Goodbye Tully Sahib — End of an Era in Journalism!
I was saddened to read about the passing of Mark Tully, famed radio broadcaster for the BBC during some of the most momentous happenings in South Asia: the birth of Bangladesh, the Indian Emergency, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Indian opposition’s electoral triumph led by Morarji Desai, the Indian army’s assault of the Golden Temple, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and subsequent anti-Sikh riots, the Union Carbide disaster, the killing of Rajiv Gandhi, the Babri Masjid destruction, the Tamil Tiger rebellion in Sri Lanka, the coups in Pakistan and Bangladesh including the killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and hanging of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and many other of the region’s turbulent events. Over several decades, Mark’s was the trusted voice that reported and interpreted those historic upheavals for us.
This is not an obit but a series of anecdotes and recollections I felt compelled to write. See obits attached for context and explanatory notes below.
Mark was so much more than just the BBC Radio man in India when short wave radio dominated the airwaves! He was a larger than life personality: tall, square faced, with a pleasant smile and booming voice perfect for radio, plus an inimitable way of speaking Hindustani!
Tully Sahib
My sister Lorna worked for the BBC for many years — she called him “Tully Sahib” (see below) as did most of his friends. She would return home from work after a session of ping pong with hilarious stories about the celebs who stopped by for a chat or drink that day — from Indian princes of the blood to film directors, cricketers, foreign correspondents, and other mash’hoor (famous) writers! Although staff and guests imbibed copious amounts of beer and whiskey, the BBC never missed a big story, often scooping local newspapers. I used to wonder when they found time to broadcast amidst all the daru (booze) and merriment!
We met Mark, his wife Margaret and the children (Sarah, Emma, Sam, and Patrick) several times during the Beeb’s legendary parties at 1 Nizamuddin East. We also knew Mark’s longtime partner Gillian Wright who became a respected Urdu scholar and published writer and took care of him with great devotion. And, of course, we knew Mark’s deputy and lifelong friend, Satish Jacob — they cowrote a book on the siege of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Lorna recalls that the office at 1 Nizamuddin East was outside the walls of Humayun’s Tomb, a distinct landmark of 16th century Mughal architecture (and precursor to the Taj Mahal) constructed of red sandstone and marble. It was actually the second BBC office. The first was in Jorbagh where she began working in her early 20s! “We were like a small family. Margaret was there and the Tully kids went to the British School in Delhi.” Her former colleague, the late Yedunandan, introduced her to Morarji Desai who later became prime minister.
Parties and Cricketers!
One of Lorna’s cherished memories is the visit to the Beeb by the Indian cricket team led by Sunil Gavaskar. All of us tagged along to the party! How could we not? It was the 1979-80 test match series between India and Pakistan which India won 2-0. My brother Leslie remembers some of the team who came: Roger Binny, Sandeep Patil, Gavaskar and his wife Marshniel, among others. I also recall meeting West Indian Viv Richards and Pakistan star Imran Khan in his heyday — but Lorna assures me it was not at the BBC — maybe it was at another test match when I sat in the Feroz Shah Kotla pavilion with NZ ambassador Aikman!
I remember a BBC party in the 80s when Mark made me sing the Indian patriotic song by Islamic poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, “Sare Jahan Se Achha” again and again — I could only manage one verse and the chorus! He’d had a few “chota pegs” by then — explanation below! (Sadly, the song is not as popular as it once was, including other well known ‘minority’ hymns, such as the Mahatma Gandhi favorites, “Abide With Me,” and “Lead Kindly Light”).
Union Carbide, Bhopal
1994 marked the 10-year anniversary of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal. Mark, who was doing a major story, came to Washington D.C. that year to meet American activist Rob Hager who had been in Bhopal in 1985 to get justice for the victims. (I knew Rob who was then dating an Indian reporter). The Bhopal gas leak, in which half a million people were exposed to highly toxic gas, is considered one of the world’s worst industrial accidents. An estimated 8,000 died within two weeks and another 8,000 perished from gas-related illnesses, including cancers and birth defects. The leak also caused severe environmental damage, and contaminated the soil and groundwater.
