All Extravagant People Have An End: Kannada Press’ Homage to Gauri

An associate of Gauri Lankesh says it is important to think who benefits from her assassination.

Mourners gathered to protest the killing of Gauri Lankesh.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Gauri Lankesh started her career as a journalist at a Kolkata-based English weekly in Delhi. In 2000, she took over Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada weekly, from her father Lankesh. Since then, she had been writing in her mother tongue.

The 55-year-old senior journalist, known for being vociferous, was found dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening. Unidentified assailants shot at her at point-blank range. The Karnataka government has ordered for a Special Investigation Team to be formed to probe her killing.

Her death was followed by tributes and obituaries by regional Kannada newspapers and magazines. Newspaper Kannada Prabha dedicated more than half of its first page to her, with the headline : ‘Kalburgi style murder of Gauri Lankesh’.

Also Read: Who Killed Gauri Lankesh? Nationwide Protests Reflect Grief, Anger

‘When Gauri Occupied Her Father’s Cabin’

After Gauri took over Lankesh Patrike, she wanted to start an online version of the tabloid. But the idea was not executed. However, it was always active on social networking sites, an editorial in the Kannada Daily, Prajavani, noted.

The editorial further added:

Gauri’s Twitter introduction is just two words – ‘journalist-activist’. She was probably one of the most trolled Kannada journalists. She was not distracted because of such reactions. Almost every post people shared in the last 24 hours was a criticism of right-wing attitude or cruelty of the state.

‘All Extravagant People Have An End'

Umapathy D, an associate of Lankesh, wrote in Prajavani:

Gauri was close to me for some time since I had spent 20 years in Delhi as a reporter. Gauri’s father played a key role in exposing the Naxalites through the ‘Citizens Initiative for Peace’. It is very important to think who benefits from their assassination. Langesh, Nanjundaswamy, Tejasvi, Ramdas, Ananthamurthy, the departure of Kalburgi, and now, Gauri’s death. History clearly shows that all extravagant people have an end.

‘Involved in Social Movements’

BM Bashir in the Kannada newspaper, Varthabharati, highlighted the difference between the times of Gauri and her father Lankesh.

He wrote that the number of tabloid readers declined in her era. “But that was the time when the Sangh Parivar’s activities were exposed. Gauri was always involved in social movements across the country, especially when it came to the Baba Budangiri case,” he wrote.

Gauri had outright opposed the Sangh Parivar's alleged attempts to “Hinduise” the Sufi shrine Guru Dattatreya Baba Budan Dargah.

Also Read: Gauri Lankesh’s Murder Angers Me, But I Still Believe in Dialogue

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