Door Darshan (DD) Hyderabad and an alumnus of Osmania University’s Journalism department, Sanjiv Cherian Thomas, passed away

S.Ravi Seshu

The face of Door Darshan in Hyderabad and an alumnus of the Osmania University’s Journalism department, Sanjiv Cherian Thomas, passed away at the age of 58 at Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) on July 23, 2016.

A senior news correspondent with DD, Thomas was undergoing treatment for diabetes and kidney related issues for the last couple of years. He had lost his wife two years ago.

He joined DD in 1989 and made a name in the field of television journalism. He travelled with Prime Ministers and Presidents of India to report. May be because of independence he enjoyed, Thomas never tried to shift to the more glittering private television channels in his career.

According to his friends, Thomas quit his career as Research Associate at ISRO, Ahemdabad in 1985 and chose to be with DD, initially as a Research Officer.

Chief of Bureau of Business Line, Mulugu Somasekhar, posted a touching tribute hailing the journalistic qualities of the departed journalist. “Whether it was a political development or a science story, he was able to explain and report with clarity and depth. Sanjiv was a soft spoken and was always at hand to help colleagues and friends. He represents the fading tribe of Journalists with a balanced view and sober voice, especially in the contemporary high decibel TV news business.”

Susarla Nagesh Kumar, former Resident Editor of The Hindu and classmate of Thomas in OU said: “We will miss Sanjiv’s hearty laughter. He had the great quality of not taking things more seriously than they warranted. This is what accounted for his cheerful disposition and his ability to get along well with everyone. He was a resourceful, intrepid and widely travelled journalist.”
Many editors and journalists sent condolence messages.