Veteran journalist & Assam Tribune Chairman Emeritus Prafulla Govinda Baruah no more

Guwahati, Dec 15: A doyen of the newspaper industry in Assam and Chairman Emeritus and Editor of The Assam Tribune, Prafulla Govinda Baruah, breathed his last in a private hospital here due to old-age ailments at 9.30 pm on Sunday.

Baruah left behind his wife, two daughters, and a host of other relatives. His demise has cast a pall of gloom in the newspaper industry in Assam, and the void created by his demise will never be filled. Baruah was awarded Padma Shri for his contributions to the field of journalism.

Born in Dibrugarh on July 26, 1932, Prafulla Govinda Baruah did his schooling in Dibrugarh and passed the matriculation examination from Gauhati University, securing First Division and letter marks in two papers in 1949. He passed his ISC from Cotton College in 1951 and graduated from Presidency College, Calcutta, with Honours in Economics in 1953. He passed MA from Presidency College in 1955 and was a Gold Medallist of Calcutta University in LLB in 1957.

In 1964, he got a scholarship to study journalism and printing technology at the Thomson Foundation of the United Kingdom. He started working in newspapers in 1962 and took over as the Managing Director of the Assam Tribune group of newspapers in 1966.

In addition to his responsibilities as the Managing Director of the group, he had also been the Editor of The Assam Tribune, the oldest and the most circulated English daily in Northeast India, since 1997. The Assam Tribune was founded by his illustrious father, Radha Govinda Baruah, in 1939, and since formally joining the organisation, Prafulla Govinda Baruah has been playing the role of a pioneer in the newspaper industry of the region.

Apart from Padma Shri for his "contribution to the field of journalism in this backward part of the country," Prafulla Govinda Baruah has been honoured by various prominent personalities and organisations. While attending the Platinum Jubilee celebration of The Assam Tribune in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described the newspaper as "the voice of the people of the region" and said, "The people of the Northeast can live without their morning cup of tea but not without The Assam Tribune." This speaks volumes of the leadership quality and editorial skills of Prafulla Govinda Baruah.

To contribute to the field of literature in Assam, Baruah started publishing Goriyasi, a monthly literary magazine, from his publishing house, Sahitya Prakash. The magazine has been contributing towards Assamese literature by publishing books written by prominent literary personalities of the state. He also played a key role in laying the foundation of the RG Baruah College.

Besides a host of citations that he received for his contributions to the field of journalism, he was honoured by the late Kamala Saikia Trust. The trust has been formed in memory of journalist Kamala Saikia, who was shot dead by militants.

The Asam Sahitya Sabha felicitated Baruah for his contributions to the field of literature, art, and culture. Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute presented an appreciation citation to Haruah for his role in creating awareness for the control of cancer.

The most notable contributions of Baruah are the strong role played by the newspapers of the Assam Tribune group under his leadership on every issue concerning the people of the Northeast. These newspapers always raised the public voice to draw the attention of the Government of India. Whenever the Northeast region faced any crisis situation, be it the problems of infiltration of foreigners, Chinese aggression in 1962, war with Pakistan in 1971, etc., Baruah led from the front to ensure that the newspapers of the Assam Tribune group always stood by the people of the region and worked in the interest of the nation as a whole.

To encourage young talents, he founded Jyotirupa, a socio-cultural organisation, which not only organises annual drama festivals and competitions but also brings prominent artistes from different parts of the country to perform in Assam so that the people of the State get an opportunity to enjoy the legends performing live.

To facilitate all-round economic development of Assam, Baruah and a few of his close associates organised a series of seminars under the banner of Assam Prakalpa. Experts from various fields, including economists, attended the seminars, and the outcome of the same was handed over to the government to help in formulating policies for the development of Assam.

He also sponsored a programme on 'Investment Opportunities in Northeast' which was attended, among others, by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

For the employees of The Assam Tribune, Baruah was like a father figure. He always stood by his employees at the time of need. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and the All Assam Students' Union have condoled the death of Baruah.

By

Staff Reporter