Veteran journalist Vinod Dua has died at the age of 67 after a drawn-out
illness due to COVID infection, his daughter Mallika Dua confirmed Saturday via
a social media post. Last week, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence awardee was transferred
to the Intensive Care Unit at Apollo Hospital in Delhi, following his doctor’s
orders.

Mallika
shared a heartfelt post hailing her late father as an extraordinary man who
always sought the truth. Calling the Padma Shri recipient fearless and irreverent,
she emphasized how he had risen from the from Delhi’s refugee colonies to reach
heights of journalistic excellence for around 42 years. Vinod, who was a pioneer
in Hindi journalism, had stints at Doordarshan and NDTV. In recent times he was
better known for political commentary on platforms like HW News and The Wire.

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Notably,
Vinod was hospitalised along with his wife and radiologist, Padmavati Dua, after
they were both infected with the coronavirus during the second wave, earlier in
2021. Padmavati passed away in June, and Vinod had been struggling with his
health ever since. His last rites will be at the Lodhi crematorium in the
nation’s capital, tomorrow at noon.

The
late great journalist’s daughters are all that is left of his immediate family.
They include Mallika, the comic-actor, who has appeared in notable Bollywood
movies like ‘Zero’ and ‘Namaste England’, and Bakul, a clinical psychologist.
While the news surely comes as a severe blow to those closest to the eminent
journalist, Mallika maintained a fighting attitude to the very end. Even during
her father’s final days, she remained sure that irrespective of the outcome,
they would celebrate the life he lived and the lives he touched.

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She
believed that a life well-lived is always better than one spent in despair and
fear. Needless to say, Vinod Dua, in all his accomplishments, lived the former.
Our condolences go out to his family during this time.