Senior journalist and author Vinod Mehta died today after a prolonged illness. He was 73.
The founder-Editor of ‘Outlook’ magazine breathed his last at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where he was admitted.
He died of multiple organ failure, AIIMS spokesperson Amit Gupta said.
Born in Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) in 1942, Mr Mehta was known for his bold journalism.
He was the Editor-in-Chief of ‘Outlook’ magazine till February 2012.
The Outlook Group announces with deep regret the passing of its Editorial Chairman, Mr Vinod Mehta, in New Delhi on Sunday, 8 March 2015. He was 73 years old and had been ailing for some time. He leaves behind his wife Sumita, their canine companion, “Editor”, two brothers and a sister—and legions of orphaned colleagues, compatriots and competitors.
Editor from the day he stepped into journalism from the advertising world in 1974, Mr Mehta’s first job was as editor of the monthly men’s magazine, Debonair. He founded India’s first weekly newspaper, The Sunday Observer, from where he went on to edit The Indian Post and The Independent in what was then Bombay.
Mr Mehta moved to Delhi in the early 1990s, when he became Editor-in-Chief of The Pioneer, but his 17-year helmsmanship of Outlook magazine was his longest tenure. He was president of the Editors Guild of India and was, briefly, the writer and presenter of “Letter from India” on the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4.
He was the author of six books, three of which were biographies (Bombay, Sanjay Gandhi and Meena Kumari), two were memoirs (Lucknow Boy and Editor Unplugged), one was a compilation (Mr Editor, how close are you to the PM?”).
