An active journalist for more than four decades, Bidwai had strong leftwing views and he was a writer-activist who was forthright in airing his strong views on issues of peace, global justice, human rights and environmental protection. Starting from 1972 as a columnist in “Economic and Political Weekly”, Bidwai worked for the leading newspapers including The Times of India, Financial Express and Business India and he soon made a name in Indian journalism for being one of the most prolific commentators on the major political, economic and social issues facing the country. He was uncompromising in his views and this made it difficult for him to continue in the Times of India group as a senior editor despite being the most respected editorial writer of that period.

Bidwai was all along an activist. He helped in founding the Movement in India for Nuclear Disarmament (MIND), was a member of the International Network of Engineers and Scientists against proliferation and was one of the leaders of the Coalition of Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, India. Bidwai was a fellow of Transnational Institute, Amsterdam. He received the Sean Macbride International Peace Prize, 2000 of International Peace Bureau, Geneva. Bidwai started contributing to IPA from 2002 and his last piece on Indian operations at Myanmar border, was released by IPA on June 23 itself. He was the priceless jewel in the IPA team and his untimely demise is an irreparable loss to the Indian journalism as also to IPA.