Subhrangshu GuptaKolkata, July 23
C. R. Irani, Editor-in-Chief, The Statesman, died in a city nursing home today after a protracted illness. He was 75.
He was suffering from heart ailment and kidney problems. About a fortnight ago he had been admitted to Dr Devi Shettey’s Cardiac Institute near Salt Lake where he breathed his last this afternoon. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
The body will be kept at the
Statesman House in the Esplanade tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 12 noon for the people in the fraternity and others to show their last respect to the departed journalist.The late Irani was a dignified and well- spoken person in the journalist fraternity, who fought life-long for the media persons and the freedom of the press. He had been a popular figure in the friends circle.
Mr Irani initially joined the paper in the management but later took over its editorship which he carried out most successfully for the past 25 years. Besides getting himself involved in the day to day working of the management as well as editorship, Mr Irani was also writing a weekly feature “Caveat” on various controversial topics varying from politics, religion, social injustice, communal problems and constitutional matter.
His feature became much popular but his criticisms some times landed him in the legal tangle and political harassment by the people in power. But he fought with firmness all the ordeals successfully and ultimately overcame them.
The late Irani was born and brought up in Mumbai. He graduated from St Xavier’s College and passed the Law Degree from the Government Law College, Mumbai.
In his long career in the newspaper , he once held the chairmanship of the prestigious International Press Institute, UK, thrice the chairman’s post of PTI, besides holding various important posts in several other media organisations.
