Gomatam Dwarakanath, who served The Hindu Group for over four decades, and retired as News Editor of the newspaper, passed away in Bengaluru on Tuesday, after a prolonged illness. He was 86.
GD, as he was affectionately referred to, joined the newspaper on August 1, 1958, after graduating in science and law from Mysore University. He replaced K. Narayanan as News Editor, after the latter went on to oversee the operations of Frontline. He retired from The Hindu in 2001.
Recalling their professional association with GD, journalists who had worked with him remembered how loyal he was to the organisation and very professional in running the desk. He was humane and humorous, and rarely took leave. They said GD handled typical newsroom work pressure with ease and groomed youngsters in the team. He also ensured that everyone followed The Hindu’s stylebook.
His brother G. Kannan said GD was a violinist too. He has authored two books on Tyagaraja’s thoughts on music: Pancharatna Kritis – meanings and significance and Forgotten Chapters of Music. He was a student of the Ayyanar College of Music founded by the late T. Chowdiah and his advanced lessons under eminent composer Thanjavur Sankara Iyer taught him to delve into the rare kritis of Tyagaraja.
