Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has expressed grief at the demise of G. Kasturi, former Editor of The Hindu , saying that in his death, the media has lost an iconic figure and a doyen, who stood for meritorious and impartial journalism.
Mr. Shettar said Mr. Kasturi was the main force behind the modernisation of the popular daily, a symbol of factual and quality journalism. Under his able leadership, The Hindu and its sister publication, Frontline, carved a niche for themselves, by upholding impartiality and truthfulness.
The former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, has expressed his profound grief. He said Mr. Kasturi was one of the greatest architects of The Hindu, who made the newspaper world-class. He was a great visionary, maintaining a low profile to focus essentially on the finer aspects of journalism and technological upgrade of the newspaper.
“Mr. Kasturi strode like a colossus, bringing name and fame to The Hindu… I offer my condolences to the members of the bereaved family and pray god to give them the strength to bear with the loss. May his soul rest in peace,” Mr. Gowda said.
C.M. Ramachandra, former Editorial Representative and Chief of Bureau of The Hindu , Bangalore, said:
“The demise of Mr. Kasturi, the architect of modernisation of The Hindu , is shocking news to me, a deeply felt personal loss. He was my maker in The Hindu , my professional alma mater which I served for four decades almost entirely under his distinguished leadership, a rare combination of the employer and the editor which is uncommon in the Indian newspaper industry’s history.
“The range of his interests enriched his exemplary editorial stock. I could quote several instances of his assertion of fierce commitment to editorial independence over purely commercial interests. As I knew him from close quarters, he was no respector of Chief Ministers and Governors when it came to upholding independence and objectivity and fair name of The Hindu . I pray to god to grant strength to Mrs. Kasturi, Mr. Balaji, Mr. Venugopal and Ms. Lakshmi.”
