Veteran Journalist Leela Menon Passes Away At 86

Veteran journalist and chief editor of Malayalam newspaper ‘Janmabhumi’ passed away in Kochi on June 3 at the age of 86.

Menon was admitted to a care home for the elderly a few months ago. She had been living there since January this year. Menon had overcome cancer earlier but was suffering from age-related ailments. She was struggling with hypertension, breathlessness and severe diabetes for the last two years.

Joseph Alex, managing trustee of Signature Aged Care, said, “She passed away at 8:30 pm today (Sunday). For several months, she had not been keeping well and was undergoing medical treatment. For the last couple of months, she wasn’t able to recognise anyone.”

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Her body will be kept for public homage at the Ernakulam Town Hall in Kerala and cremated later in the day. The cremation will be at Ravipuram crematorium

Leela Menon, born in 1932, was considered a ‘trailblazer’ for her exclusive stories. Before studying journalism, she served as a clerk in the Postal Department.  She began her career with The Indian Express in New Delhi in 1978. She worked there for 22 years. After that, she started writing columns for The Hindu, Outlook, and Madhyamam before joining Janmabhumi as its chief editor. To join the profession of journalism, she even left her government job. She was extremely dedicated to her profession. Menon became an inspiration for women from Kerala at that time.

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“She came into the profession after leaving a secure government job. She might not have even been getting half of what she was earning before. That shows her dedication to the profession. She was an extremely daring journalist and had a tremendous sense of news,” said MK Das, who was the Kerala resident editor of The Indian Express, at the time.

She published her autobiography Nilykatha Symphony in 2007. It was published in the Malayalam language. Her autobiography detailed all the major events of her life, including her work as a woman journalist, her fight with cancer and how she overcame it.

Picture Credit: The Hindu

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