Indira Lankesh, whose life intertwined with some of the most distinguished figures and institutions in modern Kannada literature while producing a body of work and a commercial career of her own, died on Monday at her residence in Bengaluru. She was 83 years old.
Her family said that she died in her sleep on Monday morning after suffering from age-related illnesses. She is survived by her daughter, director Kavita Lankesh, her son, director and actor Indrajith Lankesh, and their families.
Her eldest daughter, journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, was murdered in 2017 by members of the alleged Hindutva sect.
For most of her public life, Indira Lankesh occupied a space that is difficult to easily define.
She was a businesswoman who built a successful sari business from scratch, a memoirist whose account of her family life became an important work in Kannada literature, and a publisher whose efforts helped sustain one of the most influential newspaper enterprises in the state.
Her works often appeared far from public attention, even as Lankesh’s name became synonymous with literature, journalism, and public debate.
Born in Shivamogga on 2 June 1943, she married writer and journalist P Lankesh in 1960. After the couple settled in Bengaluru, the family’s circumstances changed when he left his university teaching position to devote himself to filmmaking and theatre.
With no prior business experience, she began selling sarees from home before opening Mayur Silks and Textiles in Gandhi Bazaar in 1979, creating a livelihood that carried the family through a financially unstable period.
The following year, P Lankesh founded Lankesh Patrick, a Kannada tabloid that carved out a niche in the state’s media landscape. While Indira Lankesh became the public face of the publication, she was closely involved in the publication’s management, growth and publishing operations. She also continued to work in book publishing and continued to write.
Her literary contribution found lasting expression in Hulimavu Mattu Nanu, a serialized biographical work on Gauri Lankesh Patrike. Written as a personal reflection on her life with P. Lankesh, the title of which echoed his autobiography Holimavina Mara, this memoir is considered a landmark among women’s memoirs in Kannada.
Political leaders and members of the literary community of Karnataka paid tribute after her death.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described her contribution as inseparable from her husband’s achievements. “P Lankesh’s achievements in the fields of literature, media and cinema would not have been possible without the tremendous support and contribution made by Indira Lankesh,” he said.
Recalling his association with the family, he added, “Indira Lankesh and her children were very close to me. She engaged in writing herself and also managed the responsibilities related to book publishing efficiently.”
Siddaramaiah also spoke about the lasting impact Gauri Lankesh’s murder had on the family, saying, “After Gauri Lankesh’s murder a few years ago, Indira Lankesh suffered severe trauma from which she never fully recovered.”
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar remembered her as a “role model for all women” and said she lived with “unwavering determination and resilience”.
Civil rights activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad wrote that Indira Lankesh spent recent years grieving the loss of her daughter while continuing to seek justice in the case. She ended her tribute with the words: “Rest in strength and peace, Inderama. Justice will be served for Gauri. That is what we promise.”
Behind a name closely associated with one of Karnataka’s most influential literary families was a writer, publisher and businessman who helped shape this legacy in many ways that were often less obvious but were deeply woven into its history.
