The Hindu : National : Tributes to Madhavan Kutty

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Thursday, Nov 03, 2005

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National

Tributes to Madhavan Kutty

A meaningful, prolific writer: Manmohan

New Delhi: Senior journalist V.K. Madhavan Kutty, former Editor of the Malayalam daily, Mathrubhumi, and a founder director of satellite channel Asianet, died here on Tuesday following a heart attack. He was 71. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Madhavan Kutty had the proverbial reputation of having `a cat's nine lives' because he survived two plane crashes in the 1970s. He survived the 1973 Indian Airlines plane crash in Delhi in which over 100 people were killed, including the then Steel Minister Mohan Kumaramangalam.

A few years later he survived another crash in which the former Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, had a miraculous escape. He has written a book about his survival — Apakadam-Ente Sahayatrikan (Accidents - My Co-traveller).

Born in Palakkad, Madhavan Kutty started his journalistic career in Mathrubhumi in the 1950s and came to Delhi as the Chief of Bureau. Later, he became the Editor of the newspaper. A known figure in the cultural milieu of Delhi, he authored 16 books in Malayalam, including two novels, several short stories and memoirs.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, Madhavan Kutty was conferred the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 1991. He was awarded the `Swadeshabhimani Puraskaram' in 2002 by the Kerala Government. — PTI

New Delhi Special Correspondent writes:

Leading the nation in paying tributes to Madhavan Kutty, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: "The country has lost a prolific and meaningful writer who was a keen observer of the traits and foibles of the common man."

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said Mr. Kutty represented a generation that stood for finer values in professional journalism.

Union Power Minister P.M. Sayeed said: "He always raised the voice of southern India and adopted a judicious approach without making any distinction between big and small."

Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamad described Mr. Kutty's death as a great loss for Delhi Malayalees.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said: "Madhavan Kutty was a remarkable journalist and writer who made an impact not only in the media in Kerala but also in the capital city. He was deeply involved in all matters connected with Kerala and became a spokesman in the capital for all the legitimate causes connected with Malayalees and Kerala society."

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