To friends, he was simply Viji. Casual and easygoing, he had a remarkable way of putting a stranger at ease. He was one of the senior editors at The Hindu but did not use this as a reason to throw his weight around. One would find him with his trusty cigarette in the smokers’ corridor lost in thought. Suddenly, he would call you to discuss his edit page column and then check out what you thought about it.

This is what made Viji so special. Youngsters would be on top of the world because here was this senior journalist actually asking them their point of view. He also had a remarkable ability to spot the inherent talent in an individual. There are a whole lot of journalists today who owe their careers to him.

Viji was one of the key architects of Business Line. He was absolutely convinced that there was room for a financial daily which could still be different from the rest. It was his idea to create a think-tank which is today’s BL Research Bureau. Those were exciting days when the paper was being conceived and Viji’s energy levels were soaring high. His enthusiasm was infectious and even the diehard sceptics were convinced that Business Line would work.

It was not all work for Viji. He was passionate about golf and bridge and could dwell on these subjects for hours. And, boy, did he read! He was familiar with almost every writer under the sun and was more than happy to lend friends from his vast collection of books. For a short while he ran a lending library too in Chennai.

Viji was passionate about life beyond work. He kicked off the Saturday club in Chennai where a group of likeminded people would meet and discuss a host of subjects. It was something to look forward to.

Viji died in Pune on Tuesday, just three days short of his 64th birthday. He will be sorely missed.

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