Gauri Lankesh
A fearless Kannada journalist who was assassinated for her unwavering criticism of religious extremism and caste oppression.
1962–2017 (age 55)·Indian activist and journalist·Birthday: January 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gauri Lankesh was born into a family of writers and activists, inheriting a fiery commitment to social justice from her father, P. Lankesh. She took the helm of his Kannada weekly, 'Lankesh Patrike', and later launched her own publication, using plain, powerful language to speak directly to Karnataka's common people. Her journalism was a sustained, courageous assault on right-wing Hindu nationalism, caste discrimination, and corruption, making her a target of vitriol and threats. Lankesh was a secularist who also critiqued conservative forces within minority communities, advocating consistently for the marginalized. Her murder outside her Bangalore home in 2017 sent shockwaves across India, becoming a symbol of the perils faced by independent journalists. The subsequent investigation pointed to extremist groups, and her death galvanized a nationwide movement for press freedom and secular values, cementing her legacy as a martyr for truth.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gauri was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gauri Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Gauri's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2017Died at 55
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Edited and published 'Gauri Lankesh Patrike', a Kannada weekly known for its investigative journalism and progressive stance.
- Was a vocal advocate for the rights of Dalits (oppressed castes), minorities, and women in Karnataka.
- Was posthumously awarded the Anna Politkovskaya Award for her courage in journalism.
- Her murder triggered massive nationwide protests and became a pivotal case in the debate on free speech in India.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a journalist, she worked as a correspondent for the Times of India in Delhi.
She was known for her simple, sari-clad appearance and for riding a scooter around Bangalore.
Lankesh was a strong supporter of the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency in its early days, though her views later evolved.
A special court convicted four men for her murder in 2023, linking them to a right-wing extremist organization.
““I am a journalist. My job is to speak truth to power.””
