Ravish Tiwari, a senior writer and the national bureau chief of the Indian Express, died after a two-year struggle with cancer.
40-year-old Tiwari died on Friday night in Gurugram, leaving behind his parents, wife, and brother. Tiwari was also the Indian Express’s national political editor. He had previously worked for The Economic Times and India Today.
He attended the government-run Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and then went on to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, to complete his BTech. Tiwari received a flood of tributes.
President Ram Nath Kovind stated that Tiwari’s death ”silences a distinct voice in news media”.
“For Ravish Tiwari, journalism was a passion, and he chose it over lucrative professions. He had an enviable knack for reporting and incisive commentary. His sudden and shocking demise silences a distinct voice in news media. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” he said in a tweet.
While mourning Tiwari’s death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described him as “insightful” and “humble.”
Tiwari earned a bachelor’s degree in metallurgy and material science from IIT Bombay and a master’s degree in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford. He also received the renowned Rhodes Scholarship. Tiwari’s journalism career was defined by insightful reports and insights on political and social issues.
Home Minister Amit Shah was “shocked and pained” at the untimely demise of the journalist and referred to Tiwari as “a young, bright and professional journalist, full of life.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “Ravish Tiwari, a product of Navodaya Vidyalaya, IIT Mumbai & Oxford, was amongst the finest, scholarly & objective journalists. He’d been critical of me as Env Minister, but we were the closest of friends. Just 4 days ago we had a long chat. Extremely saddened by his untimely demise.”
AAP MLA Atishi tweeted, “Lost my best friend @ravishkt today after his long battle with cancer. While the world has lost a sharp and insightful journalist, I have lost my dearest and most loyal friend. Ravish: you will be missed deeply…”
Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister, also tweeted his condolences, calling his sudden death “sad.”
Raj Kamal Jha, the chief editor of the newspaper, said Tiwari’s shoes cannot be filled but they shall sit in a very special corner of the newsroom forever.
“In the newsroom, each one of us has lost Ravish and one way to remember him is by keeping a little of Ravish alive in us, in the way he asked the hardest questions with respect and humility, both of his subjects and of ourselves…..I became more aware of how much a privilege it was to work with him…,” Jha said in his message.
Tiwari became known for his acute knowledge of politics and policies, a vast network of informants from various industries, and, above all, his objectivity and bravery.
