Special Correspondent
Panaji
Veteran journalist and former editor of ‘Navprabha’, Suresh Walve passed away on Monday at his Valshi residence in Bicholim taluka following prolonged illness. He was 76.
The final rites were performed at the Pajwada-Bicholim crematorium, late Monday
evening.
Walve started his career in journalism in Margao with the Marathi newspaper ‘Rashtramat’ under Chandrakant Keni, during the early 1970s. Later, he joined ‘Navprabha’ under the editorship of D B Karnik, and later worked under Laxmidas Borkar. He was elevated to the post of editor in mid-1980s.
Walve retired in 2008 as the editor of ‘Navprabha’ after 36 years of service in journalism.
He was awarded the Laxmidas Borkar Award for journalism in 2017 and received the Goa State Cultural Award in the year 2018-19. Walve was conferred the first Chandrakant Keni Award in journalism He was also presented with the ‘Bhatgram Bhushan’ award in 2019 for his contributions to Bicholim taluka.
Among other awards he received are the Anna Phanse Award, Bharatkar Hegde Desai Award, and Narad Award.
He was a member of the entourage of various prime ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during their visits to different countries.
Walve has also written a number of books in Marathi, including ‘Saralvaat’, an autobiographical account tracing his journey in the field of journalism; ‘Smriti (Vi) Shesh’, a compilation of obituaries of prominent personalities, which has been prescribed by Goa University for the final year BA course as a reference book; ‘Udat Udat’, a travelogue of his foreign visits; and an abridged version of the Marathi stage musical, ‘Saubhadra’.
Walve recently featured in the Goa Union of Journalists’ ‘Behind the Byline’ series and had shared his experiences in journalism with the public. The residents of Bicholim expressed their condolences at the demise of Walve. The members of the Dicholi Patrakar Sangh have also expressed grief over his death.
