Prize-winning veteran NDTV journalist Kamal Khan passed away at the age of 61 due to cardiac arrest at his residence in Lucknow on Friday, 14 January 2022. Khan had a three-decade-long association with NDTV and was a force to reckon with. Khan’s legendary reporting had received the distinguished Ramnath Goenka Award and Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Award honors from the Indian President. Additionally, he had received recognition for Best Documentary on Environment Awareness, NT Award for Best Hindi TV Reporter, and a SAARC Federation of Writers and Literature accolade.
According to his family members, Khan complained of mild chest pain at 4 am in the morning, but miscalculated it as acidity went back to sleep after swallowing an antacid. However, he had already left for his heavenly abode till a family friend arrived with a doctor.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Housing, and Urban Affairs Minister & Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, BSP chief Mayawati, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, former MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and as well as several members of the media fraternity expressed their condolences to the bereaved family on Khan’s untimely demise.
Khan reported on the upcoming UP assembly election during his last days. His recent broadcast on the pervasiveness of misogyny in our culture was a classic. The polished storyteller was also the executive editor and chief of the Lucknow bureau of NDTV. Khan had a degree in English literature and had a short stint with The Navbharat Times before joining NDTV. He had also studied Russian language and philosophy from Moscow University and also served as a Russian interpreter in his role. He is survived by his wife Ruchi Kumar, a senior TV journalist as well; and son Aman Khan.
Khan will be remembered for a long time for his astute reporting in the toughest of circumstances, and the undiluted honesty with which he delivered. His chronicling of the Uttar Pradesh political scene with unparalleled dedication brings instant recollection to mind. His nuanced technique and subtle language shaded with a hint of the glorious Awadhi flavor will be looked back on with fond delight by friends, family members, fellow journalists, and colleagues alike.
