Veteran journalist Sitaram passes away

Veteran journalist D. Sitaram passed away here on Monday after prolonged illness. He was 88.

He was associated with many newspapers including The Statesman, The Economic Times and The Patriot and weeklies like Link and news-wires such as United Press of India (UPI) and United News of India (UNI).

Even after five decades of service and post-retirement, he continued his association with the print media by contributing to a leading English daily and language newspapers here.

Hailing from Nalgonda district of Telangana, he moved to Hyderabad in 1930s and began his journalistic career at the age of 17 with Hyderabad Bulletin.

He was known for fearless writing and took on the powers that be, which even led to his transfer to Kolkata in 1960s. He also had a stint in Europe and held top posts in New Delhi and Madras (Chennai) in UNI.

Sitaram launched his own newspaper The Skyline in 1970s. However, financial problems led to the closure of the newspaper

He is survived by a daughter and two sons including Fakir Balaji, the special correspondent of IANS in Bangalore.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Minister for Information and Public Relations DK Aruna condoled Sitaram's death.