G. Kasturi – what a many-splendoured person!
Anyone who had worked in the Indian news publishing industry during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, whether as a journalist or an editor, or a press operator or printer, would have heard about G. Kasturi. Those who worked during those years with The Hindu Group would have got to know him better than most. And those in top management positions in the news publishing business in India and abroad who corresponded with him or met him would have considered it a privilege. Gopalan Kasturi, grandson of S. Kasturi Ranga Iyengar who purchased The Hindu in 1905, was not just an extraordinary editor of a newspaper and the longest serving, guiding The Hindu for more than 25 years, from 1965 to 1991. His wide-ranging knowledge and fascination in tools and skills led him to bring modern production technology to the group – a first in Indian journalism. For an editor and managing director, GK, as he was better known, had extraordinary vision. He introduced offset printing, colour scanning, and...
