P. E. Shankar was a Journalist per excellence working in Guwhati in early Fifties during the last century. When he landed in Guwhati to take charge of  Reuter-PTI combined  office of the News agency it was Lion Hearted visionary of Assam RadhaGobinda Baruah  requested  his Assistant Editor of Assam Tribune to help him  settling down  in the town.  t. Satish Chandra kaktoi was the Assistant Editors then   who received him at Gauhati on his arrival and helped him  not only to  settle down but to  feel  the pulse  of Northeast and its culture. Both became great friends and their friendship lasted till Kakoti’s demise. Both the family  maintained the family relations till today. Shankar died on 17^th June 2010 at Chennai at the ripe old age of  Ninty, leaving his two daughters and a son.

         Shankar brought in the concept of News agency reporting into Assam . Assam Tribune and Natun Asomiya became one of the earliest customers of the Reuter- PTI combined.  In early fifty  the relationship between Reuter and  PTI has broken down and PTI took over the entire operation in India. It is Shankar who presided over the smooth transfer news agency operation  in Northeast.

“In September 1952, PTI ended the news-sharing arrangement. Reuters was suddenly left with just two correspondents and half a dozen stringers in India. Its heydays in this country were seemingly over”., according Naresh Rajkhowa who was journalist of Assam Tribune then.

Shankar  was the Head of the  newly formed PTI Bureax at Guwhati and  tought the importance of “Objective Reporting” in modern India. Shankar  became a wellkown face of Journalism in Assam. He took an office in M.C. Raod and it became a place of pilgrim for  senior  politicians of North East India. Then Congress office was in Happy villa, near PTI Office,  and most of the front ranking leaders used to  visit Reuters office including  former Chief Ministers B. P. Chaliha, Devkanta Barooah  and K. P. Tripathy  whenever they visited Guwhati.during those days.

It was Shankar who trained up  a few Assamese  teleprinter operators ,  for a  Journalistic career, like Pulin Bihari Barthakur, Kartick Kumar Baroowa, who became later years  famous Journalist and Media Persons . Bartakur became Director of Government of India ‘s Information Department and Baroowa became head of  Press Trust. Of India’s   Bombay operation.

Shankar was not only repected by  elder statesman of northeast and intellectuals of the region but was  loved by even the children of Uzanbazar  for his amiable  behaviour, where he lived and worked. Dilip Kakoty, formerly Chairman of Higher secondary Board,( eldest son of S. C . kakoti )used to call him  as “Reuter Mama” and we all his class mates and neighbour  found it convenient to call him by the same name. We were in our teen’s then .At later years I joined PTI and learnt about his idiosyncrasies. He used to visit temple on the Bihu Days as it was also their “Bishu” the  day of New Year. He used to distribute sweets to his staff on the occasion. 

Shankar had  left Guwhati to take over the charge of Tiruvantpuram office when P.M. Balan took over his place. Shankar  retired from PTI in 1980 as the Head of the South India operation. His wife Parvati  predeceased him . She was a great lady who brought up her to daughters Shanti and Jayanthi  and only son Raja as responsible citizen. Shankar lived a full life and died on  second week of June. Perhaps modern journalist of Assam might not have heard of him but  older generation must be remembering his yeomen service to the Northeast. We salute to the noble soul and pray almighty to give strength to his children to bear the loss..

                                     ______________________