Mysuru, Jun 30 (PTI) K V Sampath Kumar, editor of 'Sudharma', said to be the only Sanskrit daily in the world, died here following a heart attack on Wednesday afternoon, family sources said.

He was 64.

Sampath Kumar and his wife K S Jayalakshmi were awarded the Padma Shri in 2020 for their service to Sanskrit and bringing out the newspaper facing numerous challenges.

According to family sources, Sudharma was launched by his father K N Varadaraja Iyengar on July 15, 1970. Sampath Kumar took the mantle later and brought out the newspaper by working as a reporter, editor and publisher.

Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Shri K V Sampath Kumar Ji was an inspiring personality, who worked tirelessly towards preserving and popularising Sanskrit, specially among youngsters.His passion and determination were inspiring. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled Sampath Kumar's demise in Sanskrit.

He said, "Sampath had devoted his life for the preservation and promotion of Sanskrit language. His contribution in making Sanskrit a spoken language can never be forgotten. His death is a great loss to Sanskrit and journalism. May God bless the departed soul. Om Shanti."

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and BJP national president J P Nadda were among those who mourned Sampath Kumar's death.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)