Quick Info
| Profession | Journalist |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Date of Birth | 29/01/1962 |
| Age | 55 years (died on 05, Sep, 2017) |
| Birthplace | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Date of Death | 05/09/2017 |
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Bio/Wiki
| Indian activist and journalist from Bangalore, Karnataka who worked as an editor in Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada weekly started by her father P. Lankesh, and ran her own weekly called Gauri Lankesh Patrike. She was known for advocating freedom of the press and was a fierce critic of right-wing Hindutva politics. |
Physical Stats & More
| Height | 153 cm |
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| Weight | 50 kg |
| Eye Color | Light Brown |
| Hair Color | White |
Educational Qualification(s)
| College | Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi |
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| Eduacational Qualifications | Graduate |
Personal Life
| Date of Death | 05/09/2017 |
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| Place of Death | Outside her residence in Ideal Homes colony, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru |
| Age (at the time of death) | 55 Years |
| Death Cause | Murder (Shot in the head and chest by armed assailants on a motorbike) |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Aquarius |
| Hometown | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
Relationships & More
| Marital Status | Divorcee | ||||
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| Husband/Spouse | Chidanand Rajghatta (Ex-husband - Columnist) | ||||
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Family
| Father | Late Paalyada Lankesh (Litterateur, Poet, and Filmmaker) | ||||
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| Mother | Indira Lankesh (Businesswomen) | ||||
| Siblings |
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| Spouse | Chidanand Rajghatta (Ex-husband - Columnist) | ||||
| Children |
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Career
| Started career as a journalist with The Times of India in Bangalore in the mid-1980s | |
| Worked as a correspondent for Sunday magazine for nine years after returning to Bangalore in 1989 | |
| Worked for Eenadu's Telugu television channel in Delhi in the late 1990s | |
| Took over as editor of Lankesh Patrike in 2000 following her father's death, with brother Indrajit as publisher | |
| Founded and edited Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada-language weekly tabloid, in 2005 | |
| Known for critical journalism covering rural issues, communal violence, caste system, and right-wing extremism | |
| Wrote extensively about sexual assault and rape cases involving religious figures | |
| Was part of a government panel involved in shaping a Maoist surrender to state police and helped reintegrate former rebels | |
| Was planning to publish an article about disinformation at the time of her death in 2017 |
Favourites
| Favourite Food | Grilled chicken | ||||
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| Favourite Actor | Mahesh Babu | ||||
| Favourite Actress | Harshika Poonacha | ||||
| Favourite Films |
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| Favourite TV Show | Boston Legal | ||||
| Favourite Books |
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| Favourite Writers |
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| Favourite Journalist | Shivam Vij | ||||
| Favourite Politicians |
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Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Gauri Lankesh drank alcohol. | |
| 2. She was born into a family known for journalism and media publishing. | |
| 3. Her father was a famous writer, poet, and filmmaker who published the weekly 'Lankesh Patrike'. | |
| 4. Although she aspired to be a doctor, she pursued a career in journalism. | |
| 5. She was previously married to Chidanand Rajghatta, a college friend, before their divorce. | |
| 6. Gauri began her journalism career at the Times of India in Bengaluru. | |
| 7. Following her father's passing in 2000, she took over as chief editor of his publication. | |
| 8. Initially, she worked for Eenadu's Telugu television channel before joining her father's weekly. | |
| 9. Gauri supported political parties like the Indian National Congress (INC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). | |
| 10. Similar to her father, she advocated for secularism and opposed casteism and Hindutva ideology. | |
| 11. She established her own publication, 'Gauri Lankesh Patrike', in 2005. | |
| 12. Tragically, Gauri Lankesh was fatally shot by three assailants on September 5, 2017, while entering her home in Bengaluru. | |
| 13. She had written about the wrongdoings of Indian National Congress leader D. K. Shivakumar. | |
| 14. She faced three defamation cases filed against her in Dakshina Kannada district, including two by Raghaveshwara Bharati for writing about his alleged rapes and sexual assaults. |