Shillong, Oct 7: It was an emotional and tearful farewell to fifty-five year old senior journalist Prasad Gupta as the journalist fraternity, ngos, family members and others paid their last respect to a man who had endeared himself to people cutting across community, profession, geographical boundaries and age.
He was cremated at the Jhalupara crematorium. His last rites were performed by his three sons.
Before taking his body for the final journey to the crematorium in Jhalupara, it was brought to Shillong Press Club Saturday straight from his residence in Laban to enable the journalist fraternity to pay their last respect to a colleague who was seen as a guiding force and stickler of journalistic ethic and principle.
Civil Society Women Organisation (CSWO) president Agnes Kharshiing aptly described him as the “fourth estate” while paying her tribute on behalf of her organization. Even before his body arrived at the Shillong Press Club, journalists, friends and members of ngos and other organizations had already gathered and jostle for space to pay their last tribute to a journalist who former Shillong Times editor and Mawprem legislator Manas Chaudhuri said was an increasingly “fading breed.”
Elaborating on Gupta’s sheer passion for journalistic work, Chaudhuri said, “I was amazed at his stamina for journalistic works. While we hardly managed to work for one organization, Gupta capacity and capabilities for working for a print and two electronic media everyday amazed me.”
FKJGP president Joe Marwein, Central Puja Committee (CPC) secretary JL Das and ICAR also paid a glowing tribute to Gupta whom many described as a friend and champion of the downtrodden. Gupta’s childhood friend Naba Bhattcharjee while paying tribute said he always referred him as “opening batsman” but could not proceed further as he choked with emotion.
Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU) Assam unit secretary Geetharta Pathak came all the way from Guwahati to pay tribute to a man who had always kept the welfare of the journalists of the state in his heart. Condolences messages conveyed from union minister of state Vincent Pala, former home minister RG Lyngdoh and many others were also read.
Gupta’s colleagues in the media were seen choking with emotion even as some of them spoke about how he managed to touch everyone’s lives in some way, especially to the younger scribes who fondly called him Kaku (uncle). To these younger members of the media fraternity he was their “father figure, mentor and a critique” who always found the time and energy to guide them whenever they needed him.-By Our Reporter
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