H. Y. Sharada Prasad

Holenarasipur Yoganarasimham Sharada Prasad (1924–2008) was an Indian civil servant, journalist and writer, best known as the media adviser to Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. He also served as the media adviser to Rajiv Gandhi, during his tenure as the Indian Prime Minister. Born on 15 April 1924 to Holenarasipura Yoganarasimham and Saraswati in Bangalore in the south India state of Karnataka, he started his career as a journalist at the Indian Express Group and later joined the Publications Division of the Government of India as an assistant editor during which time he served as the editor of Yojana, the official journal of the Planning Commission of India. His stint as the editor of the journal was reported to have brought him to Indira Gandhi's notice who invited him to join her staff as the media adviser.

During his tenure with Indira Gandhi, Sharada Prasad was known to have assisted in the establishment of two notable institutions, the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and the National Institute of Design. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1999, for his contributions to society. He died, aged 84, on 2 September 2008, due to age related illnesses, survived by his wife and two sons. His life has been documented in his memoirs, A Window on the Wall and a series of newspaper articles under the title, The Book I Won't Be Writing.