Rob, a well-known DC-based public interest attorney, was an expert on chemicals that cause irreversible damage to humans such as Agent Orange used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. On his 1985 trip to India, Rob had helped organize the Bhopal Justice Campaign to raise awareness and bring the victims’ lawsuit to the U.S., but local authorities stymied him while the Indian Supreme Court (prematurely, in his view) approved a paltry sum of $470 million for the victims. According to Rob, the damage estimate should have been closer to $10 billion, more than Union Carbide’s market value! Like Mark, he felt that a quick settlement came at the expense of a just one.
Delhi vs. Washington!
Mark and I had dinner on his DC visit. I had recently moved to the U.S. and had just started consulting on crisis comms with the World Bank while continuing to report for India Post, Outlook, and Gulf Times (Qatar) and also doing the odd on-camera interview for National Public Radio’s Fresh Air program on topics as exoticized as women leaders of South Asia! I was enjoying myself although not making a lot of money. Mark was astonished I’d given up what he referred to as a “sahib life” (an elite life) in India — for the vagaries of America!
Satish also visited Washington in the 90s while attending a conference and we met for dinner. The conversation as I recall was full of nostalgia (on my side!) for the late-80s Delhi cocktail circuit when one could just as easily bump into a Jaipur prince and Gwalior princesses (often feuding), former Indian cricket captain Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan of Pataudi (with the coldest one-eyed glare!) or effete prince and TV anchor, Robin Jind. There was another anchor with a strong whiff of scandal; we knew about it because of the spouse’s tale of woe to Mark — Delhi-wallahs of that era will know who I mean! (I was working with the European Union then which provided amazing access!)
In those days in Washington it wasn’t tough to bump into former presidents, prime ministers, failed revolutionary leaders, or their larger than life American lobbyists (Black, Manafort — see below) including the odd prince (Sihanouk, Ambassador Karan Singh) from Cambodia, India, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Indonesia, and Zaire at diplomatic parties, think tank conferences, and at the Press Club — but, in my prejudiced view, they paled in comparison to Delhi’s more glamorous upper classes!
After Mark left the BBC, he bought a house on the opposite side of the road at Nizamuddin West, not far from the historic mausoleum of 13th Century Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. Lorna and I visited Mark and Gillian there. I remember that nearly every inch of wall space in the home was covered with original paintings and sketches, including a Jatin Das caricature of Lorna from more than 25 years ago!
It was lovely to catch up. Satish was there, and so were Subhash Chakravarti of the Times of India and historian Zareer Masani (both now sadly passed). They spoke about the table tennis matches played at the BBC in the old days. We met the servants, including two generations of Garib’s family who worked as cook-bearers and drivers. One of the chai (tea) servers was taken aback when I asked for a spot of milk in my Darjeeling (a fine tea usually drunk sans milk)! What can I say — it was too strong or maybe I’d lived too long in America!
We landed in Delhi a day after the infamous demonetization of Nov. 8, 2016, when the Modi government announced that 500 and 1,000 rupee notes could no longer be used. The bonkers move plunged daily life into chaos with huge crowds standing in line for hours at ATMs and banks, desperately waiting to withdraw their own money — some died in the process! When we changed money at Delhi airport they dishonestly gave us already demonetized notes knowing we wouldn’t catch them! Thank goodness my dear EU friend Girish Ahuja brought us usable notes. The next evening Mark said it was poor planning that caused the crisis. We were impressed by Gillian’s handling of a fraught situation: as a White expat woman speaking Hindi and wearing Indian clothes, she had spent several hours waiting in line at local banks without losing her cool!
