CHANDIGARH: Senior journalist and former president of the Chandigarh Press Club Sarabjit Pandher passed away at his residence in Mohali on Sunday morning. He was cremated today afternoon. He bravely fought a deadly cancer for almost eight months before breathing his last. He was 58 years old.
He is survived by his father Sardar Gurdev Singh Pandher and two daughters.
Apart from being a journalist par excellence he was a renowned photographer as well.
Born in 1964 in Ludhiana, Sarabjit Pandher did his schooling from Sacred Heart School. He studied for a brief while at Government college, Ludhiana and went on to do Masters in journalism from PAU, Ludhiana.
He joined PTI and The Tribune as a stringer and covered militancy in Punjab while stationed a Gurdaspur.
Later he joined The Hindu at Chandigarh covering Punjab. He wrote extensively on issues concerning Punjab's economy, farmers' issues opposing WTO policies. He was invited by the US government to study farm issues.
After taking voluntary retirement from The Hindu he joined as Editor in Chief of Daily Post. He took a break from journalism and took to photography. His passion for photography took him to a host of places in India and abroad. He held several solo exhibitions and was awarded by various bodies for his stunning pictures.
Apart from being a remarkable journalist he stood up like a true leader for the community of journalists. He started as union leader in PTI and remained very active in Press Club where he was elected President and secretary general twice.
He was always among the first to reach any place whenever a journalist needed help or assistance.
He will be widely missed by his family and friends.
Punjab News Express editor Satinder Bains and staff express deep shock over the demise of a friend and condolence with the bereaved family.