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The fifth Parag Kumar Das Memorial Lecture will be held in Guwahati on Tuesday to mark the birth anniversary of the slain journalist and editor, whose courage and convictions shaped a generation of public thought in Assam.
The memorial event will take place at 3 PM at Vivekananda Kendra, where eminent academician and Vice-Chancellor of Royal Global University, Dr. Alok Kumar Buragohain, will deliver this year’s lecture on the theme “Disruptive Technology and the Crisis of Civilization.”
The annual lecture is organised by the Parag Kumar Das Memorial Trust, established by his family and well-wishers after his assassination. Since 1997, the trust had been organising a state-level debate competition in his memory, and from 2022 onwards, it transitioned to hosting memorial lectures. A documentary on his life and contributions was also released on February 24, 2018.
Who was Parag Kumar Das?
For the unversed, Parag Kumar Das, born on February 24, 1961, in Shillong, remains one of the most prominent and fearless figures in Assam’s journalistic history. Known for his uncompromising voice and strong advocacy for human rights, he was assassinated on May 17, 1996, when gunmen shot him at Rajgarh in Guwahati while he was on his way to pick up his son from school. His son was also injured in the attack.
Das showed academic brilliance from an early age, studying at Chenikuthi Boys’ School and Cotton Collegiate School before pursuing higher education in Delhi. He graduated with honours in Economics from St. Stephen’s College and later completed his post-graduation from the Delhi School of Economics, choosing journalism and public life over conventional career paths.
He began writing in the 1980s, contributing columns to ‘Prantik’ and other publications. Over time, he became associated with newspapers such as The Sentinel. In 1989, he launched the Assamese weekly Boodhbar, followed by Agaan in 1994. In 1995, he joined Asomiya Pratidin as Executive Editor, further cementing his influence in the media landscape of Assam.
Nearly three decades after his assassination, Parag Kumar Das continues to be remembered as a courageous journalist whose writings and activism left a deep impact on Assam’s political and intellectual life.