Veteran Journalist Gudipoodi Srihari Passes Away

Veteran journalist Gudipoodi Srihari passed away due to an ailment on Tuesday.

He was 86, and is survived by a daughter and a son.

A film critic and versatile writer who was active in the media for over 55 years, Srihari was also a news broadcaster, and ran a popular satirical column by the name "Harivillu" for 25 years in Eenadu.

A post-graduate, Srihari had his illustrous career begin as a contributor in 1968 with The Hindu and Eenadu. He contributed to the Friday page and also the Sunday magazine section in The Hindu. He covered cultural activities, and was instrumental in bringing to the limelight several artistes in Indian classical music, dance and other fields. His story on the 125-year-old Surabhi family theatre attracted the attention of the Central Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Delhi, which extended monetary help to the group.

He also served as a news broadcaster in the Hyderabad station of the All-India Radio for 20 years. He was the one who introduced M S Rama Rao to the Telugu world on the AIR, where the latter's famous Sundara Kanda received all-round acclaim. The broadcast that went all over the world resulted in the radio station receiving numerous letters of appreciation, and the program was aired for a month.

Srihari also published books on the cultural heritage of and the film industry in Andhra Pradesh, and was a script committee member for the National Film Development Corporation. He was also the President of the Film Critics Association. His column Harivillu on Eenadu ran for 25 years, and enjoyed huge readership according to a survey conducted by the paper.