He lived with self-pride and died calm. A scribe of repute, an editor of commitment and an author with humor, Tilak Hazarika passed away on the early hours of 22 October. The 95 crossed Assamese gentleman was admitted in the hospital on 19 September following a brain stroke, where the accomplished writer breathed his last.
The veteran journalist, who was engaged with the popular Assamese weekly Sadin till his end, continued writing over various contemporary issues till he got hospitalized. He also authored and translated few books and was honored with accolades including the prestigious Sahitya Academy award inm 1996.
Born at Silghat Sonari village in Koliabor on 3 October 1921, Hazarika started his journalism career with Natun Asomiya (edited by eminent poet Debokanta Barua) in 1949 and later joined Asam Bani, published by the well-regarded Assam Tribune group, in 1957. He was elevated to the post of editor in the acclaimed weekly. Finally Hazarika joined Sadin as its founder editor in 1989 and continued serving the newspaper till his demise.
Hazarika’s literary works include Adda (1958), Koto Kahini (1960), Ityadi (1984), Sihote Amak Gaan Gabo Nidiye (1999) and Abelir Sha (2000). His translation work titled Phanishwar Nath Renur Shrestha Kahini received wide appreciation from the critics.
Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Assembly speaker Ranjit Das, former CM Tarun Gogoi with a host of political leaders, civil society leaders, media outlet representatives etc expressed their profound grief at the death of Hazarika. The last rites of the soft-spoken media personality were performed with State honours at Navagraha crematorium in presence of hundreds admires and close relatives.
His mortal remains were taken from the hospital to his Silpukhuri residence for necessary rituals. His wife Ansuya Hazarika bid a tearful adieu and only daughter Manjori Bora lighted the pyre. Earlier his flower-patterned body was taken to Sadin-Pratidin & Pratidin Time office, Assam Tribune complex and Guwahati Press Club for final tributes by the media fraternity.
An initial sadness and grief following the unforeseen death of Assam’s cultural icon in Singapore at only 53 have slowly turned into outrages with a sole demand for justice to Zubeen Garg, as millions of his fans and admirers got convinced that something wrong had happened to their prince of melody during an unplanned sea-yacht outing in the southeast Asian nation. The heart-breaking news that brought the India’s north-eastern State with 3.3 million people to a standstill turning its capital city into a sea of humans weeping, sobbing, crying and exclaiming why Zubeen was put to die in the islands nation, thousands kilometer away from his motherland, on 19 September 2025. The...
The heartbroken news arrived from Singapore in multiple media outlets, which baffled the people of Assam, but immediately in outrages among the young generation, who were born in eastern India and brought up with the melodious voice of iconic singer Zubeen Garg. The sadness and melancholy soon turned into outrages with a vital question, why Zubeen was taken to Singapore as he was not physically well for months. Millions of his fans were annoyed when they encountered some clippings of videos on social media, where the singing sensation was seen swimming in the seawater (without a life-jacket), whereas he was cautioned by the doctors in Guwahati to avoid the fire and water body. The...
Guwahati: Since 1 February 2005, Assam government has implemented the National Pension Scheme (NPS) for the government employees. All Assam Government NPS Employees’ Association terms it an anti-employee policy and a mockery in the name of pension. The Union government, instead of restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), has taken initiatives to replace the NPS with a new one named Universal Pension Scheme (UPS).
The third biennial conference of the association, held on 24 August at Rupnagar in the city strongly opposed this move and demanded the reintroduction of the OPS. President Achyutananda Hazarika and general secretary Apurba Sharma announced that from next month...
The natural gas leakage from Bhatiapar crude oil well continues for 15 days, even though the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) along with an expert team from USA continue working for full dousing of the RDS-147A under Rudrasagar oilfield in Sivasagar district of eastern Assam. The blowout began on 12 June 2025 and uncontrolled leakage compelled nearly 350 families to leave their places for safety reasons. Besides the local villagers living near the old well, the high pressure gas flow impacted the surrounding environment heavily. Lately, the ONGC issued a statement claiming that ‘a significant progress in controlling the well at RDS 147A’ was made. It also added the...
When hundreds of media workers died of Covid-19 complications across India, a few people thought the corona disaster would also devastate the print media with sharply declined circulation figures resulting in shrinking advertisement revenues. Many established newspaper-publishing groups either closed many of their editions in the post-corona period or drastically reduced the number of employees to cope up with the hard situation. Some newspapers were shut down forever and many owners were compelled to sell their publications. The troubles are now brewing for the oldest media house in north-eastern region after a Dimapur-based English daily recently ceased its publications. The...
Guwahati: Amid stained bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the head of Dhaka-based interim government Dr Muhammad Yunus exchanged warm greetings on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. In an official letter (dated on 4 June 2025), PM Modi on behalf of the people and government of Bharat conveyed good wishes to Dr Yunus and the people of Bangladesh on the auspicious occasion of the Islamic festival.
This holy festival is an integral part of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India and is celebrated with immense joy and fervour by millions of people of Islamic faith across the country. It reminds us of the timeless values of sacrifice,...
In the decisive war against Pakistan in 1971, India won and a new nation was born, but a small State in eastern part of Bharat had to pay a heavy price with millions of East Pakistan refugees, for which Assam still cries but nobody cares. With an absorbent border with Bangladesh and unconvincing political will from the government, augmented by continued callous attitude of majority Asomiya people, the situation remains grim even today. New Delhi supported the Mukti Bahini (the freedom aspiring Bengalis of East Pakistan) in their movement against West Pakistan and finally the atrocious Pakistan forces had to surrender on 16 December 1971. But the newly born sovereign country was not...
The current interim government of Bangladesh, led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, remains busy pursuing the final reports by a number of reform commissions with their proposals and subsequent discussions with the political party representatives. Even after nine months of its formation in Dhaka, the situation across the south Asian nation continues to be murky. Needless to mention that a sense of joy and expectation surfaced among nearly 170 million Bangladeshi nationals, when the caretaker government was constituted following a massive student-led uprising compelled sitting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee (to India) on 5 August last year. Enjoying the...
A recent controversy erupted following a social media post by a television journalist, associated with Gauhati Press Club (earlier Guwahati Press Club) in northeast India, brought many questions for the media body, which invited a minister in Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s cabinet for a cultural program, but shockingly ‘faced derogatory comments’. The particular post was generated by the journalist working for a satellite news channel owned by the CM’s family, and his outburst that the State health & family welfare minister Ashok Singhal disrespected a delegation from GPC, was taken seriously. According to the journalist, the GPC delegation went to invite Singhal for a...
The recently concluded by-polls for 48 legislative assembly constituencies in 14 States (along with two Parliamentary constituencies in Kerala and Maharashtra) divulged an important fact that no less than 41 assembly seats needed the special elections as those were vacated by the respective legislators after they were elected to the lower house of Indian Parliament. The representatives of different political parties (irrespective of their ideologies or position in the governments) participated in the last general elections and succeeded to be lawmakers in the 18th Lok Sabha.
One may wonder how all these members of State legislative assemblies turned Parliamentarians...
Add new comment