Veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, 72, passed away this morning in Pune. He had been ailing for some time.
He was admitted to a hospital on November 18 following a heart attack. Later, he suffered multiple organ failure and was on dialysis after his kidneys stopped functioning.
Born in Pune and educated at St Vincent High School and Fergusson College in Pune, he went to France and studied for a doctorate at the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
In 1978, he served with the UNESCO at Bangkok and later in Paris in different capacities with its Information Section.
He began his career as a journalist in 1968 as The Times of India’s Paris correspondent. He became the newspaper’s editor in 1988, a post he held for six years.
Padgaonkar was part of a three-member team of interlocutors appointed by the UPA government in 2010 to hold talks with all sections of people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Condoling the death of the veteran journalist, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, ‘Mr Dileep Padgaonkar was a leading public thinker whose contribution to journalism will always be remembered. Pained by his demise. RIP.’
Sourced from agencies, Featured image courtesy: indianexpress.com