Mark was staunchly High Church of England. He’d studied theology in college, wanted to become a priest at one point, and was very “pukka” (steadfast) in his beliefs. I remember him saying — after he stopped being the BBC’s chief of bureau — that he really enjoyed doing stories on religion and spirituality and did not miss the deadlines and daily grind of bureau work.
One time on Christmas Eve, Mark decided to accompany my family to Midnight Mass. By then, the Catholic Church in India had moved away from Latin to increase accessibllity: Masses were said in the vernacular language, rituals and decorations (coconuts, joss sticks, marigold garlands) had been incorporated in a few parishes to the dismay of some and delight of others (depending on where you stood on cultural integration), and the priest faced the audience for the entire service. On this occasion, Mass at St Luke’s Church in Defence Colony was held in a large shamiana (ceremonial tent) to accommodate the thousands who attended, including those who only came for the Nativity scene.
Mark told us later he had no problem with the changes but he drew the line at two things that to him were beyond the pale: the Baby Jesus in the crib (manger) was made of plastic (instead of the more acceptable wood or clay), and the choir was accompanied by a banjo (in lieu of the more appropriate organ)! We were suitably chastised!
Purists vs. Anti-Traditionalists!
Mark knew what he was talking about. The High Church of England is closest to the Roman Catholic Church (they agree on a lot except the Pope as head of the church and transubstantiation). The R.C. Church in India is fully lndianized, so traditionalists, beware! I wondered where Mark stood on the use of Hindustani music like bhajans (hymns) during Mass but never got a chance to ask. I for one much prefer the old ways: Latin Masses, Gregorian Chant, none of these newfangled English hymns so popular in U.S. churches — I was fully on board with his point of view!
A couple of years ago when Lorna and I were walking in Midtown Manhattan we stopped by the well known Anglican Church of St Thomas. After the service we spoke to the pastor and Lorna recalled that she’d recommended Mark visit St Thomas when he was in New York — he did and (unlike at Midnight Mass in Delhi) was happy with a service that adhered to the familiar tenets and rituals of the church he’d grown up in! The St Thomas pastor (another expat Brit) was very pleased to chat with us about Mark — he knew of him, of course (who didn’t)?
I read that Mark could recite parts of the Hanuman Chalisa, a 42-verse poem written by 16th Century poet Tulsidas in the Awadhi language. It is a hymn of praise to Hindu god, Hanuman, a central character of the Ramayana, one of Hinduism’s two key epics. Being familiar with the chant, I can attest that it is a tough one to learn!
Critics and Caste
Growing up in India at a time when All India Radio — the country’s only radio service — was in a government chokehold, the BBC was the sole source of objective news. Mark, who had one of the most recognizable and listened-to voices, had many admirers and fans.
He had critics too who said he found excuses for everything Indian including some of the worst ills of the caste system. I remember getting into it with him when one of his stories seemed to vindicate a sati (see below explanation) in Rajasthan (the infamous 1987 Roop Kunwar case) although it was more a matter of perspective which he acknowledged in subsequent broadcasts.
In his book No Full Stops in India, he says that the caste system had both positive and negative aspects. “Caste is not just a matter of being a Brahmin or a Harijan: it is also a kinship system. The system provides a wider support group than a family: a group which has a social life in which all its members can participate.” Strong community ties provided greater stability and dignity to individuals as well as a sense of belonging.
Lorna points out that the Indian caste system is so entrenched that it is retained even after conversion to other faiths (Christianity, Sikhism) where higher castes cling to it for societal status and to safeguard privileges. In the 16th-17th Century, during the Goa-Portuguese Inquisition, rich high caste educated landowners in Goa, Mangalore, and northern Kerala were compelled to convert. According to period records, many agreed on the condition they could keep their caste and land!
