Vinay Tarun_An obituary: An Award needs instituted on young journalist

Vinay Tarun_An obituary: An Award needs instituted on young journalist

Very few persons become so close to any unknown and leave for good.
I saw Vinay Tarun on the night of 26.12.2008 first time at his house at Purnea and that young Vinay of 28 years is no more..succumbed to a railway accident at Nathnagar near Bhagalpur where he was working in the Hindustan daily.
My first visit to his house was sheer accidental when my friend Dr.Amrendra Jha told me on that day that he could not arrange any meeting rather such a press meeting was arranged by Pinki whose number was with Kripanand Jha of Delhi. Kripanand phoned him and Pinki was ready at that dark evening near Kala Bhavan collecting all reporters despite we were late because of our route lost from Katihar.
Pinki asked us to go to her house and she guided us. A girl on a motorcycle(Rajdoot),she seemed to be unique in Mithila.
At house I saw she entered in kitchen. I asked her father about her mother. She had passed away sometimes back in young age.
Vinay was there. He had jaundice; he contracted from Koshi flood area where he worked as a dynamic worker apart from a reporter.
Even on that day Prof. Agrawal from Delhi had come and was staying there after distribution of blankets brought from Delhi for Koshi flood victims.
After that I had many visits of Bhagalpur where I used to stay at his 5th floor one room apartment near Muslim School and have many memoirs, many of which I have shared in blogs.
Though age-wise he was of my son's age had I any child but always I behaved with him as a younger worker of Mithila.
Once he told me that Neetish Kumar was trying to censure Mithila state news but if people go on roads any pressure on newspapers will not work.
He was an avid reader, a good reporter and very humble boy as per his name.
On his bike I had gone to Munger and twice Sultanganj apart from Sabour. He went to Araria also that newspapers covered Maithili conference so widely.
Only two months back I had recommended his name to IRDS, Lucknow for
Surendra Pratap Singh Award named on a journalist, news anchor, and newspaper editor who was not only the founder of Aaj Tak but is often regarded as the first true investigative journalist and is credited with having produced a host of fantastic journalists.
Probably another award need instituted on Vinay Tarun's name whose reports on Bandhua mazdoors and floods need compilation.
He used to send me all clippings related to Mithila as and when published and many times published my comments and programmes talking on phone that my time was utilized. He tried to convince Angika youths about me and arranged my meetings with them in Nathnagar that many of them could understand that they were like us culturally alike. What many professors of Bhagalpur could not achieve he did in harmonising Maithil society which is badly vivisected on the name of Angika-Maithili while the fact remained both are one! It took me time and patience too but now that process started will not get matured without Vinay, I think though I will try to re-contact those youth.
I feel as if my right hand is chopped knowing that he was no more- on that day I was at Mumbai and then in continued tours that I did not talk him since a month. He had told me that he would take leave in June for further study and would shift to Jamshedpur in job where his elder sister is married. The family is ruined after this shock. Unmarried other sister Pinki, a journalist with Hindustan at Patna and father SNL Das leaving in Teacher's Colony, Purnea all must be in sea of sorrow.
Yesterday evening I had a call from Kripanand from Saharsa when I was delivering a speech at the Blast Furnace section of Mecon where I am contesting for the post of president of the Association. I told him that I would talk him later and when I talked him after a while it was he who gave me the shocking news. Later I phoned Pushyamitra who was introduced to me by Vinay who had already this news. Awadhes Paswan of Jhandapur who came in the AMP due to Vinay where we had a camp had also this news from someone. Sudhirnath Mishra from Araria will visit soon Purnea house once Vinay's father returns from Gaya after his last rites.
May Bhagwati give Him peace. For us a vacuum will remain forever of a young dynamic Mithila worker who had values in his small but meaningful life.