Mysuru (Karnataka), Jun 30 (IANS): The 64-year-old editor-publisher of one of India's oldest Sanskrit daily newspapers - 'Sudharma' - K.V. Sampath Kumar passed away due to cardiac arrest, family sources said here on Wednesday.

In the Sanskrit language, Su means - follower - and Dharma means - law. Thereby, Sudharma can be loosely translated as 'Follower of law'. This daily was published from Karnataka for over five decades.

Kumar along with his wife, Vidushi K.S. Jayalakshmi, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020, the fourth highest civilian award of the country by the Union government in recognition of their untiring efforts to keep the publication alive against all odds.

Kumar, second son of his illustrious father Pandit Kalale Nadaadur Varadaraja Iyengar who had launched - Sudharma - on July 15, 1970 and published it from Ramachandra Agrahara in Mysuru, the two-page, five-column newspaper delivers politics, culture, sports and civic affairs.

Prior to taking over the mantle, he worked as a reporter, proof-reader and learned the trade skills from his father who passed away in 1990 and took over as editor and publisher of this daily. His wife Jayalakshmi, proficient in the language, also lent her hands in running this newspaper.

Since 2016, Kumar had become weak after he suffered his first cardiac arrest. Just a fortnight prior to Sudharma's 51st anniversary, Kumar was in his office when a heart attack struck him for the second time on Wednesday and the hospital declared him dead, family sources said.

"In order to ensure swift dissipation of news, Sudharma launched an online e-paper in 2009 and is credited as the first Sanskrit e-newspaper ever. This has made Sudharma much more accessible. More than 90 countries are accessing the e-paper and more than a lakh copies are reaching its readers," the Sudharma website said.