Guwahati: Mark Tully, the iconic voice of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the subcontinent and one of India’s most respected foreign correspondents, passed away at the age of 90. Tully, who made Delhi his home, covered landmark events that shaped India’s politics and history until the mid-1990s.
The former BBC New Delhi Bureau Chief held the position for 20 years and worked with the BBC for three decades before resigning in July 1994. Over his career, Tully received numerous awards and authored nine books, cementing his legacy as both a journalist and an author.
Born on October 24, 1935, in Tollygunge, then part of 24 Parganas, Mark Tully was one of six children. Lightheartedly, he once described himself as “the last relic of the Raj.” He arrived in New Delhi in December 1965 and covered the funeral of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in January 1966 as one of his first major assignments.
Tully’s career in India was not without challenges. During Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure, the BBC faced restrictions, and its offices were closed from 1970 to 1972 following controversial documentaries such as Calcutta and Phantom India. In 1975, Tully was asked to leave India and reported from East Pakistan, where he was among the first journalists to gain early access to the region and interview Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Returning to India in 1977, Tully interviewed Indira Gandhi multiple times and extensively covered pivotal events including Operation Blue Star. He reportedly spoke to Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale days before the military operation at the Golden Temple and later interviewed SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra.
Tully also covered the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the PV Narasimha Rao era, and the Babri Masjid demolition. His deep understanding of India’s social and political complexities shaped his work both on radio and in print.
He authored several acclaimed books, including No Full Stops in India, Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle, The Heart of India (1995), India in Slow Motion (2002, co-authored with Gillian Wright), and India: The Road Ahead (2011), along with collections of short stories.
Tully spent much of his later life in New Delhi and McLeod Ganj, carrying a lifelong curiosity about India’s pluralism. A devout Anglican, he often reflected on the spiritual intersections between his faith and the country’s diverse cultural and religious landscape.
Family sources said Tully suffered a stroke last night and passed away in a private hospital in Delhi on Sunday afternoon. UNESCO described him as a “living witness” to an era when radio was the primary medium, telephone communications were unreliable, and broadcasts were recorded on magnetic tapes sent physically to editorial offices.
“For over a quarter of a century, one of the most recognised and trusted radio voices in India was that of Mark Tully,” UNESCO noted, acknowledging his unparalleled contribution to journalism in the subcontinent.