By Ashutosh Roy
Veteran journalist Vinod Dua, passed away after a long illness caused by a Covid infection, according to his daughter Mallika Dua, who confirmed the news on social media. On the recommendation of physicians, the 67-year-old journalist was transferred to the Apollo Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in Delhi last week.
Vinod Dua’s daughter confirms the news
“Our irreverent, fearless, and extraordinary father, Vinod Dua, has passed away,” Mallika Dua wrote on Instagram, adding that the funeral would take place at midday tomorrow at the Lodhi crematorium in the capital.
She also added, “The most courageous, irreverent , compassionate and funny man I know. What a guy. An ordinary boy born in Nabi Karim who took on the high and mighty and won, till the end. Padmashree Vinod Dua. Even at your weakest, you gave Indian Journalism a landmark judgment. No journalist will be randomly slapped with a sedition case because Vinod Dua fought that fight for them, as he always has”
“Heaven is just so fucking lucky, it has my whole entire life. We won’t live in fear and grief forever. We will live with pride and gratitude because look at the extraordinary parents we got. I wouldn’t trade my destiny for anything. It gave me Vinod and Chinna. Nobody gets double lucky”, she ends her caption with this note.
Vinod Dua’s history and his significance in Indian journalism
Mr Dua was the voice of a generation that grew up listening to him, with a career spanning four decades. His influence spans the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and, in his most recent instance, digital new age media. He was also credited for revolutionising election coverage in India.
He has also hosted shows like ‘Janwani,’ in which the national broadcaster Doordarshan, which is generally off-limits to the government, witnessed the art of asking direct questions and how truth is spoken to power.
Dua was a well-known Hindi broadcast journalist who worked for Doordarshan, NDTV, and The Wire, among other organisations.
Mr Dua has always thought of himself as a broadcaster rather than a journalist. His heart was in art, culture, music, and even food, and he was a sharp political writer.
In 2008, the Indian government presented him with the Padma Shri award for journalism. The RedInk Award was handed to him by Devendra Fadnavis, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, in June 2017 for his lifetime contribution in the area of journalism.
Celebrities extending their condolence to Vinod Dua
Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Tahira Kashyap, Maanvi Gagroo, and Prajakta Kohli were among the celebs who expressed their condolences in the comments section of Mallika’s Instagram post.
