Veteran journalist Mark Tully, a chronicler of India and an acclaimed author, breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi on Sunday. He was 90.
“The BBC's 'voice of India' has died at the age of 90. For decades, the rich, warm tones of Mark Tully were familiar to BBC audiences in Britain and around the world - a much-admired foreign correspondent and respected reporter and commentator on India. He covered war, famine, riots and assassinations, the Bhopal gas tragedy and the Indian army's storming of the Sikh Golden Temple,” the British broadcaster said while reporting Tully's demise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness at the passing of Tully, whom he called a “towering figure in journalism”.
The award-winning journalist had been ailing for some time and had been admitted to Max Hospital in Saket for the past week.
“He (Tully) was admitted to Max Hospital, Saket, on January 21, and died today. He (Tully) was admitted under the head of the nephrology department,” a hospital source told PTI.
{{/usCountry}}“He (Tully) was admitted to Max Hospital, Saket, on January 21, and died today. He (Tully) was admitted under the head of the nephrology department,” a hospital source told PTI.
{{/usCountry}}Satish Jacob, veteran journalist and a close friend of Tully, told PTI, “Mark passed away at Max Hospital Saket this afternoon.”
Who was Mark Tully?
Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on October 24, 1935, Mark Tully served as the BBC's chief of bureau in New Delhi for 22 years. His father was a businessman, and his mother was born in Bengal.
Tully's maternal family had worked in India as traders and administrators for generations under the British Raj. He was brought up with an English nanny who once chided him for learning to count by copying the family's driver.
"That's the servants' language, not yours," he was told, according to the BBC.
Tully eventually became fluent in Hindi, a rare achievement in Delhi's foreign press corps and one that endeared him to many Indians, who always called him "Tully sahib".
An acclaimed author, Tully was the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Something Understood’. He was also part of several documentaries on subjects ranging from India and the British Raj to the Indian Railways. His good cheer and evident affection for India won him the friendship and trust of many of the top rank of the country's politicians, editors and social activists.
Tully was knighted in 2002 and received the Padma Bhushan from the government of India in 2005. He wrote several books on India, including ‘No Full Stops in India’, ‘India in Slow Motion’, and ‘The Heart of India’.