Sir Mark Tully, former Bureau Chief of BBC in India and senior journalist, died on Sunday (January 25, 2026). According to BBC, 90-year-old Mark Tully breathed his last in New Delhi. Mark Tully was a journalist who covered everything from the trial of Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His former colleague at BBC, Satish Jacob, has confirmed his death.
Mark Tully has been doing freelance journalism since his separation from the BBC. In an interview in 2009, he had said that I would not say that my career was only the result of my hard work. In this he considered the hand of luck and God. Mark Tully is a journalist from the era when there was no television in India. Radio was only in the hands of the government. He also gave credit for his identity to BBC.
Regarding becoming a well-known name in journalism, he had said that there is nothing like that. Being arrogant was not good for journalism. Arrogance was said to be the biggest sin. Apart from this, regarding covering the story of Bhutto’s hanging, he had said that it was not my story, it was Bhutto’s story.
Mark Tully was born in Calcutta
Mart Tully was born in Calcutta. He did his schooling from Darjeeling. He did his Masters in History and Theology from Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He served in the 1st Royal Dragoons for two years and then became regional director of the Abbeyfield Society. He joined BBC in 1964. He lived here for four decades. Was Delhi correspondent of BBC from 1972 to 1994.
During this period, he extensively covered many issues related to India and the South Asian region. He has written several books, including The Lives of Jesus, No Full Stops in India, India’s Unending Journey and the latest Non-Stop India. Mark received a knighthood in 2002 and was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2005.
Mark Tully was prevented from learning Hindi and Bengali in his childhood
While sharing stories about his childhood and his mother, he had told that he was born in Tollygunge, Kolkata. His father was a partner in a company, Glander Robertsknob. His mother was born in Okera Junction, a small place in Bangladesh. His childhood was spent in Calcutta. He had told that he did not play with Indian children, he only lived with English children. He had told that he was being prevented from reading and writing Hindi. Once, when he was speaking Hindi, the nanny kept under his care slapped him.
