Veteran journalist M V Kamath dies

He was keeping ill for the last few days and died due to cardiac arrest

Veteran journalist and former chairman of Prasar Bharati, Madhav Vittal Kamath, died at a hospital in Manipal this morning.

The Kamath (93) breathed his last at 6.30 am. He was keeping ill for the last few days and died from a cardiac arrest.

He was born on September 7, 1921 in Udupi. He studied chemistry and physics, and graduated from Bombay University in 1941. He started his career as a dye chemist and worked in pharmaceutical industry before entering the field of journalism.

Kamath began his career as a reporter with the Free Press Journal in Bombay in 1946. When India won independence on the midnight of August 14, 1947, he was there to report it.

Kamath had reported on India winning Independence.

Kamath worked in many newspapers and magazines like Free Press Bulletin, Bharath Jyothi and Press Trust of India. He also served as Sunday editor of The Times of India. He also served as the Washington correspondent for the same paper between 1969 and 1978.

He was editor of the Illustrated Weekly of India, a magazine from the house of Bennett, Coleman and Co, from 1978-1981, which was closed down later.

He was also member of board of Manipal University and honorary director of Manipal Institute of Communication and held many positions in various organisations, including Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, All India Konkani Bhasha Parishat and Dr TMA Pai Foundation among others.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2004.