Narrow Escapes
During his long career, Mark had a couple of rather hair raising experiences. In December 1992, during the Babri Masjid riots (see below), thousands of rabid militants charged through the streets of Ayodhya, U.P., attacking reporters. As they destroyed TV cameras and other equipment, the mob shouted out Mark’s name. He was found and locked up in a small temple for several hours and was only released and brought to safety following the intervention of a local official and Indian colleagues,
There is another grim story from a couple of decades earlier. During the Emergency, he was threatened with a severe beating by Indira Gandhi advisor, Mohammed Yunus and Minister for Information and Broadcasting, V.C. Shukla when he refused to sign a letter agreeing to pre-censorship. In the end, Mark escaped the beating but was given 24 hours to leave the country!
Despite the near lynching and beating as well as frequent threats and expulsion from India, he always returned. He made Delhi his home. It is fitting that he also died there.
Heart of India
I’ve been reading one of Mark’s collection of short stories The Heart of India (see book cover below). Set in Uttar Pradesh, it explores — in Kiplingesque style — the struggles of ordinary Indians, focusing on caste, tradition, and faith amid the relentless march to modernization. Few writers on India have embraced the lives of their characters (the ikkah-puller, the peasant woman, the angry landowner) in quite the same way.
A lover of all things Indian, Tully Sahib was especially fond of Indian trains. He was at his happiest on a long train journey talking to fellow travelers. He did not believe in doing all his writing in Delhi. He wanted to go into the villages, interact with people, and find out what they were thinking. He felt as deep a connection to the poor and dispossessed in rural India as he did to the posh urban residents of South Delhi!
We remember Mark fondly as family and friends gather in Delhi for his cremation and, according to his son Sam, for the Anglican version of a Requiem Mass at Delhi’s Cathedral Church of The Redemption. Rest in peace, Tully Sahib!
Ludi Joseph
Washington D.C.
January 26, 2026
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jan/25/sir-mark-tully-obituary
Sahib, a term of respect in Hindi and Urdu that means sir or master, was prevalent in colonial India and also used in other Indian languages: Punjabi, Bengali, etc. The feminine version is Sahiba. In my view, the Sahib culture evokes a certain nostalgia for a more elegant, refined, and secular past when diversity of faiths and views were welcomed.
A chota peg, or small measure of alcohol (usually whiskey), is an Indian term meaning a half-sized (1 oz.) drink as opposed to a bara peg or large drink. The term became popular during the British Raj and is still used in club culture and the military.
One of the most notorious U.S. lobbying firms in its time, Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly (later sold to Burson-Marsteller) represented an international rogues gallery: Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, Jonas Savimbi of Angola, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, among others! They made millions before being investigated. Two of the principals, Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, remain close Trump associates to this day! When I first arrived in DC, a friend of my Mum’s got me a meeting with the company and I recall writing a couple of stories back then. Wish I’d kept some of their brochures bragging about their dubious clientele!
Demonetization: The policy was an epic failure, say most independent analysts. The hope was that black money or unaccounted wealth held in the form of cash would not be deposited into banks, given that those holding it would not want to be identified; hence a vast amount of illegal money would be destroyed. But that did not happen! According to a Reserve Bank of India report, 99 percent of the black money held in cash made it back into the banks and was not destroyed. The government however continues to put a positive spin on it.
Sati: A widow becomes a Sati when she kills herself on her husband’s funeral (cremation) pyre or is pushed by her in-laws to do so.The practice was banned during Colonial times but happens every now and again in “backward” areas in Rajasthan. In the Roop Kunwar case, she was probably murdered. The “glorification” of the victim by the families for commerce has led to stronger legislation to ensure there were no copycat incidents.
Babri Masjid Riots: In 1992, incited by Hindu nationalist leaders, militant mobs tore down a 16th Century mosque in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya, claiming it was the birthplace of Hindu god, Rama, leading to nationwide riots in which more than 3,000 people died, mostly Muslim. It was the culmination of a calculated campaign by the Hindu nationalist BJP political party to build a Hindu temple on the site — a goal they reached when, in January 2024, PM Modi inaugurated the controversial multimillion dollar temple amidst huge hoopla.
