Veteran journalist Dinkar Raikar dies at 79

Mumbai, January 21

Lokmat Media Dinkar Raikar died of a prolonged illness at a private hospital here in the early hours of Friday, family sources said.

Raikar, 79, is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.

“Raikar had tested positive for Covid-19 and was also suffering from dengue. He had been bedridden for some weeks at his residence here and was shifted to a private hospital a few days ago. His lung infection reached 80 per cent and he never recovered from it,” a family member said.

Raikar started his career with the Indian Express group and later joined Lokmat as the editor of its Aurangabad edition. He was later made a group editor.

Condoling Raikar’s death, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, “In him, we have lost an editor who contributed to new values in the field of journalism. He encouraged young journalists to explore and bring in new content and issues”. Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said, “He was a moderate, well-studied journalist and an editor. As an editor, he always focused on enlightening the readers. His contribution in the making of many journalists who are currently in the profession is noteworthy. We have lost a cordial journalist who was deeply attached to the society and its issues”. —