NEW DELHI: Veteran journalist Vinod Dua, who started his career with Doordarshan in the black and white era and went on to make his mark in the digital space in the decades that followed, died in Delhi's Apollo hospital on Saturday.
He was 67.
The last rites of the pioneering television journalist, who was hospitalised with Covid earlier this year and lost his wife, radiologist Padmavati 'Chinna' Dua, to the virus in June, will be performed at the Lodhi crematorium here on Sunday, his daughter and actor-comic Mallika Dua said.
Vinod Dua, who had been admitted to Apollo's intensive care unit, was suffering from chronic liver disease, hospital sources said.
"Our irreverent, fearless and extraordinary father, Vinod Dua has passed away. He lived an inimitable life, rising from the refugee colonies of Delhi to the peak of journalistic excellence for over 42 years, always, always speaking truth to power.
"He is now with our mom, his beloved wife Chinna in heaven where they will continue to sing, cook, travel and drive each other up the wall," Mallika Dua wrote on her Instagram Stories.
Vinod Dua was a pioneer in Hindi broadcast journalism with stints in Doordarshan and NDTV and eclectic interests ranging from politics to cooking.
He hosted the popular food programme "Zaika India Ka" for NDTV that saw him exploring distinct food cultures of different cities and towns in India.
He also anchored "Jan Gan Man Ki Baat" for The Wire Hindi.
Vinod Dua and his wife were in a hospital in Gurgaon when the second Covid wave was at its peak.
The journalist's health had suffered ever since and he had been in and out of hospitals.
The couple is also parents to elder daughter Bakul Dua, a clinical psychologist.
Earlier this week, on Monday, Mallika Dua said her father's condition was "beyond critical".
"...he was moved to the Apollo Hospital ICU last night where he can be cared for better. He remains extremely critical and fragile. He has been a fighter his entire life. Uncompromising and relentless. His family is the same when it comes to him," she added in her Instagram post on Tuesday.
Vinod Dua, who had a degree in English literature from Hans Raj College and later obtained his master's degree in literature from the University of Delhi, had won many laurels over the years.
In 2008, Vinod Dua was honoured with the Padma Shri for journalism.
He was also the first electronic media journalist to receive the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award.