The Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) dips its banner to honour its stalwart and leader Dr.Debashish Bose, who died in his home town of Madhepura Bihar this morning. Among his admirers were Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav and several trade union leaders of Bihar. Sudhir Madhukar and Abhijit Pandey informed me this morning about the sad news. Only yesterday at Patna’s Sahitya Sammelan Bhavan the Journalist Union of Bihar held its Annual election. Sudhir has succeeded Dr.Bose as General Secretary.

I first saw Dr. Bose at Udaipur session of National Council. I had noticed him persisting in his fight to get his Journalists Union of Bihar affiliated to IFWJ. There was another delegate from Bihar named Sanajy Mishra. Host Satya Pareekh told me that Mishra was crookedly playing the caste card and had almost got affiliation. But then Haseeb Siddiqui (Lucknow) and another from South pleaded with me for Dr.Bose. The matter was eventually resolved in favour of Dr.Bose. At Bhubaneshwar session of the IFWJ Working Committee last year (June), the IFWJ was to announce election. Bihar was an important unit but for some years it had gone weak.

I nominated Dr.Bose as the IFWJ Central Returning Officer. Dr.Upendra Padhi of Orissa was to assist him. There was resentment. Some wanted Kolkata’s Himanshu Chatterjee who was earlier IFWJ CRO. But he had not come to any meetings. The IFWJ just had two members in Bengal. Bihar unit was much stronger. You all know how admirably and competently Dr. Debashish Bose conducted the IFWJ Presidential Election, National Council and later the IFWJ Working Committee polls in Bengaluru, on 3rd to 5th March 2016.

I know Dr. Bose was racing against time. He was having a sea saw battle with dreaded cancer. He was living on borrowed time. He could not make it to Chennai (12th June 2016). He told me on phone that his sprit was willing but his body was not. Only two days ago I phoned his house, his attendant said he could not rise and could not speak. I was fearing the worst. And it came. The end. But Bose will always remain in our hearts.

With his blessings the IFWJ will rise in strength and the election he conducted will finally defeat all mischief, conspiracies and sabotage.

Yours comradely

K Vikram Rao
President IFWJ
[email protected]

मूल खबर….

उत्तराखंड में पत्रकार चंद्रशेखर भट्ट और बिहार में पत्रकार डा. देवाशीष बोस का निधन