Veteran journalist Sankarshan Thakur, editor of The Telegraph, died at a Gurgaon hospital on Monday after prolonged illness.
He was 63. Born in Patna in 1962, Thakur was the son of senior journalist Janardhan Thakur.
He received his early education at St Xavier’s in Patna and later in Delhi, before earning a degree in political science from Hindu College, Delhi University.
Thakur, who began his journalism career in 1984 with SUNDAY magazine, is survived by his wife Sona, daughter Jahan and son Ayushman.
Known for his sharp political commentary, Thakur worked at several leading print media house. Thakur was a keen chronicler of Indian politics, particularly Bihar.
Thakur authored widely cited and bestselling biographies of Bihar prominent political figures. His books include “Subaltern Saheb”, a political biography of former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, “Single Man: The Life and Times of Nitish Kumar of Bihar”, and “The Brothers Bihari”, on Yadav and Kumar.
His untimely death led to an outpouring of grief on social media and elsewhere. Several politicians, including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha remembered the journalist for his incisive writings.
In addition to his in-depth reporting on Bihar, Thakur published monographs on a range of critical issues, including the Kargil War, Pakistan and caste-based honour killings in Uttar Pradesh.
The Editors Guild of India condoled the passing of the “gifted writer,” noting that Thakur enjoyed a formidable reputation as both a journalist and an author.
“A fearless ground reporter, he brought to life some of India’s most defining events - from the Kargil war front, Bhopal tragedy, 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Indira Gandhi’s assassination, to the complexities of Kashmir, the Sri Lankan civil war, and socio-political currents in Bihar and Pakistan,” the Guild said in a statement.
Thakur’s contributions earned him the Prem Bhatia Award for excellence in political journalism (2001) and the Appan Menon Fellowship (2003).
Readers, fellow journalists and friends wrote in with their tributes and personal memories of the journalist, flooding social media platforms.