Noted journalist ML Kotru remembered

Srinagar, Oct 3: An event was organised at Amar Singh Club Srinagar to pay rich tributes to the veteran journalist M L. Kotra, who passed away recently.

The friends of M L Kotru present at the event remembered him as a distinguished journalist, columnist, and commentator whose insightful voice shaped public discourse for decades.

"M L Kotru was a great journalist, whose name is mentioned in many English-speaking countries around the world. He left Kashmir at the age of 14 years and started a humble beginning in Times of India as a copy holder on a small stipend," Najamus Saqib, one of the friends of Kotru told Greater Kashmir.

He said that Kotru maintained his education from School to University level until then, he kept writing and working in different newspapers.

"After that, he became a sports reporter at the Times of India. His writing style, investigative journalism, and craft of writing for media, which is a very important aspect of every medium, he mastered it in such a way that a whole generation was produced," Saqib said.

"He went to cover all the relevant issues in India. There was no major incident in the world, especially in Southeast Asia, which he did not cover. He covered Afghanistan many times. He covered Iran and Iraq," he said.

Kotru has received many international awards for his writing style, which his friends described as bold, frank, and honest. "He was famous for his correct assessment and incisive reporting without fear or favour," he recalled.

Kotru was remembered as famous for his balanced writing style, which made him famous among the media houses.

Secretary Amar Singh Club, Nasir Hameed Khan, while paying rich tributes to M L Kotru remembered him as a very eminent journalist.

"Even though he was not a member of the club, we had a relationship with him because of his generosity. At the request of one of our members, who was a common friend, M L Kotru contributed around 1200 books from his own library," he said.

Khan said that Kotru has done so much for Kashmir and for journalism, for which he receives tributes from all sides for being a fair and honest person.

"We thought that on behalf of the club, his friends were also requesting him to pay a tribute.  In response to that, the club managing committee thought it proper to pay a proper tribute to him," he said.