Sir,
The sudden and sad demise of Mr. S D Rohmetra was highly shocking not only to his kiths and kin but also to a vast multitude of his friends, well wishers and admirers across J & K and elsewhere in India. My acquaintance with Mr. Rohmetra dated back to early seventies in some office when I was struggling to save my transfer to Ladakh and he published Excelsior as a weekly magazine. I was an Executive Engineer then and did not fit in the criteria for transfer to Ladakh. As we sat discussing one issue or the other, the issue of my transfer to Ladakh also cropped up and I vehemently talked of injustice meted out to me against the laid out criteria for Ladakh transfers. If I correctly recapitulate he counselled me not to resist transfer as one stint in Ladakh for a Govt. servant was paramount and in any case Ladakh was an enchanting region offering lot many innovative and scintillating opportunities to engineers and others. Nonetheless, my efforts to stall the transfer did not fructify. But my stay at Leh remains one of my best during my service tenure.
But then, it was just a casual acquaintance likewise many of my colleagues and associates. Barring brief stints in between, I did not see much of him in the years that followed till 1977 when Excelsior was upgraded to a daily news paper and titled Daily Excelsior. There were many other aspiring editors who were struggling to survive and sustain in the complex domain of journalism but many of them could not sail through owing to lack of good will, biased reporting, fiscal and other problems. Daily Excelsior with objective reporting on political, social and other burning issues was considered by and large, a representative paper to highlight the problems of the state in general and Jammu region in particular.
It was many years later, barring a few family functions in between, that I happened to know Mr. Rohmetra from close quarters. Post retirement, I created a flair for writing on environmental,and other social issues. Devoid of a computer or a fax machine then, to send the write up, I called up Mr. Rohmetra if I could see him. He was gracious enough to respond affirmatively but preferably in the evening hours. I handed over the article which probably was on some environmental issue and which he read verbatim and said “please keep it up. It is a fairly good attempt.” His hospitality and warmth made me feel comfortable during the very first meeting in his office. Two days later, I was really elated to see my article published on the editorial page of Excelsior.
Subsequently, my visits to Excelsior had been few and far between. I visited his office several times with one write up or the other which invariably was published. Many a time he would ask for my frank and honest opinion about the contents of the paper. He was observed to be cool and receptive to suggestions and would not react exasperatingly to the criticism of the contents of Excelsior likewise several others. In fact, he was a journalist to the core and understood the fine nuances of journalism and their application to promote Excelsior. He was seen to be a stickler for time for the publication of the Daily. He knew which news to pick and which to discard while his teleprinter was on; when to edit the proof and the final print for next day issue. He would sit till late hours to ensure that his paper hits the stands in time next morning.
As invariably observed, he was a highly self respecting person, well connected with politicians and bureaucracy alike but kind and generous towards his staff. He was a loving father who took special care of aspiration of his siblings. Once I suggested to him that his elder son who has been J&K Snooker and Billiard champion for years together, be sent for some specialised coaching to compete in national events. He smilingly said who stopped but the decision was entirely his own and he knows his responsibility towards Excelsior.
Though Mr. Rohmetra is no longer a part of this mortal world now, yet it transpires that his devotion, dedication and resolution still permeates the ambience of Excelsior House and inspires its management and other staff members to scale dizzying heights untouched thus far.
Yours etc….
B K Suri
Trikuta Nagar
Jammu
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