14 Facts About Vinod Mehta

Vinod Mehta was an Indian journalist, editor and political commentator.

Vinod Mehta was the founder editor-in-chief of Outlook from 1995 to 2012 and had been editor of publications such as The Pioneer, The Sunday Observer, The Independent and The Indian Post.

On 31 May 1941, Mehta was born in Rawalpindi, in Punjab, British India.

Vinod Mehta grew up as an army boy in Lucknow, an experience that turned him into a determined secularist.

Vinod Mehta attended La Martinere school and the university there.

Vinod Mehta was married to Sumita Paul, a journalist who has worked for The Pioneer and the Sunday edition of The Times of India.

Vinod Mehta had a daughter from a prior relationship, the existence of whom he revealed in a memoir after encouragement from his wife.

Vinod Mehta died of multi-organ failure in New Delhi on 8 March 2015, after a prolonged illness.

Vinod Mehta became one of India's most influential editors by launching a number of successful publications such as the Sunday Observer in 1981, The Indian Post in 1987, The Independent in 1989, The Pioneer in 1990 and, finally, Outlook in 1995.

Mehta was forced to resign from the editorship of The Independent newspaper in 1989,29 days after launching it, because of a story based on a dubious RAW report, calling the Maharashtrian politician Y B Chavan a spy, which Mehta ran with an eight-column banner headline.

Vinod Mehta was a TV panellist and frequently appeared on TV shows like Newshour on Times Now and India at 9 at CNN-IBN.

Vinod Mehta was called upon by news anchors as a senior journalist and was sought after for his analysis of major issues and scenarios.

Vinod Mehta was president of the Editors Guild of India and was, briefly, the writer and presenter of "Letter from India" on the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4.

Vinod Mehta had an unconventional approach towards editing newspapers, brimming with ideas he was shorn of any pomposity.