Tushar Kanti Ghosh Explained

Tushar Kanti Ghosh
Birth Place:Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
Death Place:Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Occupation:Journalist, novelist, children's author
Parents:Sisir Kumar Ghosh (father)
Children:2
Movement:Indian independence movement, non-violence movement
Known For:Grand old man of Indian journalism, the dean of Indian journalism
Organization:Amrita Bazar Patrika (Editor)
Awards:Padma Bhushan (1964)

Tushar Kanti Ghosh (21 September 1898 – 29 August 1994) was an Indian journalist and writer. For sixty years, until shortly before his death, Ghosh was the editor of the English-language newspaper Amrita Bazar Patrika in Kolkata. He also served as the leader of prominent journalism organizations such as the International Press Institute and the Commonwealth Press Union.[1] Ghosh was known as the "grand old man of Indian journalism"[2] and "the dean of Indian journalism" for his contributions to the country's free press.

Life and works

Ghosh studied at the Bangabasi College of the University of Calcutta.[3] He replaced his father as editor of the Amrita Bazar Patrika and founded sister newspapers across India, as well as a Bengali-language paper called Jugantar.[4]

Ghosh rose to prominence as a journalist in the Indian independence movement. He was a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and the non-violence movement. British colonial authorities imprisoned Ghosh in 1935 for an article which attacked the authority of British judges.[5]

According to a possibly apocryphal story, the colonial Governor of Bengal Province once informed Ghosh that while he read Ghosh's paper regularly, its grammar was imperfect and "it does some violence to the English language." Ghosh reportedly replied, "That, Your Excellency, is my contribution to the freedom struggle."[6]

In addition to his work as a journalist, Ghosh wrote fictional novels and children's books. In 1964, he was a recipient of the third-highest civilian honour of India, the Padma Bhushan, for his contributions to literature and education.[7] Ghosh died of heart failure in Kolkata in 1994 after a brief illness.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tushar Kanti Ghosh, 96, a newspaper baron.... The Baltimore Sun. baltimoresun.com. 31 August 1994 . en-US. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191015205048/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-08-31-1994243041-story.html. 15 October 2019. 2019-10-16.
  2. Book: Wolpert, Stanley A.. Tilak and Gokhale: Revolution and Reform in the Making of Modern India. registration. 359. 1 January 1962. University of California Press. en.
  3. Web site: The Story of the Bangabasi College . 7 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130612083812/http://www.bangabasi.org/aboutus.html . 12 June 2013 . live .
  4. Web site: Without the Raj: State Control and the English-Language Press in India. Shodhganga (শোধগাঙ্গা). 237–324.
  5. Web site: Tushar Kanti Ghosh, Independence Crusader, Dies at 96. AP NEWS. 2019-10-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20191015205056/https://apnews.com/4db3a17ced7793bb6c774707a733e334. 15 October 2019. live.
  6. Web site: Communicating in English. Ghose. Bhaskar. 2006. frontline.thehindu.com. 2019-10-16.
  7. Web site: Padma Awards . Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India . 2015 . 21 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf . 15 October 2015 . live .
  8. News: Tushar Kanti Ghosh, Indian Journalist, 95. Reuters. 1994-08-30. The New York Times. 2019-10-16. en-US. 0362-4331. https://web.archive.org/web/20191015204402/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/30/obituaries/tushar-kanti-ghosh-indian-journalist-95.html. 15 October 2019. live.