IMPHAL, June 4: Phanjoubam Tarapot, former head of PTI news service Manipur Bureau, breathed his last yesterday night at about 11.30 pm after a brief illness, at the RIMS hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
He died peacefully, surrounded by his family and loved ones.
The veteran, who is a pioneer of English language journalism in the state, is survived by his wife, Jamini, a son and two daughters.
His mortal remains were consigned to the flames this morning at the Wangkhei Meihoubam Lampak crematorium.
Tarapot, is also the author of two books `Insurgency Movement in Northeast India` (Vikas Publisher, 1993) and `Bleeding Manipur` (Har Anand Publisher, 2003).
Meanwhile, the Press Trust of India Limited has condoled his sudden demise.
According to a release of the PTI, Tarapot was born on August 28, 1951 at Wangkhei Meihoubam Lampak and completed his graduation from St. Joseph College in Darjeeling in 1975.
He stepped into the world of media when he did a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication New Delhi, it said.
Completing his course in 1978, he joined Press Trust of India New Delhi that year. He was selected for the Paris-based `Journalists in Europe Programme`™ in 1986.
Meanwhile, the All Manipur Working Journalists`™ Union (AMWJU) has also condoled the demise of its member, Phanjoubam Tarapot.
According to a release of the union, the Standing Committee of the union observed a two minutes silence on his demise.
It said the union sharesthe grief of the bereaved family members. (l) Tarapot became an Assistant Manager at PTI in 1978, the AMWJU statement said.
After carrying on as assistant manager at Arunachal Pradesh, Kolkata and Eastern Circle, he returned to Imphal and became Manager of Imphal PTI and retired from his post in 2014, it said.
His demise will leave behind a void which would be hard to fill, it said.