Veteran journalist and editor Swapna Deb has passed away. She was 84 at the time of her death. She had been suffering from age-related ailments for a long time. Under her editorship, the alternative fortnightly magazine 'Pratikshan' was regularly published.
At a time when the number of women in journalism was literally countable on fingers, she practised journalism with great vigour. While editing a national-level fortnightly in Bengali, she had cultural personalities like Purnandu Patri, Sandipan Chattopadhyay, Debesh Roy, and Arun Mitra as her collaborators. Her husband, Priyabrata Deb, the head of 'Pratikshan' publications, had passed away earlier.
Swapna Deb was born on March 14, 1941, in Dehergati village in the Barisal district of undivided India. Her father, Sudhirranjan Chakraborty, was a freedom fighter. During his imprisonment, he became associated with the communist movement. Swapna Deb similarly remained a lifelong believer in leftist politics.
In 1967, she received a lifelong membership in the undivided CPI. In her personal life, she was blessed with the affection of P C Joshi and Kalpana Joshi. She also acted on stage for a long time. Swapna performed in multiple productions of actor and director Shyamal Ghosh's 'Gandharva' theatre group.
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Swapna Deb's initiation into journalism came through the inspiration of renowned journalist and editor Vivekananda Mukhopadhyay. She also became a departmental editor at the daily Basumati, which he edited. She created a page for women called 'Bouthakuranir Haat'.
In the eighties, when the entire Punjab was burning with the heat of the Khalistan movement, she interviewed Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was leading that movement. She travelled through the turbulent corners of Punjab. She covered nation-shaking events like the Bhopal gas tragedy and the gang rape in Araria, Bihar. With Swapna Deb's death, a major chapter of journalism has come to an end. Her body will be donated according to her wishes.
