Marutirao Tandle, veteran photo journalist who worked for various publications, including The Hindu, for over 40 years, died in Bidar on Monday. He was 80.
He died in the Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital after a few days of sickness. He was fit and lean and was working till the last week.
Deputy Commissioner R. Ramachandran had visited him in hospital on Sunday.
His love for photography was so deep that he rejected offers of a government job in Hyderabad. He began as an apprentice with a studio and soon began covering news events in Bidar district, Hyderabad and parts of Telangana bordering Karnataka. He had taken pictures of all Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi. His son Gopichand Tandle is an acclaimed photo journalist and a wild life photographer.
He was known for his simple life. He wore white clothes to beat the heat and rode on his scooter throughout the district. He was a fitness freak and went for long walks. His one-meal-a-day formula for fitness was widely talked about. He had a keen news sense and guided young journalists and photographers. Affectionately called “Maruti Mama”, he had developed strong networks in various walks of life.
India Post released a First Day Cover to honour his contribution to journalism in Kalyan Karnataka, in 2019.
Marutirao Tandle’s final rites were conducted in Bidar on Monday. The district unit of the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists held a meeting to pay tributes to him.
