Purushottam Narayan Singh, former Patna Doordarshan Director succumbed to the Covid-19 at AIIMS Jhajjar, Haryana last night. He was around 62. He was popularly known as PN Singh. On 11th May 2021, he had lost his only son Aalap, aged 36, who also died of the coronavirus in Delhi. PN Singh is survived by his wife, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, aged around a year.
I’m shocked to hear of his passing away. In the first week of April 2021, he had given me a courtesy call asking me about the well-being of the members of the family. We had a long conversation on the phone regarding the intellectual work both of us did separately during the national Lockdown following the coronavirus pandemic. It is very difficult for me to believe that he lost the battle against the virus, which I was able to fight off a week ago somehow. Possibly, he could not bear the shock of his son’s death while being admitted to AIIMS.
PN Singh, a man of many parts, was an established name in the corridors of Doordarshan. He was a poet, musician, playwright, researcher, presenter or anchor. He was a soft-spoken and great human being. Apart from being a producer and director in Doordarshan, he also worked as a channel manager for a total of 26 years. He produced more than 2000 TV programs in various formats. He held senior management positions in DD-National, DD-Metro and DD-Bharti, DD Ranchi and Patna from where he retired.
Post his retirement two years ago, he was engaged in some film production and Sahitya Seva by joining the platform of All India Sarva Bhasha Sahitya Sahyog Samardhan Samiti headed by Pt Suresh Nirav. He was from the village Simiri falling under the Rajnagar block of Madhubani in Bihar. His father was a noted school teacher at Rajnagar High School, Madhubani.
The untimely death of PN Singh is a national loss and a personal loss to me. My hands were shaking while I was writing this obituary, offering my sincerest tribute to the departed soul.