[1][2][3] Tanwar was born into an agricultural family in the village of Lukhi, Kurukshetra, Haryana on 20 Feb. 1955.

He was appointed as an open selection Professor in 1997 and also worked as the KU's Dean of Academic Affairs.

He is noted for introducing important historical issues into common discourse, such as his exhibition "Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh Through the Ages" at the New Delhi World Book Fair (2024).

This recent study has impacted the mainstream narrative on the contemporary history of Jammu Kashmir (post 1947).

Additional publications include The Politics of Sharing Power: The Punjab Unionist Party 1923-1947 (Manohar, 1999; ISBN 9788173042720), a study on the Punjab's political system in the decades leading to the partition; India: Mother of Democracy (Edited) (2022, Indian Council of Historical Research; ISBN 9789395472036); and Frankly Speaking: Essays and Opinions (2012).