Rajendra Mathur brought about a mini-revolution in the world of Hindi journalism with his introduction of a new level of professionalism and the use of a more accessible and colloquial Hindi. He also inspired a generation of young Hindi journalists who have gone on to take leadership positions.

Mathur was a professor of English in an Indore college when he started writing for the then pioneering paper, Nai Duniya. He made such a mark that he was invited to take charge as the editor – his first journalistic job. From Indore he moved to Navbharat Times, which he edited from 1982 until his untimely death in 1991. Shortly afterwards, the Editors Guild of India instituted an annual lecture in his honour.