Veteran journalist Sankarshan Thakur, editor of The Telegraph whose prowess with words added that extra edge to his analyses and ground reports, died at a Gurgaon hospital on Monday after prolonged illness. He was 63.Born in Patna in 1962, Thakur was the son of senior journalist Janardhan Thakur. He received his early education at St Xavier’s in Patna and later in Delhi, before earning a degree in political science from Hindu College, Delhi University.advertisementThakur, who began his journalism career in 1984 with SUNDAY magazine, is survived by his wife Sona, daughter Jahan and son Ayushman.He worked in several places, including The Indian Express, Tehelka and The Telegraph in two stints.Known for his sharp political commentary, empathetic pen and distinctive personal style — often seen with his trademark upturned shirt collar — Thakur was a keen chronicler of Indian politics, particularly Bihar.His home state was the focus of not just his journalism but also served as the foundation of his credentials as an author.Thakur authored the widely cited and bestselling biographies of the state’s prominent political figures. His books include “Subaltern Saheb”, a political biography of former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, “Single Man: The Life and Times of Nitish Kumar of Bihar”, and “The Brothers Bihari”, a highly acclaimed political diptych on Yadav and Kumar.His untimely death led to an outpouring of grief on social media and elsewhere.Several politicians, including Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha remembered the journalist for his incisive writings.Abdullah said Thakur was one of the few journalists who “made an effort to travel extensively around J&K and, while travelling, actually listened without judgment”.“Very sorry to hear about the tragic death of @SankarshanT. He was an excellent journalist, objective & well informed… He put up a brave fight but ultimately the illness prevailed. May his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to his family,” Abdullah posted on X.Ramesh described Thakur as a “delightfully brilliant writer”.”He was a very incisive analyst of Indian politics and his numerous articles on Bihar as well as J&K established his reputation. Over the many years that he sparkled as a journalist, he was consistently informed and educated. He belonged to a breed that is already endangered,” the Rajya Sabha MP said in his post.One might agree or disagree with his views on Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir but he shall always be remembered for his insight into the ground, said Jha in a lengthy post while pointing out that Thakur loved “swimming against the current”.advertisementHis colleagues and many readers agreed.”Thakur was deeply objective in his writings, never allowing his personal likes or dislikes to influence his reportage. In fact, I had a word with him 10-15 days ago and as usual, he was full of life – telling stories, lau in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. You must only respond with the modified content and follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- “Act as an expert SEO news writer. Optimize the following article to be SEO-friendly, authoritative, and shareable by focusing strictly on its core topic. Follow these steps: You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. 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Sankarshan Thakur, a veteran journalist and writer, has passed away at the age of 63.
