By va Thakuria
I was a novice jourlist when my editor Chandra Prasad Saikia assigned me to report about a theatre production of Dipak Mahanta at Tezpur. It was around five hours drive from my workplace to the cultural center of Assam. I started to Tezpur by a morning bus to arrive there by noon on the day of performance.
It was an Assamese adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic play ‘All My Sons’, which was prepared by Mahanta himself. He also directed the all-time great American literary piece, whose story is based on the post-Second World War era. The production in the early Nineties was a refreshing experience for me and I tried my level best to appreciate the play with all authenticities for our newspaper.
Slowly I became more familiar to Mahanta and his family. The clock of Life went on accordingly. After years of print jourlism, I was offered to work for a newly launched satellite news channel. When I went to join the channel as its Roving Editor, a pleasant surprise was in store. It was Dipak Mahanta, whom I found as my new colleague with a few others.
We spent several enjoyable months in the Assamese news channel right from its beginning. We used to visualize, portray and debate before going for some fine productions in the channel. I always acknowledge that many promos and short features, which were conceived and produced by Mahanta single-handedly for us, turned out to be instantly popular among viewers.
My engagement with the channel was however cut short due to some unsavory circumstances. I departed with a heavy heart, for I was leaving behind some of my finest friends and well-wishers there. But I was proved wrong as Dipak Mahanta continued to be a close acquaintance even though we had far fewer meetings thereafter.
Later Mahanta too left the channel and joined another satellite news channel as a senior producer. In the course of his work, he went to Jamugurihat of Sonitpur district with a shooting schedule. On his return journey with three other colleagues to Guwahati, their vehicle met with a tragic accident on 2 December, 2015 past midnight at Deoshal near Jagiroad.
Seriously injured Mahanta was taken to Guwahati Medical College Hospital, but the doctors declared him brought dead. The accompanying three co-workers mely Ajmir Saikia, Pradesh Rabha and Atul Morang, however, survived the road mishap with minor injuries.
The sad news broke the next morning. The State had lost a hugely talented playwright who excelled in driving home serious messages with an unparalleled comic touch, a dedicated theatre director, an eloquent performer, a passiote cultural worker and jourlist. A journey that began on 14 November, 1958 at Sonitpur culmited untimely in Guwahati.
Dipak Mahanta was a dedicated theatre activist who penned, designed and directed a number of plays including ‘Ulanga Roja’, ‘Malati Mem’, ‘Holi’, ‘Pinhole Camera’, ‘Gajapuria’, ‘Bhotaram Totaram’, ‘Aadipath’, ‘Dhaniramor Theatre’, ‘Kurma Avatar’,
‘Tejimola’, ‘Dhodar Alir Tender’, ‘Jadughar’ etc.
He also prepared scripts for many documentaries relating to various socio-cultural issues. Graduating from Biswath College in 1979, Mahanta was partially involved with the profession of jourlism during his productive days through different newspapers like ‘Mohajati’, ‘Agnigarh’, ‘Boodhbar’, ‘tun Dainik’ and ‘Asomiya Pratidin’.
A soft-spoken gentleman, Mahanta was even put behind bars for his active involvement with the student’s movement against illegal migrants from Bangladesh to India’s Northeastern States. But he did not join active politics, chosing to remain active in the cultural are.
Dipak Mahanta has left behind his wife Kalpa Sarma, only son Parthadeep Mahanta and a host of relatives and well-wishers. He was paid rich floral tributes by numerous colleagues on his last journey from GMCH to the cremation ground at Tezpur. Hundreds of media-persons and cultural workers joined in his funeral procession with brief stopovers at PratidinTime (formerly NewsTime Assam), AssamTalks and Guwahati Press Club.
Miss you, Dipak Mahanta and will do so all along!