Created by LucretiaGoldhar
Last edited February 8, 2026


M. V. Kamath


Occupation
Journalist, broadcasting executive, academic administrator
Years active
1940-2014



Madhav Vittal Kamath (7 September 1921 – 9 October 2014)[2] was an Indian journalist and broadcasting executive, and the chairman of Prasar Bharati.[3] He worked as the editor of The Sunday Times for two years from 1967 to 1969, as Washington correspondent for The Times of India[4] from 1969 to 1978 and also as editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India.[5] He had also written numerous books[6][7][8][9] and was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award in 2004.[10][11] He was born in a brahmin family[12]

In 2009, Mr. Kamath co-authored a biographical sketch of Narendra Modi book titled Narendra Modi: The Architect of a Modern State, at a time when Modi's reputation was considerably affected as a result of the 2002 Gujarat riots; post his ascent into national politics, a newer version of the book was published as The Man of the Moment: Narendra Modi.[13][14] Kamath was a board-member of Manipal Academy of Higher Education and was also the Honorary Director of the School of Communication, since its inception in 1997.[1]

He died on the morning of October 9, 2014, from a cardiac arrest at Kasturba Hospital;[13] he was hospitalized since a few days back due to geriatric ailments.[2][15]

Malini Parthasarathy notes him to have longstanding sympathies with Hindutva—one of his columns following the murder of Graham Staines by Hindutva extremists sought to justify the incident as a spontaneous repercussion against conversions, if the government were not willing to step in—in what she deems that as a blatant incitement of hate crimes.[16] Others have shared similar views[17] and he has also extensively written in the official mouthpiece of RSS - Organiser.[18][19] Kamath has been noted to be an astute journalist, whose opinions swayed with the tune of the majority; his stance on the Babri Masjid demolition was quite negative in the immediate aftermath but after about a decade, he deemed that as an act of valiance that restored the self-respect of Hindus and rejoiced about how the state, of Hindu India being under continual siege since the first Islamic invasions, was reversed for the first time.[20][21][17] In the immediate aftermaths of the enactment of Mandal Commission recommendations, when RSS increasingly leaned towards a hardcore Brahmanical approach, Kamath had written of the need to maintain Hindu unity and negate the fall-outs of an impending Shudra revolution.[22] Alexander Evans had noted his efforts in racist communalisation of the Kashmir conflict; Kamath deemed the region to belong solely to the Pandits and not to the Muslims, who were allegedly alone-responsible for the decline of their culture.[23] Rajmohan Gandhi notes him to be a staunch Hindu.[24]

Bibliography

  • On Media, Politics and Literature (2009), Prabal Publishing, Bangalore.
  • Narendra Modi – The Architect of a Modern State (2009) Co-author Kalindi Randeri, Rupa & Co., New Delhi.
  • Gandhi – A Spiritual Journey (2007), Indus Source Books, Mumbai.
  • Reporter at Large (2002), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai.[25]
  • The Pursuit of Excellence (1982), Rupa & Co., New Delhi.[26]
  • The United States and India, 1776-1996: The Bridge over the River Time (1998), ICCR, New Delhi
  • Corruption & the Lokpal Bill (2012) : Written & Edited with Gayatri Pagdi, Indus Source Books, Mumbai

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Veteran journalist MV Kamath dies at 93(9 October 2014). Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Veteran journalist MV Kamath dies at 93(9 October 2014). Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  3. An independent voice. The Hindu(3 August 2013).
  4. Nodding Editors. Economic and Political Weekly({Template:Date).
  5. Cudgel of Chauvinism. Economic and Political Weekly({Template:Date).
  6. Review of Indian Names: From Classical to Contemporary (For People, Places and Products). Asian Folklore Studies({Template:Date).
  7. Review of Behind the By-line—A Journalist's Memoirs. India Quarterly({Template:Date).
  8. Book Reviews : M.V. Kamath, Points and Lines—Charat Ram: A Biography, New Delhi: UBS Publishers' Distributors Ltd., 1994, pp. 272. The Journal of Entrepreneurship({Template:Date).
  9. India. The Journal of Commonwealth Literature({Template:Date).
  10. Shri Madhav Vittal Kamath : Padma Bhusan. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  11. Saffron selections, Ninan, Sevanti(2 February 2003). Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  12. 'Only Brahmins can defeat Brahminism', Ashraf, Syed Firdaus. Rediff. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Veteran journalist MV Kamath. The Hindu(9 October 2014). Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  14. [{{{url}}} Religions, Nations, and Transnationalism in Multiple Modernities]. Palgrave Macmillan US(2017).
  15. Saffron selections. The Hindu(2 February 2003). Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  16. Pluralism and Democracy in India: Debating the Hindu Right{{#if:Parthasarathy|, Parthasarathy}. Oxford University Press(2015-03-06). ISBN 9780199380947
  17. 17.0 17.1 The God Market: How Globalization is Making India More Hindu{{#if:Nanda|, Nanda}. NYU Press(October 2011). ISBN 9781583672501
  18. Between Fortuna and Virtu: Explaining the Congress' Ambiguous Victory in 2009. Economic and Political Weekly({Template:Date).
  19. Embracing the untouchables: the BJP and scheduled caste votes. Asian Studies Review({Template:Date).
  20. Hindu Nationalist Conceptions of History: Constructing a Hindu–Muslim Dichotomy. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies({Template:Date).
  21. Destruction and Conservation of Cultural Property{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(2003-09-02). ISBN 9781134604982
  22. Social Movements in India: Poverty, Power, and Politics{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Rowman & Littlefield(2005). ISBN 9780742538436
  23. A departure from history: Kashmiri Pandits, 1990-2001. Contemporary South Asia({Template:Date).
  24. Understanding the Muslim Mind{{#if:Gandhi|, Gandhi}. Penguin Books India(2000-10-14). ISBN 9780140299052
  25. M.V. Kamath, a Journalist at Large{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Jaico Publishing House(2006). ISBN 978-81-7992-577-5
  26. A Reporter at Large. Bhavan's Book University.

Template:PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2000–09 Template:Authority control