Sankarshan Thakur, Chronicler of Bihar Politics, Dies at 63
Sankarshan Thakur, Celebrated Journalist and Chronicler of Bihar Politics, Dies at 63 (Image X.com)
From Lalu to Nitish, from Kargil to Kashmir, Thakur’s lyrical reportage defined an era of fearless ground journalism.
By TRH News Desk
NEW DELHI, September 8, 2025 — Sankarshan Thakur, senior journalist and Editor of The Telegraph, passed away on Monday in a Gurugram hospital after a battle with lung cancer. He was 63.
The son of veteran journalist Janardan Thakur, Sankarshan carried forward a legacy of storytelling that blended sharp political insight with human warmth. Widely admired for his evocative prose, he chronicled Bihar’s turbulent politics through acclaimed works like The Brothers Bihari, Subaltern Saheb: Bihar and the Making of Laloo Yadav, and Single Man: The Life and Times of Nitish Kumar.
Thakur began his career with Sunday magazine, before stints at The Indian Express and Tehelka, eventually returning to The Telegraph, where he rose to become Editor. The Editors Guild of India hailed him as “a fearless ground reporter who brought to life some of India’s most defining events — from the Kargil War and Bhopal Gas Tragedy to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Kashmir conflict, and Sri Lankan civil war.”
His colleagues remembered his relentless commitment to field reporting. “He was not merely a reporter but a writer who turned reportage into literature,” wrote AJ Philip in an obituary shared by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. “He humanised Bihar politics for a national audience and gave texture to war reporting.”
Thakur was a recipient of the Prem Bhatia Award for Excellence in Political Journalism (2001) and the Appan Menon Fellowship (2003).
Condolences poured in from across the media fraternity. Milan Vaishnav called his books on Bihar “terrific guides to one of India’s most politically complex states.” Basharat Peer described him as “an original… a lovely man, terrific writer and editor.” The Press Club of India said his passing marked “the loss of a fearless voice in journalism.”
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