Sir Mark Tully, the veteran BBC journalist whose reporting chronicled some of South Asia’s most defining moments, including the birth of Bangladesh, has died aged 90.
Often described as the “voice of India”, Tully was known for his distinctive warmth and depth as a broadcaster, earning the trust of listeners across Britain and the subcontinent over several decades, reports BBC.
He reported on landmark events ranging from Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War and the Bhopal gas disaster to the storming of the Golden Temple and the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, where he narrowly escaped a violent mob in 1992.
Born in Calcutta in 1935, Tully grew up during the British Raj and later mastered Hindi, a rarity among foreign correspondents, which deepened his connection with the region and earned him the affectionate title “Tully sahib”.
After joining the BBC in 1965, he went on to serve more than 20 years as its Delhi bureau chief, covering political upheavals across South Asia, including military rule in Pakistan, Sri Lanka’s civil war and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
A committed advocate of secularism and pluralism, Tully was outspoken against majoritarianism and repeatedly highlighted the region’s social and religious diversity.
He resigned from the BBC in the mid-1990s after criticising its leadership but continued broadcasting on Radio 4 and writing extensively on India, faith and society.
Tully received India’s Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards and was knighted by Britain in 2002, later becoming an Overseas Citizen of India.
His reporting remains closely associated with the global telling of Bangladesh’s emergence as a nation and South Asia’s modern history.
