B. G. Verghese | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1926-06-21)21 June 1926 Maymyo, Burma |
| Died | 30 December 2014(2014-12-30) (aged 88) New Delhi, India |
| Education | The Doon School University of Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, former editor forHindustan Times |
Boobli George Verghese (21 June 1927 – 30 December 2014) was a senior Indian journalist. He was editor of leading newspapers theHindustan Times (1969–75) andThe Indian Express (1982–86).[1] In 1975, he received theRamon Magsaysay award for outstanding contribution to journalism. After 1986, he was associated with the New Delhi think-tankCentre for Policy Research.[2][3]
Verghese attendedThe Doon School. He then studied Economics atSt. Stephen's College, Delhi and pursued a master's degree fromTrinity College, Cambridge.[4] While at Doon, Verghese editedThe Doon School Weekly.[5]
Verghese started his journalistic career inThe Times of India. He was information adviser to Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi in 1966-69, and wrote her speeches.[6] Subsequently, he joinedHindustan Times as editor, but lost his post for criticising Indira Gandhi duringthe Emergency.[7] His integrity in those years earned him immense respect, and he was awarded theRamon Magsaysay award that year. Immediately afterwards, he contestedLok Sabha elections in 1977 fromMavelikkara inKerala but lost.
Verghese was also a member of theKargil Review Committee following theKargil War.[8] He was also a member of theNational Security Council Advisory Board.
A crusader for civil rights, Verghese has long worked on problems of development. He was also on theEditors Guild of India Fact Finding Mission after theGujarat riots, 2002.[9]
He wrote extensively on developmental issues.Waters of hope (1990) andWinning the Future (1994) discuss managing theHimalayan watershed.Design for tomorrow (1965),India's North East resurgent andReorienting India: Rage, reconciliation and security (2008) are other books with a progressive theme. He also authoredWarrior of the Fourth Estate (2005), an acclaimed biography ofRamnath Goenka, owner of theIndian Express, In October 2010, he published his autobiographyFirst Draft: Witness to Making of Modern India, which discusses the steady degradation of democratic processes during the tenures of Indira Gandhi and her sonRajiv.[10]
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