Late Ramniklal Solanki, CBE (1931-2020)
“In unity there is strength.”
Late Ramniklal Solanki CBE
Sri Ramniklal Solanki CBE pioneered the news coverage of south Asians in the UK.
Solanki realised that the British media were either ignoring or misreporting south Asian communities, who were arriving in their thousands. So, he handwrote a newspaper in Gujarati, which he typeset, and then he went up and down the country by train, knocked door-to-door selling subscriptions while distributing his publication to south Asian corner shops. From there sprang a publishing empire. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Garavi Gujarat newsweekly and Asian Media Group.
This pioneer would go on to help the police solve a murder when detectives could not gain the trust of the victim’s community.
When he passed away in March 2020, the former chancellor, Sajid Javid, the current home secretary, Priti Patel, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, led glowing tributes.
His ethos that everyone deserves a voice, regardless of religion, politics or class, is reflected in the substantial publishing empire now run by his sons Kalpesh and Shailesh. Solanki’s legacy includes titles such as Eastern Eye, the UK’s number south Asian newspaper, Pharmacy Business, Asian Hospitality, Asian Trader, and the GG2 Power List.