Remembering PG Baruah, the doyen who shaped Assam’s journalism

Guwahati, Dec 30: Prafulla Govinda Baruah, who passed away on December 14 last at the age of 93 years, was known as the Doyen of Journalism, under whose stewardship the Assam Tribune Group rose to its present height, making it a pride of Assam.

For people of our time and earlier, the day started with The Assam Tribune. Something was felt to be missing if The Assam Tribune was not on the table at 6:30 am every morning, so much so that the day seemed to be incomplete.

Eloquent praises have been lavished by so many dignitaries, including the Hon’ble President and Prime minister of India, on the meaningful contribution of late PG Baruah, as he maintained a high degree of professional ethics in the field of journalism. The opinions expressed by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the PM and the President, along with those of senior members of the journalist fraternity, bear ample testimony to the respect that PG Baruah commanded in his field.

I will thus confine myself to my impressions of PG, as he was popularly known to all, with reminiscences of him as I recall from my school days.

It was in early 1970s that the first tea auction was held at the RG Baruah Stadium Guest House auditorium in the presence of my father, then the Chief Secretary of Assam and founder chairman of the GTAC, and the honour of knocking down the first sale went to late Radha Govinda Baruah.

In the function, I sat next to late PG Baruah and we chitchatted. This was my first formal meeting with him as I was then a school student in Shillong. Images of him and the personality that he was remained etched in my mind since that day.

Over the years there were casual meetings here and there and what I still remember from those early days was his endearing nature – a very pleasant and down-to-earth focused man, with not an iota of arrogance despite being such a big man of the State.

It was around midnight on a day in 2017 that I got a call from Deepa Dutt, wife of then DGP Deepak Dutt (IPS) who was a tenant in the Tribune House for long years. She said that Khura (PG Baruah) was brought to the emergency ward, but as no ICU bed was available, it was planned to refer him to the Downtown Hospital. Could I do something, was Deepa’s simple request.

I spoke to Dr SP Bhattacharya (ICU in-charge) and told him that Khura has to be kept and managed. Shibu put in an extra bed in the ICU, stabilised Khura, and he subsequently underwent an angioplasty.

Over the years, when I was his primary physician, a close bond grew between us and it was then that I saw how special a man he was. He was the epitome of grace, soft-spoken with his impish smile. He had a very endearing personality. When tea planter TN Barooah, father-in-law of my brother Bobby, Dr Mihir Saikia, eminent endocrinologist, and Deepa and Deepak Dutt stayed as his tenants in the Tribune House in Chandmari, we used to drop in at times to meet him.

Khura was truly blessed to have Rekha Baideo as his wife, Bonnie and Bibli as daughters, and the eminent sons-in-law who gave him so much care, which I saw from close quarters over the last nine years.

Recently, a group of students called on him and the first impression they carried was simply awe-inspiring. Two came to me as patients a few days later and spoke so highly about Khura’s behaviour and knowledge, and said that they were left with a sense of great respect for him. Such a person was Khura.

While death is inevitable, his death will definitely leave a void among all those whose lives he touched. For me, I have lost a friend, philosopher and guide, but I will always cherish the memories of the time we spent together.

Au revoir, Khura, and may you shower your blessings on us as you had done in life !

By Dr Tonmoy Das