) he worked in Rajasthan Patrika. After this, he joined the Hindi daily Jansatta of the Indian Express Group and was associated with this newspaper for the next twenty-six years (from 1989 to 2015), serving as a journalist, local editor (Chandigarh edition, 1989―99), and editor (1999―2015).[7]

After separating from the Jansatta, Thanvi also taught as a visiting professor at the famous university of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) at the Center for Media Studies, School of Social Sciences. He is currently the vice-chancellor of Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication.[4]

Thanvi had been Secretary General of Editors Guild of India for two terms as well as Vice President of the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA). He was member of the National Integration Council, headed by Prime Minister of India and is on the Advisory Council of the India International Center (IIC), New Delhi.

He has deeply been involved with environmental activities. In 1986 he was awarded the journalism fellowship by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to study Conventional Water Harvesting Methods of the Desert. He travelled extensively the arid zone to study the philosophy of water conservation, ways of living, particularly unique relationship with water in the Thar desert. That study later became a much talked and researched subject among the environmentalists all over. The Times of India interviewed him on front page: an unusual occasion in journalism when one journalist (Usha Rai) was interviewing another. He attended UN's first conference on climate change called Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro 1992 and it's preparatory conference held in Paris. In 2012, Thanvi was among few journalists who attended Rio summit, called Rio+20, again.

He is a frequent political commentator on major Hindi TV networks, mainly NDTV, RSTV, Aaj Tak, ABP News, News Nation and Etv.

• Muanjodaro – Excerptive travelogue tracing remains of the Indus Valley Civilization.[5][3]
• Apne Apne Agyey – A two-volume anthology of memoirs consisting 100 contributions of writers from Hindi and other languages.[3]

• Honored with Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Puraskar for Journalism by the President of India for journalism.[2][8]
• Shamsher Award

Thanvi, for his work 'Muanjodaro', has received various awards.

• SAARC Literature Award
• Bihari Puraskar given by K. K. Birla Foundation[9][10][11]

• Om Thanvi, writer introduction, Vani Prakashan.
• Muanjodaro, introduction of the book by Vani Prakashan
• Blog by Rajendra Upadhyay, Webdunia
• Few articles written by Om Thanvi, Kalpana.it
• Life down Muanjodaro’s street, blog by Kuldeep Kumar, The Hindu