T. N. Gopakumar (1957 – 30 January 2016) was an Indian journalist. He was the news editor-in-chief of

Asianet News Asianet News (formerly Asianet Global) is an Indian free-to-air Malayalam-language news channel owned by Asianet News Network. Asianet News Network operates as a subsidiary of Jupiter Entertainment Ventures (Jupiter Capital Ventures). The chann ...

. Gopakumar was also the producer and anchorperson of the popular weekly programme ''Kannadi'' on

Asianet Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels *Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...

Personal life

Gopakumar was born in 1957 in Shuchindram to Vattappallimadam P. Neelakanda Sharma, a Sucheendram Temple Sthanikar, and L. Thankamma. He had two siblings- T. N. Vijayam and T. N. Sreekumar. He was married to Heather Gopakumar and the couple had two daughters, Gayathri and Kaveri.

Career

He began his career with

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

and evolved as a journalist through tenures in

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian independence movement, Indian freedom struggle against the British Raj, British. The word "M ...

, News Time,

The Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

. During his association with the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, he was called in to take charge of the news division in the newly formed Asianet television channel. Gopakumar also contributed to the

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

. Apart from many articles and columns in periodicals, he wrote more than fourteen books. The premier among them were ''VOLgA tharam_gangngaL''(''വോൾഗാ തരംഗങ്ങൾ''), ''AkampaTi sarppangngal''(''അകമ്പടി സർപ്പങ്ങൾ'') and ''shudran'' (''ശൂദ്രൻ''). Notable among the many accolades he earned were the 1998 award for the best autobiography for ''shucheendram rEkhakaL'' (ശുചീന്ദ്രം രേഖകൾ'') and 2011 award for the best travelogue in Malayalam, both from Kerala Sahitya Akademy for the work ''vOLgA tharam_gangngaL'', Mahakavi Pandalam Kerala Varma Media Award (Kannadi-Asianet-, Shangumukham-Kalakaumudi) and the FCCJ Asian Journalist Award from Tokyo. He also directed the film Jeevan Masai. ''vErukaL'', a noteworthy serial from

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

, was directed by him. He was also one of the favourite choices for mimicry artists in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

to imitate, due to his distinctive articulation of words and high

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

voice.

Filmography

''as director'' * 2001- '' Jeevan Masai'' starring-

Nedumudi Venu Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Ma ...

Kavya Madhavan Kavya Madhavan (born 19 September 1984) is a former Indian actress, who appeared predominantly in Malayalam films. She made her debut in 1991 as a child artist in '' Pookkalam Varavayi''. Her debut role as a lead actress was in Lal Jose's '' ...

Death

Gopakumar died in a private hospital in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

on 30 January 2016 at 3:50 AM, aged 58. He was suffering from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

and was undergoing treatment for several months. He was cremated with full state honours at Santhikavadam Crematorium. Being an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, there were no religious customs followed at his cremation. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

References

External links

An Exclusive Interview with T.N. Gopakumar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopakumar, T. N. Journalists from Kerala Writers from Thiruvananthapuram Malayali people Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 2016 deaths Indian male television journalists 1957 births Malayalam-language writers Malayalam film directors Deaths from cancer in India 20th-century Indian journalists 21st-century Indian journalists 21st-century Indian people Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram People from Kanyakumari district Indian atheists