Sankarshan Thakur, the esteemed Editor of The Telegraph and a trailblazer in Indian literary journalism, passed away on Monday at a hospital in Gurgaon following a prolonged illness. He was 63 years old. Thakur is survived by his wife, Sona, and their two children, Ayushmann and Jahan.
Tributes poured in from various politicians, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party leader Jairam Ramesh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Manoj Jha, all praising Thakur’s significant contributions to journalism. “I am deeply saddened by the passing of a brilliant journalist, author, and editor of The Telegraph, Shri Sankarshan Thakur. His incisive reporting, fearless political commentary, and eloquent writing style leave an enduring legacy,” Kharge expressed in a post on X.
Nitish Kumar remarked that Thakur’s demise represents “an irreparable loss to the world of journalism.” Abdullah noted that Thakur was among the few journalists who “made an effort to travel extensively around Jammu and Kashmir and truly listened to the people without judgment.” Ramesh described him as a “delightfully brilliant writer,” while Jha admired Thakur for his tendency to “swim against the current.”
A condolence message was shared on behalf of RJD Chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, and son Tejashwi Yadav among others.
Born in 1962 in Patna, Thakur was the son of veteran journalist and author Janardan Thakur. He attended St. Xavier’s in Patna for his early education and earned a degree in political science from Hindu College, Delhi University. Thakur began his journalism career in 1984 with Sunday magazine, garnering a reputation for his ground reporting.
He climbed the ranks at The Telegraph before becoming Associate Editor at The Indian Express in the early 2000s, where he earned the Prem Bhatia Award for excellence in political journalism in 2001 and the Appan Menon Fellowship in 2003. Thakur later served as Executive Editor at Tehelka before returning to The Telegraph in 2009 as its National Affairs Editor, eventually rising to Editor.
Thakur was celebrated for blending thorough ground reportage with engaging prose, establishing himself as a voice of authority on Indian politics, particularly concerning Kashmir, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. His impactful works include monographs on the Kargil war and honor killings, as well as three notable books: “Subaltern Saheb,” a political biography of Lalu Prasad, “Single Man: The Life and Times of Nitish Kumar of Bihar,” and “The Brothers Bihari,” a political diptych on Lalu and Nitish.
The Editors Guild of India released a statement mourning Thakur’s passing as a profound loss to journalism. “His writings and professional craft will continue to resonate, serving as enduring benchmarks for younger journalists to emulate,” the statement noted.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sankarshan-thakur-senior-journalist-writer-dies-at-63-10238368/
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Publish Date: 2025-09-09 03:00:00
