New Delhi: Veteran journalist Vinod Dua has passed away following a prolonged illness following a covid infection, his daughter Mallika Dua confirmed in a social media post.
The 67-year-old journalist was taken to the intensive care unit of Delhi’s Apollo Hospital last week on the advice of doctors. Comedian Mallika Dua said in her Instagram story, “Our carefree, fearless and extraordinary father Vinod Dua has passed away.”
With an illustrious career spanning four decades, Dua was the voice a generation has grown up listening to. His legacy on digital new age media went beyond the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s and his last incarnation. He was known to revolutionize election coverage in India.
Mr. Dua was a pioneer in Hindi journalism with Doordarshan and NDTV. Most recently, he was known for his political commentary in web shows for digital media platforms The Wire and HW News.
Mr. Dua was honored with several awards for his contribution to journalism. In 1996, he became the first electronic media journalist to win the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award.
He was also awarded the Padma Shri for journalism in 2008 by the Government of India. In June 2017, for his lifetime achievement in the field of journalism, Mumbai Press Club honored him with the RedInk Award, which was presented to him by the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis.
He also hosted programs such as ‘Janwani’, where the national broadcaster Doordarshan, which was generally silent on the government, saw the art of asking direct questions and how truth is told to power.
Mr. Dua always considered himself not a journalist but a broadcaster. He was a shrewd political journalist, yet his heart was in art, culture, music, and food.
An important milestone at the beginning of his career was ‘Parakh’, weekly current affairs show on Doordarshan.
Vinod Dua was also an integral part of NDTV’s journey. He was the host of ‘Khabardaar India’ and ‘Vinod Dua Live’. He was also a regular on election broadcasts. More importantly, when Hindi journalism was at its worst on the language used on TV, he was seen as a voice that provided conscience.
His much-loved food show ‘Zika India Ka’ saw him travel across the country to taste the best.
He was widely considered to be fearless and was never afraid to ask the most uncomfortable questions, in as polite a manner as possible.
“Our irreplaceable, fearless and extraordinary father, Vinod Dua, has passed away. He lived an unparalleled life, rising to the pinnacle of journalistic excellence for 42 years from the refugee colonies of Delhi, always, always speaking truth to power. He Now with our mother, his lovely wife Chinna in heaven where they will continue to sing, cook, travel and wallow each other,” wrote Mallika Dua in her Instagram story.
Earlier this year Vinod Dua was hospitalized in Gurugram along with his wife, radiologist Padmavati Dua, following a Covid infection during the second wave. Ms. Dua passed away in June and Mr. Dua has been fighting for his health ever since.
Mr Dua has two daughters, comic-actor Mallika Dua and Bakul Dua, a clinical psychologist.