Manohar Shyam Joshi was born on 9 August 1933 at Ajmer in Rajasthan,[2] the son of a noted educationist and musicologist belonging to a Kumaoni Brahmin family from Almora, Uttar Pradesh now in the state of Uttarakhand.

[10] In the following years he wrote many more long running serials like Mungeri Lal Ke Hasin Sapney, Kakaji Kahin, Humrahi, Zameen Aasman and Gatha.

This allowed him to write for cinema on a variety of subjects, like Hey Ram, Appu Raja, Papa Kahte Hain and Brashtachar.

It was not long before he was handpicked by Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan Agyeya for a new Hindi news magazine Dinaman, being brought out by the Times of India group.

His journalistic writings have covered a wide range of topics from popular science and scintillating travelogues to astute political analyses.