HYDERABAD: The Indian Journalists’ Union and the AP Union of Working Journalists on Tuesday mourned the demise of veteran journalist V. Ramachandran, a former staff correspondent of The Hindu, in Chennai on September 27. In a statement, IJU secretary-general K. Srinivas Reddy and APUWJ president Y. Narender Reddy said the AP journalist fraternity had lost a veteran , who was closely associated with the union. They conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family.

V. Ramachandran, who worked in The Hindu for over five decades, passed away in Chennai on Sunday after a brief illness. He was 87. He is survived by two daughters and a son.  During his long stint, he covered many an eventful happening, including religious conversions at Meenakshipuram in Tamil Nadu. He had a ringside view of the political developments when Andhra was carved out from the erstwhile Madras Province in 1953 while working in Kurnool and subsequently when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad upon formation of Andhra Pradesh. Born at Melur in Madurai district in June 1922, he worked for the Tamil daily Swadesamitran in Tirunelveli in 1949 and worked in The Hindu from 1953 to 2004.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah expressed his grief over the death and said Mr. Ramachandran belonged to an era of distinguished journalists who were upright, fearless and honest to the core. In his condolence message, the Chief Minister said Mr. Ramachandran worked as The Hindu’s senior correspondent in Kurnool for a long time and was very close to senior leaders like the former Chief Minister K. Vijayabhaskara Reddy.

Several public representatives expressed shock and dismay at the demise of former correspondent of ‘The Hindu’ V.Ramachandran. MP Kotla Jayasuryaprakasa Reddy, Mayor S. Raghurami Reddy, president of Gadicharla Foundation K.Chandrasekhar Kalkura condoled the death describing Mr. Ramachandran as veteran journalist who rendered great service to the district by covering several events of political significance.

Mr. Ramachandran was a long-standing journalist at Kurnool. He covered events like formation of Andhra State in 1953 and Andhra Pradesh in 1956. Mr. Ramachandran also reported the laying of foundation for Srisailam dam by former Prime Minister Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963. He witnessed the functioning of Prakasam Panthulu, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy governments and covered . Mr. Ramachandran was closely associated with former Chief Minister Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy.