For anyone who grew up in the India of the 70s, the radio was our window to a wider world. As did Mr BBC for us, the one and only Mark Tully (later Sir Mark Tully). All India Radio was playing mournful music but it was the eloquent voice of Tully that confirmed the terrible news. He was witness to cataclysmic events over several decades as the BBC’s India bureau chief and made brand BBC a household name. Tully Saab was a celebrity in an age where you didn’t have to raise your voice to make a mark.