R K Roy

R K Roy, the veteran journalist, died in Pune on 2 August at the age of 78. He was suffering from a combination of lung cancer and heart ailment for over two years. RK is survived by his wife Laxmi, also a journalist and researcher, and son Rathin, a UNDP economist currently stationed in Brazil.

After early education at St Xavier’s College in Bombay and a stint with Allahabad Bank, RK joined the Economic Weekly (EW), the precursor to EPW, under the legendary editor Sachin Chaudhuri. For the next five years he was the copywriter, subeditor, production man and proofreader all rolled into one. His production day at the New Jack Printing Press at Lower Parel stretched to 18 hours but he loved every moment of the drama and drudgery behind the printed word. He enjoyed and loved the association with Sachin Chaudhuri, K S Krishnaswamy, R K Hazari, and Krishna Raj who was his peer and colleague.