Fearless journalist Vinod Dua dies at 67
By: Pallab Ghosh
Radiance News Service
An era has come to end with the passing away of veteran journalist Vinod Dua after a prolonged illness. He was 67. Dua was in an intensive care unit of a Delhi hospital. Both he and his wife had contracted COVID and were undergoing treatment. His wife Chinna Dua succumbed to COVID in June this year.
Vinod Dua, for those who had seen the Doordarshan era during the early '80s used to be a star attraction on Sunday morning when he used to host his show 'Aap Ke Liye'. The programme used to be a bouquet of various cultural programmes from skits to pop songs and even folk songs. Dua had a unique style in which he would carry the show. His style of anchoring was extremely smart and crispy.
During the late 80's he became quite popular for hosting a political debate 'Janvani' on Doordarshan. The programme had various political leaders including ministers who would face Dua who was vocal and blunt in asking questions that needed reply. During one such episode then Congress leader HKL Bhagat left the show unable to eschew the questions asked by Dua. He infused a new style in television journalism. Those were the era of Doordarshan.
Apart from these Dua has anchored Election Analysis with Dr Prannoy Roy with whom he later worked also. During his stint at the New Delhi Television (NDTV), he hosted the roving culinary show 'Zaika India Ka' apart from regular news segments. In his later part of life, he was largely associated with shows on other TV channels and online portals. He also hosted 'Parakh', weekly current affairs show on Doordarshan.
His way of presenting news was unique and connected him instantly with his viewers. Unlike most television journalists on private channels today, Dua had the guts to call a spade a spade and this is what made him both popular and unpopular as many within the power corridors of media and politics found it hard to eschew.
He was conferred with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 1996. The first electronic media journalist to win this award. An institution in his own rights. Young journalists have a lot to learn from him both in the style of presentation and how to script a story with ease that would sound so natural. Dua also received the Padma Shri for Journalism in 2008.
His daughter Mallika Dua wrote: "Our irreverent, fearless and extraordinary father, Vinod Dua has passed away. He lived an inimitable life, rising from the refugee colonies of Delhi to the peak of journalistic excellence for over 42 years, always, always speaking truth to power. He is now with our mom, his beloved wife Chinna in heaven where they will continue to sing, cook, travel and drive each other up the wall."