Veteran journalist from Gujarat Nachiketa Desai, who worked with a number of publications across the country, passed away at his residence following a fall Sunday morning. According to a family friend, Nachiketa was suffering from cancer and heart-related issues for a few years. He was 72 and is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. “On Sunday morning, he had a fall at his house. An ambulance was called in to shift him to hospital. However, he was declared dead at the residence,” the family friend said. Nachiketa belonged to a noted Gandhian family. Veteran Gandhian and former Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith Narayan Desai was his father, while Mahatma Gandhi’s personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, was his grandfather. On January 1 noted filmmaker Nandita Das and her mother Varsha Das launched the book, 'Mahadev Desai:Mahatma Gandhi's Frontline Reporter', edited and compiled by his grandson Nachiketa. The function, held at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad was presided over by Prof Bhikhu Parekh and coincided with Mahadev Desai's birthday.
