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Veteran editor Govind Talwalkar passes away
Talwalkar, who won several awards during his career in journalism, was best known for his forceful editorials during his 27-year stint as editor of ‘Maharashtra Times’, a leading Marathi daily.
Govind Talwalkar, veteran editor and author of 25 books, passed away in the United States on Tuesday aged 91 following a series of health issues that failed to dampen his passion for journalism to the end, his family said.
Talwalkar, who won several awards during his career in journalism, was best known for his forceful editorials during his 27-year stint as editor of Maharashtra Times, a leading Marathi daily. He also contributed a large number of articles and comment pieces to several English publications.
From the US, where he had moved to be with his daughters after retiring as editor in 1996, Talwalkar wrote prolifically. His most recent focus was accessing hitherto unknown records related to the death of Subhash Chandra Bose from the official archives of Japan, Russia and Britain.
Talwalkar shared the documents with Hindustan Times last year, bringing new information and first-person accounts in the public domain and contributing to the conclusion of many over the years that the iconic leader indeed died in the air crash in Taiwan on August 18, 1945.
“Of course, those who want to believe in conspiracy theories will continue to do so. They have vested interest in that for various reasons”, Talwalkar wrote to this correspondent.
Influenced by the thought of MN Roy and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of Talwalkar’s last articles focussed on the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984; on the newsroom atmosphere while bringing out a special edition and reflecting on her record as prime minister.
Born on July 25, 1925, in Dombivali, Maharashtra, Talwalkar leaves behind two daughters.
