P. N. K. Bamzai was born in 1910 into a Kashmir Pandit family of scholarly traditions, and received his first lessons in historical research from his father, Anand Koul, who was the pioneer of modern research on the history and folklore of Kashmir.
He graduated from the Panjab University with honours in English Literature.
Bamzai then joined the Kashmir State Information Department as Special Officer. During this period, he was requested by Sheikh Abdullah to research and write a comprehensive history of Kashmir. In 1954, he joined the Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India as Editor of the Illustrated Kashmir.
He went on to serve as Editor of almost every journal published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and was instrumental in launching the March of India, a journal that recorded the aspirations and advances of an infant nation.
Subsequently, he was deputed by the Government of India to work as Adviser to the Government of Ethiopia, where he established the publication wing of the ministry. During this period, he was awarded numerous fellowships and felicitations by several government and non-government organisations for his contribution to Kashmiri history.
Bamzai"s articles and papers pertaining to the history of Kashmir have been published in several journals in India and abroad. His books on the subject include A History of Kashmir, which carries a foreword by Jawaharlal Nehru.
