A sturdy, kurta and denim clad enthusiastic reporter was your first introduction to me. In the summer of 2015, as soon I joined Greater Kashmir, my yearning to see Muddasir Ali in flesh and blood, was as much as his longing to write quality news stories and features was.
Having read your authored stories for a long time before becoming your colleague had marked a deep curiosity to meet you in person.
I am not among those very close to you. Neither have I interacted much with you on a personal level. The bond I shared with you was purely a professional one. However, the key learning from your body of work, naturally also let me look at you from a personal prism.
In hindsight, your journalistic work was based on basic principles of this discipline. Systematic to the core in your detailing, you believed in the good-old copybook journalism, yet so fresh and updated in your approach.
As we complete one year of running the daily show without your presence, there are times often that I visualise how you would have dealt with situations every evening. There was so much to learn from you and whatever we imbibed from your sea of knowledge helps every now and then. As good you were as a reporter, similar qualities made you a prolific sub-editor, just before death snatched you from us.
Now, trying to step into your shoes, one finds it both easy and difficult. Your persona has left an indelible mark on our minds about the tough task master you were. Nuanced, yet straightforward, was your style of work that one finds it easy to copy the ways and methods your adopted. The back of the mind feeling of whether we would be able to do justice of matching up with your ability makes it a tad tough to say or do what you used to.
On a personal note, every time I get back home with a good day at work or any small or big professional achievement comes my way, it rings a bell in my head that how would Muddasir have reacted to it.
Your followed thumb-rules and good practices are any day better for a journalism student than what is often taught in classrooms. You lived each day as a new one and ensured to do professional justice to it.
Walking the extra mile for a good story or a well edited feature was a routine for you. During the last one year of your absence, we have been repeatedly telling ourselves that the template left behind by Muddasir is the most apt one to adopt in practicing good reporting or desk work.
As much calculated you were in making comments and indulging in conversations, you ensured to address issues of people from all age groups and sections of society. Be it a youngster seeking your advice, or a distressed elderly person visiting the newspaper office premises with a public grievance.
From policy matters of the state and of national importance, to political issues and even a common man’s problems, your arena of work panned across, and covered all lengths and breadths.
Now that you are no more with us physically, every evening in the newsroom your absence is felt. This caravan has to move on and each achievement of all your colleagues is equally yours. The same colleagues with whom you shared happy and sad moments, saw highs and lows.
sign off promising you that learning from the days spent with you won’t go waste. We shall live up to your dreams. Rest in peace brother.
(The author is a Senior Correspondent at Greater Kashmir)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.