Gopal was an inspiration

Iboyaima Laithangbam *

Within a few hours of writing a personalised article on how my teachers and other persons who were in chummy terms with me have died one after another, I heard the sad news of the demise of Shamurailatpam Gopal Sharma.

When I saw him the last time, I knew that his health was not running well. He was shrivelled and diabetically thin and appeared to have aged a lot. He was just 63 and like me he should have made preparations to live till 100 years of age.

Professionally we were contemporaries. He was the joint editor of "Paojl" and me, the deputy editor of now defunct "Eastern Standard". But then my major earnings and recongnitions were from the national newspapers and magazines. In 1980 he had started owning and editing "Poknapham" and I also eventually landed with my own "Imphal Reporter". He even gave him practical advice on how to install the printing machine.

AMWJU chief Khogendra Khomdram leads in bidding farewell Photo Courtesy: Sangai Express

My unforgettable bitter experience with Assam Rifles was at Oinam in Senapati district where after an ambush, the rebels had snatched the highest number of arms and explosives ever recorded in an insurgency afflicted country in the world. Some Imphal-based journalists had gone to the village to make an investigation into the allegations of excesses committed on the tribal villagers during the search operations.

We were intercepted on the way and asked to go back. By the time the final march order was given it was already dark and our jeep driver suffered from night blindness. The cut mountain road had several hairpin bends and small landslips had been stemmed by maggots of firewood and branches. Certainly these were death traps.

I had requested the officer who was escorting us back to allow us to halt in the mountain for the night so that we could move out early in the morning. "Nothing doing. This is the order of the Tiger (the commanding officer). It was a miracle that we did not plunge into the gorge. All the while a fear had chilled my spine. Once we were at the safe hotel along the highway I ventilated my fear that there might have been firings from unknown sources. Gopal also exhaled to say that he was having the same horror in his mind during the journey.

We had drifted apart, each busy with his own works. On a rare occasion he said that I was more of a tailor made spit-fire correspondent than the owner and manager of a newspaper. How right his assessment was could be gauged from the way "Imphal Reporter" had to have a premature death.

The last talk we had was in a hotel room. He frankly said "From among our comptemporary, you are the sharp shooter. I am glad that you are still maintaining your style and stamina". In my wedding he was one of the noisy companion. I will treasure those moments.

From a working class worker, he came up to the top of the mountain, if not the world. His hard work, meteoric rise and laurels should be an inspiration to the young generation in this profession. It was no mean achievement to fork up the circulation of "Poknapham". He is the first and only publisher in Manipur who had brought out a Silchar edition of this newspaper. He had initially planned to hire a printing press.

Since it was charging Rs 5000 per day, he had elected to install his own printing press, he once explained to me. It is another story, if the readers there who are more versed with Bengali and Assamese than Manipuri, did not agree with his spellings leading to the premature closure of this edition.

Gopal had accomplished many things which many of us will never do. By Manipur's standard, he has left a newspaper empire. It is for his family to keep the newspaper and business alive. I am sure he must have looked into it.

Though he was one of the founder members of the All Manipur Working Journalists' Union and Press club, he had slowly distanced himself. Proprietors should not be members of the bodies which are basically for the journalists, it was make known. But then he was never away from the journalist community and it is good that journalists had paid a befitting last respect to his dead body.

Minister of IFCD and YAS, N Biren, Dy Chairman of MSPB, MLA Bijoy Koijam offering floral tributes to the mortal remains of Sh Gopal Sharma; office bearers of AMWJU, journalists, sympathisers along with Minister Biren standing in 2 minute silence Photo Courtesy: Hueiyen Lanpao

We had many happy times in press tours. During a trip to Moreh, several editors and journalists had purchased many things. Gopal and some others had bought several plastic chairs. These were carted away to Imphal by a police mini truck. It later found that several chairs, including all of Gopal's, were stolen. Despite my suggestion, he refrained from asking the OC to pull up the driver.

Well, Gopal has gone. But his legacy should stay on. I happened to glance at the "Poknapham" edition carrying accounts and photographs of his death. One photograph which was moving was one of Gopal's. He was standing at a canoe facing the camera. The boat appeared to be slowly peddled away by unseen hands and oars from us.

And Gopal was, as always in his life, having his seraphic smile. It appeared that he was bidding us goodbye with his sweet smile. Even while taking good bye for ever he gave us his friendly and memorable smile.

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* Iboyaima Laithangbam wrote this article for Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition)
This article was webcasted on August 18, 2010.

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