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Saturday, July 21, 2012

A tribute to journalists who have left us a rich legacy

Outlook editor in chief Krishna Prasad's blog "sans serif" is the go-to site for, as he puts it, "the news, the views, the juice".

Yesterday, KP, as he is popularly known, blogged about a remembrance ad in The Indian Express for a reporter who was killed in a blast in Uttar Pradesh two years ago. In the same post, KP has also provided links to obituaries of well-known journalists, many of whom were legends in their lifetime and whose careers we would do well to emulate. (The only person on the list who is not a media professional is T.N. Shanbag, the founder-proprietor of Strand Book Stall in Mumbai, who is hailed by KP as "the man who educated Bombay journalists".)

Here is the list in its entirety:

Alfred D’Cruz: ToI’s first Indian sub-editor

Tarun Sehrwat, 22 and killed in the line of duty
Chari, a lens legend at The Hindu

Harishchandra Lachke: A pioneering cartoonist 

T.N. Shanbag: Man who educated Bombay journos

Rajan Bala: cricket writer of cricket writers
  • I knew Rajan Bala as both journalist and friend. I first met him in Dubai in 1991 — I was working with the Khaleej Times then and he had come over to cover the Sharjah cricket tournament for an Indian newspaper (I think it was The Indian Express). I accompanied him to a couple of games and I have to say it was a great privilege to sit in the press box alongside Rajan as he pronounced judgment on some of the greatest cricketers the subcontinent has produced. Waqar Younis was a rookie then, but I remember Rajan telling me after watching him bowl to Sachin and Co. that Waqar would soon be hailed as one of the world's best pacemen. We spent a lot of time together in Bangalore afterwards talking about cricket, books, and the English language. Rajan was a character and a phenomenon and the tributes to him are  richly deserved.
Jyoti Sanyal: The language terrorist and teacher
Russy Karanjia: The bulldog of an editor

Sabina Sehgal Saikia: The resident food writer

M.G. Moinuddin: The self-taught newspaper designer

Naresh Chandra Rajkhowa: Journo who broke Dalai Lama story 

J. Dey: When eagles are silent, parrots jabber

E. Raghavan: Ex-ET, TOI, Vijaya Karnataka editor

Prakash Kardaley: When god cries when the best arrive

Pratima Puri: India’s first TV news reader passes away

Tejeshwar Singh: A baritone falls silent watching the cacophony

N.S. Jagannathan: Ex-editor of Indian Express

K.M. Mathew: chief of editor of Malayala Manorama

Amita Malik: the ‘first lady of Indian media’

K.R. Prahlad: In the end, death becomes a one-liner

M.R. Shivanna: A 24×7 journalist is no more

C.P. Chinnappa: A song for an unsung hero

V.N. Subba Rao: a ‘shishya’ remembers his Guru 

Dicky Rutnagur, an ekdum first-class dikra
  • ADDITIONAL READING: Krishna Prasad's recommendations "WHAT TO READ" if you want to become a journalist or want to know more about journalism or if you simply want to become a better writer.
UPDATE (July 20, 2013): From The New York Times — "Helen Thomas, Who Broke Down Barriers as White House Reporter, Is Dead at 92".

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