It is difficult to write an obit of a person who has been your friend, philosopher, and a guide. Pandit Vasishta Kumar Sharma, who died yesterday was one such person for many of us. He was a born leader, he started wearing Khadi from his student life and steadfastly maintained it till the last breath of his life. Lean and thin Sharma ji was ever smiling. Hundreds of Urdu couplets, Hindi poems and aphorisms of Sanskrit were always in his heart to fit on every occasion. He was fearless and straight forward person and never minced words for saying spade a spade yet at the same time he was very courteous and respectful to others. He was a kind-hearted person and was always ready to help others in a time of need. His death is an immense and irreparable loss to the IFWJ.
He was the first person along with the senior journalist, Jayant Verma of Jabalpur, to have raised the voice for cleansing of the IFWJ from the corrupt persons. He used to say that the complete overhauling of the Indian Federation of Working Journalist was necessary to make it a relevant organisation, and an instrument of struggle for the cause of the working journalist of the country. When he was chosen as the Vice-President of the IFWJ, he had vowed to work for the strengthening of the organisation. He had assured to Working Committee of the IFWJ that the first thing that he would do was to prevail upon the RWJU to hold the election and true to his words he got it done with the help of Ish Madhu Talwar, another stalwart journalist, writer and novelist, whose imprints can be seen in the Union.
Pandit ji was not keeping well for a quite long time, but we never knew that he would leave us so sad and so soon. That is why, when the President of Rajasthan Working Journalist Union, Harish Gupta telephoned to IFWJ’s Treasurer, Rinku Yadav about his demise, who immediately conveyed it to me, I got drowned in deep sorrow. However, after some time I mustered the courage to speak to his family members to express the condolences on behalf of IFWJ and thereafter the messages mourning his death started pouring through emails, Facebook, and WhatsApp accounts of the IFWJ.
Pandit ji, as we would fondly call him, was a prominent student leader in his university days. Once when the police were searching for him, he stayed at the house of Praveen Chandra Chhabra, a veteran journalist, and the doyen of the IFWJ, who was then associated with the Lok Vani. The Then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, the late Jai Narayan Vyas, an astute politician that he was, wanted to win over Vashishta Kumar ji by offering him to make a RAS officer. In those days, the Chief Minister could nominate any bright young person to the post of the RAS. However, Pandit ji declined to accept the coveted offer and preferred to remain in journalism and got attached to the Navyug newspaper.
Pandit ji, worked hard to have a strong journalist organisation so that every journalist could feel proud to be a member of the Rajasthan Working Journalist Union. He lived the life of an ascetic. Spiritual to the core he was a good connoisseur of Hindi poetry. A compilation of his poems has also been published. His son Manoj Sharma, an IAS officer has got the qualities of a prolific and facile pen from his late father. His second son is a senior officer in Rajasthan’s Information department. He was a good host, which I along with my other colleagues have had the good opportunity to saviour at his house in Jaipur.
IFWJ President, BV Mallikarunaih, Vice Presidents- Hemant Tiwari, Keshab Kalita, Vibhuti Bhushan Kalita and KM Jha and many others like Sidharth Kalhans, K Asadullah and Bhaskar Dube have joined me in condoling the death of Pandit ji. Indian Federation of Working Journalist (IFWJ) dips its banner in the memory of Pandit ji. May his soul rest in Heaven.
Parmanand Pandey
Secretary-General: IFWJ
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