Nationalist Bengali Journalist Asim Da is no more

New Delhi: Kolkata-based veteran journalist, Asim Kumar Mitra, passed away at a hospital in Kolkata on January 12 at 9.30 am. He was 82. Asim Da, as he was popularly known, was unwell for some time and was undergoing treatment at the hospital after he suffered a brain injury at home a few days back. A committed RSS swayamsevak since his childhood, he held various responsibilities in the Sangh including the Kshetra Bauddhik Pramukh. He contributed stories from Kolkata and whole of West Bengal for ‘Organiser Weekly’ for over five decades. He had also actively assisted Shri Eknath Ranade in creating Swami Vivekanand Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari.

Born on November 13, 1938, Asim Da started his journalism career as sub-editor in ‘Hindusthan Samachar’ multilingual news agency in 1962 and continued to work there till 1966. He then joined Bengali daily ‘Aajkal’ and worked there from 1981 to 1999. He was an Assistant editor in ‘Aaj Kal’. Along with that, he taught journalism students in various institutions. He was also a member of the Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC) and the Press Council of India.

Asim Da has authored four books in Bengali. He received the ‘Nachiketa Samman’ for excellence in journalism at the hands of the then Prime Minister of India in 2001. He was in jail for three months for protesting against censorship on media in 1975.

Asim Das was also involved in the media trade union movement since 1972 when the National Union of Journalists India, an organisation of nationalist journalists, was formed. He was a founder member of the NUJ(I). He also served as president of the West Bengal Union of Journalists (WBUJ) and severed in various prestigious government committees as an important member of the union. He also served as the national general secretary of the National Union of Journalists (India). He was a strong pillar of the NUJ(I) who assisted in building the organisation brick by brick since the day one. He stood for the rights of journalists and fought against Smt Indira Gandhi’s dictatorship during Emergency. As an editor, he stood by high moral values and ethics in journalism. ‘Organiser’ pays heartfelt tribute to its regular contributor.