An academic has died on air after saying she wanted to pass away ‘while working’

MOMENTS after this image was captured, professor Rita Jitendra suddenly died during a live TV broadcast. WARNING: Confronting

WARNING: Confronting content

AS PROFESSOR Rita Jitendra was being driven to the Good Morning J&K TV studio earlier this week, she told staff she hoped to one day die “while working”.

Not long afterwards, the well-respected Indian academic, writer and artist did just that.

The 81-year-old was being interviewed live on air about her life and memories for the breakfast television program when she suddenly closed her eyes, stopped talking and collapsed.

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She was rushed to the SMHS Hospital in Jammu, where she was declared dead on arrival.

According to the Indian Telegraph, the “broadcasting legend” and TV regular’s cause of death was cardiac arrest and choking.

Employee Hafiza Muzaffar told the publication the academic had told a male official during the drive to the studio that morning she wanted a similar death to former president Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, who died at 83 while delivering a lecture in 2015.

“She told him that Dr Kalam had died while working. That is how she met her end too. She breathed her last in the studio itself,” Ms Muzaffar said.

Indian Professor Rita Jitendra died mid-interview. Picture: Lokmatnews.In

Good Morning J&K anchor Zahid Mukhtar told the Telegraph Prof Jitendra’s sudden death had been a shock.

“She was telling us a few interesting things about her life and was looking absolutely normal,” he said.

“But suddenly she stopped talking and began having hiccups. We had to cut the interview (and switch to) a documentary to attend to her and take her to hospital.

“She had a great association with television.”

She was declared dead on arrival at hospital. Picture: Lokmatnews.In

“It was around 8.28am when she suddenly stopped talking and collapsed,” he said.

“When we shifted her to SMHS hospital, doctors declared her ‘brought dead’.

“It’s shocking for us ... we are very saddened with this incident and we pray for the departed soul.”

SMHS Hospital superintendent Dr Saleem Tak told local media she died due to cardiac arrest “that may have taken place due to heart arrhythmia”, or an irregular heartbeat.

Social media has been flooded with tributes for Prof Jitendra and expressions of shock at her death.

The grim reaper can strike without warning. Blessings to this nice Hindu lady who at least didn't suffer and linger.

Died During Live Telecast, video footage of Prof Rita Jitendra death on setshttps://t.co/fwxBmChgBl

— saboteur365 (@saboteur365) September 12, 2018

This video of Prof. Rita Jitendra is so very scary. She was live on TV when she suffered a cardiac arrest and died. May God bless her soul.

— Mitra Joshi (@mitrajo) September 10, 2018

Union minister and close friend Jitendra Singh also tweeted: “Had a very close association with Mam Rita Jitendra for 35 years. I began as a radio drama co-actor opposite her when she was already a star. She recalled this when I met her just 15 days back on 26 Aug. Great, she died doing what she loved the most, speaking into a studio microphone!”

Prof Jitendra was a well-known academic, artist, writer and social activist

For almost four decades, she taught in one of the only two government women colleges in India’s Jammu region.

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