Obit

Amitabha Chowdhury, 87

INDIAN JOURNALIST Amitabha Chowdhury died last May 1. He was 87.

He started his career in 1948 with the Bengali daily Jugantar. He also worked for Anandabazar Patrika and Aajkal. A former teacher at the Visva-Bharati University, he gained acclaim and accolades for his journalistic reports and humorous writings. Chowdhury also opened his home as a venue for adda or intellectual exchange sessions both for budding writers and famous personalities.

He served as the director of the International Press Institute from 1965 to 1968.

Chowdhury was a recipient of many awards, including the 1961 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism and Literature, the 1983 Padma Shri award, and the 2013 state government award Banga Bibhushan. A dedicated Rabindranath Tagore researcher and writer, Chowdhury wrote 40 books, most of which explored the life and works of the Indian author.

Sources:
“Eminent journalist Amitabha Chowdhury dies in Kolkata“, Business Standard, May 1, 2015
“Journalist, writer Amitabha Chowdhury dies at 88“, The Times of India, May 3, 2015

Hossein Qandi, 64

IRANIAN JOURNALIST Hossein Qandi died last April 23. He was 64.

Dubbed ‘the king of headlines’ because of his skill in writing short and strong news story titles, Qandi collaborated with a group that was commissioned to summarize stories published in the Persian newspaper Kayhan from 1943 to 1970. This launched his career in journalism, and afterwards he earned the post of deputy chief editor of the Iran-based international weekly Kayhan Havai upon completion of the project.

Qandi studied International Management in the United States in the late 1970s. Upon returning home, he resumed his work with Kayhan Havai. He also worked with other Iranian newspapers such as Abrar, Akhbar, Keyhan, Entekhab and Jamejam. Until his death, he taught journalism in Allameh Tabatabai University.

Qandi also published a series of books on journalism, including “Modern Journalism”, “Writing Essays in the Press”, “Professional Journalism”, and “Imagination in Journalism: Six Reports and a Travelogue”.

Sources:
“Noted Iranian journalist Hossein Qandi remembered by friend“, Iran’s Book News Agency, April 25, 2015
“Veteran journalist Qandi dies“, Iran Daily, April 24, 2015
“Journalist Hossein Qandi, ‘king of headlines’, dies at 64“, Tehran Times, April 25, 2015