Noted journalist BG Verghese passes away after brief illness

Gurgaon: Eminent journalist BG Verghese, a Ramon Magsaysay award winner and former editor of leading dailies Hindustan Times and Indian Express, died in Gurgaon today at the age of 87 after brief illness. Verghese was diagnosed for dengue a month back and was suffering from low-grade fever and weakness for last couple of weeks. He was survived by his wife Jamila and sons Vijay and Rahul. “He was suffering from a variety of complications. The dengue had accelerated his weakness as his bodily resistance had come down. He had a bad coughing spell yesterday and breathed his last around 6 PM,” his son Rahul said. [caption id=“attachment_2023753” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  (File) BG Verghese, 87, former editor of various leading newspapers died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. PTI[/caption] The cremation will take place on Thursday. Verghese, who authored many books, was editor of Hindustan Times from 1969 to 1975 and The Indian Express from 1982 to 1986. He was also information adviser to prime minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1969 but was critical of her for imposing the Emergency in 1975. Born on 21 June 1927, Verghese did his schooling at the Doon School. He had graduated in Economics from the St Stephen’s College, Delhi and did his Master’s degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. A crusader for civil rights, Verghese has long worked on problems of development. He was part of the Editors Guild of India Fact Finding Mission after the Gujarat riots in 2002. His books include Waters of hope, India’s North East, Fourth Estate (2005) and his autobiography First Draft: Witness to Making of Modern India. Post Haste: Quintessential India, which delves on India’s ancient heritage and its diverse people, was his last book that was released early this year. Verghese was also working on a number of books which remained unfinished. Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash said demise of Verghese was a big loss and recalled his fight for media rights during Emergency imposed by the then Indira Gandhi government in 1975. “We have lost a great journalist and valliant fighter for media freedom. We can never forget his contribution to restoration of media rights during and after the Emergency in mid-70s,” he told PTI. Surya Prakash recalled that Verghese also pioneered the idea of an autonomous broadcaster to run All India Radio and Doordarshan. “He is also the father of the idea of an autonomous corporation for AIR anD Doordarshan which he mooted in the late 70s,” he said. PTI