Headlines
Journalist, unionist Vasant Pradhan dies
Mumbai, Feb 2
Vasant Pradhan, a veteran
Marathi journalist, trade unionist and Gandhian, passed away Sunday
following old age related problems, his family said here Monday.
He
was 90 and is survived by his wife, lawyer Kisan, daughters Justice
Nishita Mhatre of the Calcutta High Court and Deepti Pradhan, a
scientist at Yale University, US, musician son Aneesh and
daughter-in-law, classical vocalist Shubha Mudgal.
He breathed his last at his home in Khar and the funeral shall be performed here Tuesday.
Born June 16, 1924, he plunged into the Indian freedom struggle at the age of 18 and was jailed during the Quit India Movement.
Later,
under the guidance of a senior journalist, the late G.M. Chitnis, he
started his media career with Chitra, a Marathi daily which he later
headed.
In 1956, Pradhan and his wife Kisan launched a Marathi
eveninger Zunjar which ran for 10 years, but shut down following various
obstacles.
He joined the Loksatta Marathi daily in 1969 and continued till his retirement in 1984.
Pradhan
was active with the Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Employees Union
and had faced action for his union activities, but was associated with
it for 15 years after his retirement.
Besides his media career,
Pradhan authored several books on labour laws and was considered an
authority on the subject by workers and the industry comprising small
and medium enterprises (SMEs).
He also served as the president of
the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Library, honorary Secretary of Gandhi Smarak
Nidhi, and president of Gandhi Films Foundation in Mumbai.