Friday, 23 February 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Veteran journalist, author and poet Jaskiran Chopra breathed her last in Dehradun on Thursday night. According to her family members, she experienced discomfort on Thursday night and passed away due to cardiac arrest while being taken to the hospital. She was 57.
A prolific writer, she had authored half a dozen books on subjects ranging from her memories of Dehradun as it was, collection of poetry and Hindi cinema to author Ruskin Bond. A regular contributor to The Pioneer where she had worked as a special correspondent, her fortnightly column ‘Blank Verse’ was appreciated for many years by readers of the Dehradun and Chandigarh editions of this newspaper. She had last written a piece on Amrita Pritam’s nazm Ajj Aakhaa’n Waris Shah Nu which the poet had written in November 1947 while she was on a train from Dehradun to Delhi. She had been suffering from health issues related to diabetes for some time but was looking forward to resuming sending articles more frequently to this newspaper.
Having worked in and contributed articles to various prominent newspapers and a national news agency, she was also known for her love for Dehradun, art, culture and poetry. She had also taught mass communication students in Doon University for some years. Despite health issues in recent months, she continued to attend various literary and poetry events and gatherings.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, members of the media fraternity, writers and prominent citizens have expressed deep grief at her demise.
