Gauri Lankesh was an Indian journalist and social activist best recognized for her vehement opposition to right-wing Hindutva ideology. She was born in Bangalore, Karnataka. She began her career as a correspondent for numerous news organizations before following in her father P. Lankesh’s footsteps and publishing the Kannada language tabloid ‘Lankesh Patrike,’ which advocated for equal rights for many marginalized groups against pressure from all sections of society. She was outspoken in her criticism of Hinduism’s caste system and treatment of women. She claimed that Hinduism was a “social hierarchy system” that regarded women as “second-class creatures,” rather than a religion. Even though she denied it, she was accused of being a Naxalite sympathizer, claiming that her conversations with Naxal leaders were unbiased. She was named to a commission set up by the Karnataka government, led by Congress, to persuade Naxalites to stop fighting and surrender. In September 2017, a brave journalist who was dreaded by political and religious groups for her views was brutally murdered in front of her home.
Childhood and Adolescence
Gauri Lankesh was born in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, on January 29, 1962, to P. Lankesh and his wife Indira Lankesh. Her father is a poet-turned-journalist who founded the weekly Kannada language newspaper ‘Lankesh Patrike,’ and her mother is a sari shop owner in Bangalore.
She comes from a Lingayat family, a South Indian Shaivite religious sect that worships the Hindu god Shiva. Her father, on the other hand, declared himself an atheist, and she later became a rationalist.
She grew up in Shivamogga’s Konagavalli village with her younger sister Kavitha and younger brother Indrajit. She went to school in Bengaluru and then earned a bachelor’s degree from Bengaluru’s Central College.
She aspired to be a doctor at first but decided to pursue a master’s degree in journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in Delhi instead.
The Career of Gauri
Gauri Lankesh began her work as a trainee at the then-weekly newspaper ‘Sunday Mid-Day’ in Bangalore after completing her schooling. In the 1980s, she worked as a journalist for ‘The Times of India’ in Bangalore for a short time.
She returned to Bangalore after spending some time in Delhi with her then-husband, journalist Chidanand Rajghatta, and began working as a correspondent for the ‘Sunday’ magazine. She stayed at that job for nine years before moving to Delhi to work for the television station of the Telugu-language daily newspaper ‘Eenadu.’
She had been a journalist for about sixteen years when her father died of a heart attack in January 2000. Despite her family’s opposition to the tabloid’s continuation, Mani, the publisher of ‘Lankesh Patrike,’ persuaded her to become the paper’s editor, while her brother became the proprietor and publisher.
Within a year, the two siblings began to have ideological disagreements over the paper’s future, which became public in 2005 when they addressed separate news conferences and targeted one another. Her brother allegedly refused to tolerate her social involvement, while she claimed that her pro-Naxal stance was harming the paper’s ideology.
Her brother withdrew a report regarding a Naxalite attack on cops that she had signed in February 2005, claiming that the report was biased in favor of the Naxals who had killed seven police officers.
Her brother then filed a police report accusing her of stealing a computer, printer, and scanner from the publication’s office, while she countered by accusing him of threatening her with a pistol.
Her brother later claimed that she was still the tabloid’s editor and that he wanted to talk about their issues. She did, however, launch her own tabloid, Gauri Lankesh Patrike, with a staff of 50 people and no advertisements, and served as its editor until her death.
Gauri Lankesh’s Ideology
Gauri Lankesh was well-known for her outspoken opposition to right-wing Hindu nationalism. After the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, she spoke out against communalism and divisiveness.
She was one of many who resisted the Sangh Parivar’s attempt to Hinduize the Sufi shrine Guru Dattatreya Baba Budan Dargah, which is located in Baba Budan Giri, in 2003.
She had lambasted a wide range of political leaders, regardless of their party affiliation. To defend press freedom, these include Congress leader D. K. Shivakumar and her own longtime friend Prakash Belawadi, who became a BJP media advisor.
She was the founder of Komu Souhrada Vedike, an oppressed communities’ communal reconciliation forum. She believed that Lingayatism should be classified as a minority religion distinct from Hinduism.
She was anti-caste and aimed to expose Hindu groups’ double standards in their treatment of high- and low-caste authors.
Conviction in Defamation Case
BJP leaders Prahlad Joshi, Umesh Dushi, Shivanand Bhat, and Venkatesh Mestry were chastised in a story titled ‘Darodegilada BJP value, which appeared in her tabloid on January 23, 2008. Following the publication, two of the leaders, Joshi and Dushi, brought separate defamation claims against her.
In October 2016, an arrest warrant was issued against her after she failed to appear in court, and she was jailed until being granted bail on a personal bond of $25,000. She was found guilty of defamation on November 27, 2016, after the court determined there was insufficient evidence to back her claims.
She was fined $5,000 for each case and given a six-month term, which she was able to avoid thanks to anticipatory bail. She later alleged that she had lost the lawsuit because the BJP leaders and the jeweler had formed an agreement.
Gauri Lankesh’s Death
Gauri Lankesh was assassinated by thugs in front of her home on September 5, 2017, as she arrived home from work. Two of the thugs followed her from the office, while a third waited near her home, and shot at her seven times as she approached her house, three of which punctured her body, according to police.
On September 6, the public was invited to pay their respects to her at Ravindra Kalakshetra, after which she was accorded a state funeral with a gun salute. Her body was buried according to Lingayat customs, but her family did not honor her rationalist beliefs by observing any religious customs.
Personal History and Legacy
Gauri Lankesh had a long-term romance with Chidanand Rajghatta, a former classmate and colleague whom she married in the 1980s. Following her marriage, she resided in Bangalore near her parents’ home but eventually moved to Delhi with her husband. They later divorced, yet despite their breakup, they remained friends.
She considered JNU student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, and Shehla Rashid Shora, as well as Gujarat Dalit campaigner Jignesh Mevani, to be her adopted children despite not having any of her own. They frequently paid her visits at her home, and they all decried her assassination on social media.
Estimated Net worth
Gauri Lankesh is one of the wealthiest and most well-known celebrities. Gauri Lankesh’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.