Guwahati sports fraternity pays rich tributes to pioneer journalist Premadhar Sarma

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Rich tributes were paid to pioneer sports journalist and prominent sports personality Premadhar Sarma at a memorial meeting held at the Gauhati Town Club auditorium in Guwahati on Thursday. A one-minute silence was observed in his memory.

The memorial meet was jointly organised by the Guwahati Sports Association (GSA), Gauhati Town Club (GTC), and the Assam Sports Journalists’ Association (ASJA).

Sarma breathed his last recently at his residence in Guwahati after a prolonged illness.

A multifaceted personality, Sarma was an excellent organizer and was associated with various organizations, including the Guwahati Sports Association, Assam Kabaddi Association, and Assam Olympic Association, among others. A footballer in his early days, Sarma was also a skilled football referee and later established himself as a commentator.

Among those who paid tributes were his widow Binapani Devi; BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia; GSA President Paresh Chandra Das; veteran sports organisers Pradip Kr Hazarika and Eske Alam; entrepreneur Dr Hitesh Baruah; president of the Assam Sports Journalists’ Association Bidyut Kalita; and working president of Gauhati Town Club Mukul Gogoi, along with several others.

Guwahati Sports Association president Paresh Chandra Das described Sarma as ‘a pioneer in many ways’. BCCI Secretary and GSA general secretary Devajit Saikia said Sarma was ‘a living encyclopedia’ whose demise has left a void that will be difficult to fill.

“Guwahati Sports Association was his second home. He was also closely associated with Gauhati Town Club. His contribution to Assam’s sports is multifaceted. He was a unique personality. We should celebrate his life and draw inspiration from his work,” Saikia said.

Founder president of the Assam Sports Journalists’ Association, Balendra Mohan Chakravarty, also spoke on the occasion and recalled how Sarma helped shape the organisation in its early days and was later selected as Treasurer of the Sports Journalists’ Federation of India.

Former classmate and fellow commentator Eske Alam recalled their early association at Cotton College. “We started commentary together. His strength was that he was also a referee, which made his analysis more technical,” he said.

Former cricketer and table tennis player Shankar Datta Lahkar highlighted Sarma’s dedication to covering sports events, while former international athlete Tayabun Nisha also recalled his contributions to sports in the state. Others who shared their memories included former bureaucrat Swapnanil Barua and noted sports organiser Rajib Prakash Baruah.

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