Gauri Lankesh (Journalist)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Gauri Lankesh

• Did Gauri Lankesh smoke?: Yes

• Did Gauri Lankesh drink alcohol?: Yes

• Gauri was born into a family of renowned journalists and media publishers.

• Her father was a well-known litterateur, poet, and filmmaker whose weekly ‘Lankesh Patrike’ broke major political scandals that rocked governments.

• She wanted to be a doctor, but it didn’t happen, so she decided to become a journalist.

• She was married before 1980 to her collage friend, Chidanand Rajghatta, but the couple got divorced later. However, they remained friend post their divorce.

• She started her career as a journalist with a stint at the Times of India, Bengaluru.

• After the demise of her father in 2000 due to ‘heart attack’, she stepped into her father’s shoes as chief editor.

• Before working in his father’s weekly, she was working for Eenadu’s Telugu television channel in Delhi. 

• She was the supporter of political parties, such as – Indian National Congress (INR) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

• Like her father, she was known for her secular, anti-caste and anti-Hindutva views.

• In 2005, she opened her own weekly called ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike.’

• On 5 September 2017, at around 8.00 pm, she was shot by 3 assailants when she was entering her house in Bengaluru’s Ideal Homes colony in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.