Press Club holds memorial meeting in honour of senior journalist Kamlesh Vakil

Mahesh Dhoundiyal - Delhi

The Press Club of India organised an emotional memorial meeting to honour the life and legacy of senior journalist Kamlesh Kaul Vakil. Kamlesh was the editor-in-chief of Samachar Post Daily, who died of cardiac arrest in Gurugram on November 24. Prominent dignitaries and members of the legal and journalistic fraternity paid tributes at the event. The meeting was chaired by Press Club of India President Gautam Lahiri.

On this occasion, Gautam Lahiri paid tribute to Kamlesh and stressed that journalists need to pay attention to their health. The Press Club always organises free medical camps. At a health check-up camp, a doctor said that 90 per cent of journalists have diabetes and high blood pressure.

Senior journalist and Delhi spokesperson of the UP government Sanjay Singh suggested that journalists should have group health insurance so that they can get proper treatment if required.

Prominent among those who addressed the emotional memorial meeting of Kamlesh were Adish Aggarwal, former President, Supreme Court Bar Council, Utpal Kaul, General Secretary, Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, Rohit Singh, IAS Jhansi, Parul Jain, President, Indian Women's Press Corps, Sameer Chungru, President, Kashmiri Samiti Delhi, Neelam Mahajan, First Special Correspondent, Doordarshan, Deepti Ambardar Chaturvedi, Vice President, American Bank, Sunil Shakdhar, former President, Kashmir Samiti Delhi, Lalit Ambardar, social worker, Ramesh Manvati, Panun Kashmir, Rajendra Ghasi and Shiv Bhat Kashmiri Pandit leader, etc. Many senior journalists also paid tribute, including Shrikant Bhatia, Sushil Vakil, Sunita Vakil, Preeti Vakil Nehru and Sanjay Kao, Vijay Shankar Chaturvedi, Sushil Kumar and Rajendra Rataurdi, etc.

The attendees deliberated upon the remarkable career of Kamlesh Vakil and his significant contribution to journalism, including launching the first English daily newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir, News Post, and building the publication in New Delhi after his forced migration to New Delhi during the militancy of the 1990s.

 His dedication, ethical reporting and unwavering commitment to the truth earned him respect across the media world. Press Club members and dignitaries expressed their support and solidarity to Mr. Vakil's family, including his wife Neerja Vakil and sons Rishi and Rahul Vakil. From his professional achievements to personal relationships, Mr. Vakil's legacy was vividly remembered by friends, colleagues and admirers from various fields. Many shared their experiences and paid emotional tributes to him, underlining his profound impact on journalism and society during his journalistic career spanning over 45 years.

The gathering was moderated by Sindhi journalist Shrikant Bhatia.