Veteran journalist and author Mark Tully dies at 90 in New Delhi

Veteran journalist and author Mark Tully dies at 90 in New Delhi

Veteran journalist and acclaimed author Mark Tully passed away on Sunday at a private hospital in New Delhi, a close friend told PTI. He was 90.

Tully had been unwell for some time and was admitted to Max Hospital in Saket about a week ago. He died on Sunday afternoon, said Satish Jacob, a senior journalist and longtime friend.

“Mark passed away at Max Hospital Saket this afternoon,” Jacob told PTI.

Widely regarded as one of the most perceptive chroniclers of India, Tully was known for his decades-long reporting on the country and his influential books that shaped global understanding of Indian society and politics.

Who was Mark Tully?

Born in Calcutta, now Kolkata, on October 24, 1935, Mark Tully grew up between India and the United Kingdom, an experience that would later shape his lifelong engagement with the country. Raised in Tollygunge, he was sent to a British boarding school in Darjeeling at the age of four, before moving to England for further schooling from the age of nine.

In the UK, Tully was educated at Twyford School in Hampshire, Marlborough College, and later at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he studied theology.

After completing his studies, he briefly considered joining the priesthood in the Church of England and spent two terms at Lincoln Theological College before deciding against a religious vocation.

Tully went on to build a distinguished career with the British Broadcasting Corporation, working with the organisation for three decades. He served as the BBC’s New Delhi bureau chief for 22 years and became one of the most recognisable foreign correspondents reporting on India. His reporting during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh, brought him particular prominence.

Over the years, he covered nearly every major political and social upheaval in modern Indian history. His reportage included the Bhopal gas tragedy, Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

During the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi between 1975 and 1977, Tully was barred from entering India after censorship curbs were placed on the press.

Beyond television and radio journalism, Tully was also an acclaimed author whose books offered nuanced portraits of Indian society, politics and everyday life. Among his best-known works are Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle (1985), No Full Stops in India (1988), India in Slow Motion (2002), India’s Unending Journey (2008), and The Road Ahead, published in India as Non-Stop India (2011). His final book, Upcountry Tales: Once Upon A Time In The Heart of India (2017), is a collection of short stories set in rural north India.

Tully also presented the BBC Radio 4 programme Something Understood, further cementing his reputation as a reflective and empathetic storyteller.

In recognition of his contribution to journalism and his deep engagement with India, he was knighted in 2002 and awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2005.

On the personal front, Tully married Margaret in 2001, with whom he had four children in London. During his years in India, he lived with his partner Gillian Wright. Until his final years, he remained closely associated with the country he spent much of his life interpreting for the world.