Veteran journalist Bhaskar Menon died in Chennai on Sunday following cardiac arrest, his family said.
The 87-year old Bhaskar, who retired as the Regional Manager (South) of the Press Trust of India (PTI) in Chennai, is survived by wife and a son.
Editor-in-Chief of PTI Vijay Joshi said, “Bhaskar’s passing marks the end of an era, an era of gentlemen journalists. He cared deeply about the turn of a phrase, the right word, the rules of good writing. He mentored countless journalists in PTI, rebuking them with his twinkle-eyed humour for transgressions, and praising them wholeheartedly for a well crafted edit.”
Bhaskar Menon will be sorely missed by his PTI family, he added.
Bhaskar had joined the news agency as a Sub-Editor and rose through the ranks before retiring as the head of its regional bureau.
Bhaskar was known for his command over the English language and sharp editing skills and always insisted on speed and accuracy.
He had handled several key news developments, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur near Chennai in May, 1991.
Before joining the PTI, he was with the Indian Express, where he led an employee's protest. After leaving PTI, he worked for Sun News in its English desk for some time. He also worked for Chennai online after his tenure with PTI.
Bhaskar remained active for many years post his retirement and had taken up the task of analysis of the numerous PTI stories for some years when he used to point out errors and at the same time, applaud where it was due.
Bhaskar was originally from Kerala but he grew up in Chennai and other places.