Ashok Yalagi, senior journalist, Marathi writer, theatre person and cultural personality, died in Belagavi on Thursday. He was 82.
He was the founder Editor of Avaliya, a Marathi weekly. He served for long as the chief reporter of Tarun Bharat, a Maratha daily.
A postgraduate in Marathi literature, he continued to write fiction and non-fiction in various newspapers. He later headed the cultural wing of the Lokamanya trust. He served as the honorary president of the Lokamanya Library and Vangmaya Charcha Mandal, a cultural club.
Several of his relatives were involved in the Goa liberation struggle and a unified Maharashtra movement. His parents and uncles were jailed in the Goa liberation movement.
He served as the president of the Belgaum Press Club and Ajantha Film Society. He was also active in the Moudya Nivarana Samiti, a NGO that fought against blind belief.
He was a journalist with an attractive writing style. Several of his articles on political and social issues were considered explosive in those times, recalls Sarjoo Katkar, senior journalist.
He was also among the few cultural personalities who acted as a bridge between Kannada and Marathi writers and cultural groups in Belagavi.
