Remembering Sankarshan Thakur: A journalist who practiced his craft as an art form

The Indian media fraternity is mourning the loss of Sankarshan Thakur, an acclaimed journalist, editor, and author whose sharp political insights and lyrical storytelling left an indelible mark on Indian journalism.

In a moving obituary published on Vyakti, journalist Mihir Srivastava pays tribute to Thakur in a deeply personal essay titled “Sankarshan Thakur: Where the Hell Are You?” The piece recalls Thakur not just as a formidable editor and writer, but as a man of style, warmth, wit, and uncompromising integrity.

Srivastava remembers him as playful and affectionate, yet exacting when it came to journalism. “He practiced journalism as an art form,” he writes, describing how Thakur immersed himself in the histories, cultures, and people of places like Bihar and Kashmir before telling their stories with the facility of a poet.

Thakur’s presence was as commanding off the page as on it, his upright collar, owlet brooch, and fountain pens became his trademark, just as his deep love for Maithili and his fish-frying evenings with colleagues reflected his rootedness. He lived with verve, argued with passion, and inspired generations of political reporters who, as Srivastava notes, “owe their career to him.”

The obituary also captures Thakur’s deep continuity with his father, the veteran journalist Janardan Thakur, whose legacy he carried forward in his own inimitable style.

While some may debate whether Sankarshan lived up to his prodigious talent (mentioned in the original copy in Vyakti), Srivastava is clear in his tribute: “I vehemently disagree. He wrote well, played a long innings of over 40 years in journalism, penned many books and created a body of work.”

As the piece reflects, his absence has left a void in Delhi’s journalistic and cultural life. Yet, in the memories of friends, colleagues, and readers, Sankarshan Thakur lives on, as an editor who led with zest, a writer who treated reporting as poetry, and a man who insisted, till the very end, that “the party must go on.”

The full obituary, written by Mihir Srivastava, was first published on Vyakti.

Link: https://www.vyakti.co.in/post/sankarshan-thakur-where-the-hell-are-you-by-mihir-srivastava