Not an early riser, this morning he grabbed his camera, ran

Mon, May 12 02:52 AM

Ashok Sodhi of the Daily Excelsior was not an early riser. But early this morning, when he heard of the firing, the 45-year-old simply grabbed his camera and was on the move. On the way to the encounter site, he stopped briefly to buy a toothbrush and paste. As the vehicle moved, he brushed his teeth. A journalist had brought along some food but Sodhi didn't want any of it. He was already thinking about the encounter, hoping he wasn't late for the assignment.

Once at the encounter site, it was business as usual. He had been on this job for 25 years. A commerce graduate, he had started as a proof-reader but the camera was his true love. There was heavy firing today but Sodhi got down to work.

A little later, a militant bullet struck him in the head. As an SMS went out - "photo-journalist injured" - people began making inquiries, checking whether it referred to some incident in the Valley. By the time they wheeled him out of the government medical college, Sodhi was dead. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.

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