Mark Tully, the iconic journalist whose voice became synonymous with the BBC’s coverage of India for decades, passed away at a private hospital in Delhi on Sunday afternoon. He was 90 years old.
A close friend and longtime colleague, veteran journalist Satish Jacob, confirmed the news, stating that Tully had been unwell for some time and had spent the last week receiving treatment at Max Hospital in Saket.
Born in Kolkata back in 1935, Tully’s connection to India was lifelong and deeply personal. He was the BBC's New Delhi Bureau Chief for over two decades, always rendering an informed view of the country’s most turbulent and transformative times. For many, he did not merely report news, he somehow narrated the very story of modern Indian history itself, in the process.
Aside from his use of the microphone, he was a writer who managed to capture the intricacies of his native country in exemplary books such as 'No Full Stops in India' and 'India in Slow Motion'. His achievements were duly acknowledged, with honours bestowed on him by both Britain, with whom he worked, and native India itself, when it honoured him with a knighthood in 2002 and, in 2005, a Padma Bhushan.
His passing marks the end of an era for international journalism in South Asia, leaving behind a legacy of storytelling that bridged two cultures with rare empathy and sharp intellect.
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