Shillong ( Meghalaya), Sep 29 : Noted journalist of the state , Tilak Rai passed away on Tuesday at the NEIGRIMS .
According to family sources he was ailing for quite some time . From early in the morning today he was throwing -up and finally collapsed .
He was immediately taken to NEIGRIMS where he was declared brought dead .
My heartfelt condolences on the passing away of senior journalist Sh. Tilak Rai. He was a stalwart who contributed immensely to the media fraternity in Meghalaya. His dedication will continue to inspire many. May his family be given strength in this time of grief. May he #RIP pic.twitter.com/MMMEulWdCH
— James K Sangma (@JamesSangma1) September 28, 2021
The Shillong Press Club has expressed profound grief and sorrow at the unfortunate passing away of yet another strong pillar of journalism of Meghalaya Tilak Rai on Tuesday.
Born on February 4, 1965, ‘Tilak’ to his peers and ‘Bah’ to his forever long line of cub reporters, he was known and acknowledged for his keen sense of news and drive to close a story at the earliest but thoroughly.
A product of Little Flower School, Malki he completed his graduation from St. Anthony’s College in the late 80s and then embarked on his remarkable journey of journalism.
Tilak was widely known and sometimes feared for his astute sense of unseen news and his keen drive to elicit information from anyone. It was never a challenge for him to cajole, induce or coerce someone for a story. He had that much wind in his sail even on a dry day.
Prolific in English, Hindi, Nepali and Khasi, Tilak began his journalistic foray with U Lum Shyllong a popular weekly Khasi in 1990-91 which was published by Bindo M Lanong. Then came the rush of print journalism and he had a brief stint with Shillong Times after which he continued his writing with Meghalaya Guardian.
Forever on the move and exploring new avenues, he then joined the Indian Express in 1997 where he not only interviewed numerous dignitaries and celebrities; but closely interacted with quite a few of them much to the envy of his peers and officials on many occasions. Raj Bhavan, the State Assembly and Secretariat were his favorite hunting grounds, and he maintained a very cordial love-hate relationship with the Who’s Who of Meghalaya and even outside.
At the time of his death , he was the publisher and editor of Meghalaya’s first digital portal , Oh !Meghalaya.
The mortal remains of Tilak would be cremated on Wednesday .
