An Evening Of Loss!

RIYAZ UL KHALIQ

SRINAGAR

A keen journalist, Imtiyaz Bakhshi will be missed by all, essentially by young reporters who were very fond of his crisp editing.

People who were close to Imtiyaz call him painstaking and hard task master –hard task master! “The finest sub-editor, I have ever come across,” writes Director Information Department, Munir-Ul-Islam in his Facebook post.

Even Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in his condolence message described Imtiyaz Bakhshi as one of the most talented sub-editors who distinguished himself by working on the desk of leading newspapers, including The Indian Express and Sahara Group. He also worked with The Rising Kashmir.

“No dot or a comma would ever miss his keen eyes. He certainly had a command over the language and lot of younger journalists who worked with him in Sahara or The Indian Express owe a lot to him,” Islam continues in his post. “He was a joy to work with.”

Being a best editor despite his weak eye sight, Imtiyaz loved to edit and would not leave the desk till he oversaw the printing of his page.

“Imtiyaz had some problems with eye sight which made it difficult for him to work as a reporter,” Islam adds. He asserts and further writes, “But it was the gain for editing team.” He says that his association with Imtiyaz goes back to early 1990s when the duo worked for a Delhi based News and Feature agency-FANA.

Those who remained close to him say Imtiyaz’s small anecdotes about his previous stints as a tourist guide to foreign tourists would make happy everyone. He worked as guide for around six months in late 1980s.

“These anecdotes were a constant source of enjoyment in tight and serious sort of editing and reporting,” a friend of Imtiyaz said. “When the mood in newsroom was serious, then Imtiyaz’s jokes would set the mood right and everyone would burst in laughter,” he added.

During one such incident in his heydays, Imtiyaz had not registered himself with the Guides Union of Taj Mahal, but all the coveted tourist organizations wanted him to accompany their guests because of his command over German and English language. Imtiyaz was guest faculty at University of Kashmir to teach German.

“Imtiyaz was an albino with golden hair, so no one ever came to know if he was a guide or one of the tourists. So he came to be known as a ‘German professor of Indian history’ among the guides who keenly followed him,” Islam shares this incident.

“Yes, Imtiyaz indeed was a Professor – with a wide canvass of knowledge on matters ranging from international politics to history, culture, literature and spirituality,” he maintains.

Journalist fraternity across the board remembers Imtiyaz as ‘one of the finest man Kashmir journalism had ever produced’.

Imtiyaz, according to reports, fell unconscious in Press enclave Friday evening. He was taken to a local hospital where doctors declared him brought dead. With this, Kashmir lost ‘German professor of Indian history’. He is survived by wife.

Grief and shock is in air as whole journalist fraternity feels bereaved. It was a different Friday evening. An evening of loss when Imtiyaz could not oversee his page as his chapter was closed to meet his creator and start afresh!