Gurinder is no more; News that never hit the headlines!

In our modern digital world it is assumed that we, as journalists, will one way or the other, get to know whatever is happening in the remotest corner of the world. It could be either through one or more of the several social media apps or through some message or press release that comes via internet.

But there was one tragic incident that happened sometime in the year 2020 in the northern state of Punjab and I missed it completely till I got to hear it now from my friend Mohammed Shafiq, a professional cameraperson based out of New Delhi.

The other day, I got a call from Shafiq out of the blue and we were chatting about good old days when we used to work together in an English automotive magazine. As part of our assignment based in Delhi we used to travel to different places across the country to interview CEOs of various auto component companies and also do a shoot of the plant. I was the writer and he was the ace cameraperson.

“Remember we travelled by train to Jallandhar in Punjab sometime before 2010 and we met a very enterprising young man Gurinder Singh of GNA Enterprises?” he recalled over phone. My thoughts went back to meeting a handsome Gurinder and interviewing him for a story. I vividly remember Gurinder. He was in his late 20s, a tall, fair and handsome lad and as he emerged from his BMW car to meet us, I couldn’t help but admire his overall personality. He was a bachelor then. GNA Enterprises is into manufacturing of different axles for four wheelers, besides other critical auto components.

On the sidelines of our Jallandhar meeting, Gurinder mentioned to me that that there was a family tussle going in his company. I kind of ignored that statement, because I felt that in every rich business family there had to be some fight going on amongst relatives over the share of family business.

Once I started Motown India magazine in 2010, I lost touch with Gurinder. I chanced to meet him again in one of the annual ACMA meetings in New Delhi and he instantly recognised me.  He told me he was married and had become a father too. I congratulated him and wished him good. He had put on some weight too, which I told him quite frankly. He smiled, as he waved me goodbye. That was the last time I saw him.

“Gurinder is no more you know? He died of gunshot injuries a couple of years back. I was informed about this a few days back when I met a journalist from Punjab,” Shafiq told me. I was aghast. How is it that I missed the news?

There was no press release, no mention of his death in the newspapers here in Delhi and neither any mention in any of the automotive magazines. I am sure very few auto journalists in the country have met him because there are hundreds and thousands like him all across the country, doing business worth hundreds and thousands of crores of rupees. Sometimes, it is impossible to come across these gems. Not all are keen to interact with the media and many of them don’t bother to be on social media.

I did a frantic Google search and I got a few links pertaining to reports of his death in some news channel as well as on YouTube.  Yes, Shaifq was right. Gurinder had indeed shot himself.  One news dated October 28, 2020 stated that GNA Enterprises owner's Son Gurinder Singh had shot himself “after a loss in business due to lockdown…Gurinder Singh was the son of Guru Nanak Enterprises group's owner Jagdish Singh….Gurinder was upset for the past several days due to a decline in business due to the Coronavirus lockdown…”. Gurinder had shot himself with his licensed revolver, the report said. Another report mentioned “family feud” as the cause of his suicide. Yet another report mentioned that he was in “depression” and had, before his death, been on a drinking binge.

I went to the company’s website and it still has a newsletter dated July 2009 which has a picture of Gurinder that mentions “From the Desk of the JMD…” I really cannot come to terms with the untimely death of Gurinder Singh. He was around 40-41 years old when he took his own life. I thought he was a cheerful lad who could take on the challenges of life. But stress, I presume, has its own cruel ways to beat you down. I sincerely pay my condolences to his family. I know it is a bit late in the day. I still remember his smiling face. I never expected him to give up a fight in life so easily. Suicide is never a solution to vicissitudes of life! RIP, my friend.