One of the most revered journalists and human rights activists in Kerala, BRP Bhaskar, aged 93 years, passed away on the morning of Tuesday, June 4, in Thiruvananthapuram. He was suffering from age-related ailments and had chosen to move to an assisted facility earlier this year.
Bhaskar began his journalistic career as a 20-year-old, joining The Hindu’s Chennai bureau in 1952. After six years there, he worked in several other English news publications including The Statesman and Patriot in New Delhi. He also worked as a news editor for the multilingual news agency United News of India (UNI) and headed its state bureaus for over 18 years. Bhaskar retired from The Deccan Herald in Bengaluru in the early 1990s and had since worked as a consultant for media houses including Asianet, Gulf Today in the United Arab Emirates, and many more.
Bhaskar’s long career won him several accolades, including the Kesari-Swadeshabhimani Journalism Award, the highest honour presented by the Government of Kerala for journalism. In 2022, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his biography, News Room. His book The Changing Mindscape is a recollection of his rich experience in journalism.
The veteran had also been a consistent presence in fights for human rights, flagging off and speaking at various anti-establishment protests for denied rights.