Mark Tully's baritone, prose beamed India's triumphs, tribulations to the world

SIr William deutschmark Tully, among the to the highest degree famous chroniclers of bharat who helmed the BBC in bharat for ii decades and became an authoritative voice to millions of people at defining moments in the journey of the world’s largest democracy, died on Sunday. He was 90.Born in erstwhile Calcutta during the British Raj in 1935, Tully made India his home and his career, becoming the gold standard for a foreign correspondent. For decades, his rich baritone became a marker for commentary on India as the veteran journalist covered events as varied as the Bangladesh war, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid.He was also a longtime Sunday columnist for this newspaper.A recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Knighthood, Tully was admitted to the Max Hospital at Saket in south Delhi on January 21.“Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, confirms with deep sadness the passing of Mr William Mark Tully on January 25, 2026, at 2:35 pm. The cause of death was multi-organ failure following a stroke. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, loved ones, and all those affected by his passing,” the hospital said in a statement.Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death. “Saddened by the passing of Sir Mark Tully, a towering voice of journalism. His connect with India and the people of our nation was reflected in his works,” he said on X.“His reporting and insights have left an enduring mark on public discourse. Condolences to his family, friends and many admirers,” Modi added.Tully spent the first decade of his life in India, studying at a boarding school in Darjeeling before he was sent off to England for further education. He studied theology at Cambridge University before joining a seminary. But he returned to India in 1965, joining the BBC in New Delhi as an office administrator. After a brief stint in London at the BBC’s Hindi and World Service, he was appointed the public broadcaster’s correspondent in New Delhi in 1971.Tully was named bureau chief a few years later, overseeing coverage of South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - a position he held for two decades.“Sir Mark opened India to the world through his reporting, bringing the vibrancy and diversity of the country to audiences in the UK and around the world,” BBC News interim chief Jonathan Munro said in a statement.His long and illustrious career was sometimes seen as synonymous with India’s journey. From the Bangladesh war of 1971 to the Emergency of 1975-77, the execution of former Pakistan president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.Operation Blue Star and the Punjab problem were the subjects of Tully’s first book, “Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle” (1985), co-written with journalist Satish Jacob.Tully’s first major book on his years in India came in 1988 in the form of “No Full Stops in India”, condensing his work in a collection of 10 journalistic essays covering some of the prominent news events, including Operation Blue Star, Roop Kanwar Sati case, Ramanand Sagar’s “Ramayan”, and the 1977 Kumbh Mela.“The stories I tell in this book will, I hope, serve to illustrate the way in which Western thinking has distorted and still distorts Indian life -- I might almost say they are parables. They provide no answers to India’s poverty, but I believe they do suggest where we should begin to look for those answers -- in India itself,” he wrote in the book’s introduction.Tully was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992, knighted in the New Year Honours List in 2002, and received the Padma Bhushan in 2005. He resigned from the BBC in 1994, after accusing the then administration of running the corporation by “fear”.In a total of 10 books, both fiction and non-fiction, Tully always centred India. He was expelled from India at 24 hours’ notice in 1975 after then prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Emergency. But he headed back 18 months later.BBC reported that in 1992, as the crowds surged before the demolition of Babri Masjid, a section of the mob was suspicious of the BBC and threatened him, chanting “Death to Mark Tully”. He was locked in a room for several hours before a local official and a priest came to his aid.His writing for this newspaper spanned a wide range – from spirituality to contemporary politics and international affairs to colonial legacies.“The crumbling institutions of the Raj, and the outdated laws, still surviving today are the most obvious colonial legacy. From the lordly collector in his colonial bungalow to the lowly block development officer, regarded by villagers as the official who blocks development, from the high and mighty IPS officer flying his quasi-military flag on his car to the unhelpful thanadar routinely refusing to file FIRs, they all symbolise not swaraj but state raj,” he wrote in 2013.He deeply cared about India and Indian institutions, often expressing pride that as an overseas citizen of India, he was able to belong to two countries – UK and India.“We live in India, and we should be proud of it. It is the world’s largest democracy. Unlike our neighbours, we have never descended into dictatorship. How often have I written or said those words? They are true, but life doesn’t stand still, nor does democracy. We need to be sure our democracy is going in the right direction,” he wrote in this paper in 2023.