19 Facts About Mark Tully

Sir William Mark Tully, KBE was born on 24 October 1935 and is a British journalist and the former Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi, a position he held for 20 years.

Mark Tully worked with the BBC for 30 years before resigning in July 1994.

The recipient of several awards, Tully has authored nine books.

Mark Tully joined the BBC in 1964 and moved back to India in 1965 to work as the corporation's India Correspondent.

Mark Tully covered all the major incidents in South Asia during his tenure, ranging from Indo-Pakistan conflicts, Bhopal gas tragedy, Operation Blue Star, Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi to the Demolition of Babri Masjid.

Mark Tully resigned from the BBC in July 1994, after an argument with John Birt, the then Director General.

Mark Tully accused Birt of "running the corporation by fear" and "turning the BBC into a secretive monolith with poor ratings and a demoralised staff".

Mark Tully was the regular presenter of the weekly BBC Radio 4 programme Something Understood until the BBC announced its cessation in 2019.

Mark Tully described his experiences and the fact that India had historically been home to all the world's major religions.

Mark Tully said that had taught him that there are many ways to God.

Mark Tully is patron of the British branch of Child in Need India.

Mark Tully had contributed his heartfelt efforts to keep literature alive and had been key speaker among 50 speakers of second Kalinga Literary Festival on 17 May 2015, where he explored the role of literature in nation building.

Mark Tully was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1985 and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992.

Mark Tully was knighted in the New Year Honours 2002, receiving a KBE, and in 2005 he received the Padma Bhushan.

Mark Tully was conferred the coveted RedInk Lifetime Achievement Award of the Mumbai Press Club.

Mark Tully later wrote India's Unending Journey and India: The Road Ahead, published in India under the title Non-Stop India.

Mark Tully's latest book Upcountry Tales: Once Upon A Time In The Heart Of India is a collection of short stories set in rural north India.

Mark Tully was born in Tollygunge in India His father was a British businessman who was a partner in one of the leading managing agencies of the British Raj.

Mark Tully spent the first decade of his childhood in India, although without being allowed to socialise with Indian people; at the age of four, he was sent to a "British boarding school" in Darjeeling, before going to England for further schooling from the age of nine.