Sir Mark Tully, the BBC’s renowned correspondent often hailed as the “voice of India,” and a veteran journalist who reported on key events across South Asia including the liberation of Bangladesh has passed away at the age of 90.
Tully’s distinctive and warm voice became familiar to millions of BBC listeners in Britain and around the world. Over decades, he covered some of the region’s most defining events, from war and famine to riots and political upheavals, including the Bhopal gas disaster, the storming of the Sikh Golden Temple, and Bangladesh’s struggle for independence in 1971.
He also witnessed moments of extreme danger, such as in Ayodhya in 1992, when a crowd of Hindu hardliners demolished an ancient mosque. Trapped and threatened by the mob chanting “Death to Mark Tully,” he was locked in a room for hours before being rescued by local officials and a Hindu priest. Reflecting years later, he described the incident as the “gravest setback” to secularism in India since independence.
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Born in 1935 in Calcutta, Tully grew up during the British Raj. His father was a businessman, and his mother hailed from Bengal, where her family had been traders and administrators for generations.
He learned Hindi fluently, a rare achievement among foreign correspondents at the time, earning him the nickname “Tully sahib” and the trust of Indian politicians, editors, and social activists alike. Despite being British, he considered India his home, living there for over three-quarters of his life and embracing its culture and traditions.
After studying history and theology at Cambridge, Tully initially planned to join the clergy but later joined the BBC in 1965.
Starting as an administrative assistant, he quickly moved into reporting, bringing insight, empathy, and a unique storytelling style to his broadcasts.
Known for his commitment to secularism and tolerance, he often highlighted India’s social and religious diversity, speaking out against majoritarianism and advocating for the protection of minority rights.
Tully’s career was marked by bold reporting across India and neighboring countries. He was expelled during the 1975 emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi but returned 18 months later. He served more than 20 years as the BBC’s Delhi bureau chief, covering South Asia’s political transformations, including Bangladesh’s independence, military rule in Pakistan, the Tamil Tigers’ insurgency in Sri Lanka, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
In 1993, Tully publicly criticized the BBC’s leadership, citing a culture of “fear” under then-director general John Birt, and resigned the following year.
He continued broadcasting on BBC Radio 4’s Something Understood, focusing on issues of faith and spirituality, and authored numerous books and essays about India, often collaborating with his partner, Gillian Wright.
Tully was recognized for his contributions by both India and Britain. He received India’s Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards, while Britain knighted him in 2002 for services to journalism. Later in life, he also became an Overseas Citizen of India, describing himself as “a citizen of the two countries I feel I belong to, India and Britain.”
Mark Tully’s legacy endures through decades of reporting that brought South Asia’s stories, struggles, and triumphs to global audiences, including the historic birth of Bangladesh.
Source: BBC