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Bhopal & beyond, with an ear on the ground & a vision

Ramesh Chandra Agarwal – 1944 to 2017

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Ramesh Chandra Agarwal
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When the Bhopal Gas tragedy struck in 1984, Ramesh Chandra Agarwal had told his reporters: “We are like the army. A true soldier never gives up arms without fighting.” The result was that Dainik Bhaskar was the only newspaper which kept the presses running even though it was situated in one of the most contaminated areas in the choking city of Bhopal. Within hours of the huge tragedy, Agarwal had gathered his team and told them: “Death spares none, and neither does it discriminate against or for anybody.”

On Wednesday noon, near Ahmedabad airport, it took away Rameshji too. He left behind a shell-shocked family, a sea of friends and admirers as also a legacy that included the world’s fourth largest-circulated newspaper -- with 62 editions in 14 states of the country.

Ramesh Chandra Agarwal was born on November 30, 1944 in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. He pursued his studies up to higher secondary in Jhansi itself where his father Seth Dwarka Prasad Agarwal dealt in books. In 1956, Rameshji came to Bhopal with his father and got a degree in political science from Bhopal University. 

Exactly 59 years ago, the Dainik Bhaskar newspaper was started in Bhopal. Much later, in 1983, the Indore edition was launched and in 1996 Ramesh Chandra Agarwal took the newspaper outside the borders of Madhya Pradesh, entering Rajasthan. His journey did not end there. He stormed through Gujarat with Divya Bhaskar, Maharashtra aboard Divya Marathi, rode radio waves with MyFM and entered the Digital Age with DB Digital.

Along with Essel Group Chairman Dr Subhash Chandra, Ramesh-ji was also instrumental in the launch of DNA in 2005.

In 2012, Forbes ranked Ramesh Chandra Agarwal 95th on its rich-list for India. He was also awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism and India Today included him in the list of top 50 most powerful persons in 2003, 2006 and 2007. 

Ramesh-ji, as he was fondly called, was known for his unique ability to deconstruct complex issues into simple workable solutions. Once, while discussing with his team the genre of film reviews in the country and how the success or failure of a film can actually be measured, he came up with a brilliant -- “Ask the ticket-checker inside the cinema hall. He knows audience reaction the best, scene by scene.”

That was Ramesh-ji. Simple, ear-to-the-ground and yet a visionary.

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