Cherishing TRN Moments

It is natural for any employee to bid adieu to his office after hitting the retirement age. A retiring staff leaves his/her office with enriched memories and experiences though they are hale and hearty. Recently, I retired from The Rising Nepal (TRN) where I worked for three decades. Towards the end of my career at the oldest English broadsheet daily, I also became its managing editor, which offered me a lot of knowledge of handling the administrative part.

In fact, I enjoyed working with my colleagues at TRN. Our friendship went beyond the newsroom rapport. We used to go to sip tea together around the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square during the break time and crack jokes, throwing glancing into the fashionable people visiting there to take snaps and make TikTok videos. 

On the day of retirement, chairman of the Gorkhapatra Corporation Bishnu Prasad Subedi invited me in his chamber for a farewell programme. Gathered there were General Manager Lal Bahadur Airi, Acting Editor-in-Chief Bhimsen Thapaliya, editors of other sister publications, branch managers and other senior staff. They wished me fruitful days in the years to come, stating that every employee would retire on the age ground.  They praised me as a kind, hardworking man. I will never forget the sweet words showered on me by them.  

On my last day at the office, colleagues and friends organised a farewell function. Samosa and Jeri were served to all gathered to garnish the occasion. They gave me a token of love that cherishes fond memories of my days at TRN. Some expressed their thoughts in words and the rest of the colleagues through smiles. Their warm wishes have inspired to make my coming days more constructive. 

It will be unfair if I fail to express my sincere gratitude to some of my colleagues still there. The sober, simple and all-time available incumbent Acting Editor-in-Chief, Bhimsen Thapaliya, is also nearing his retirement on age grounds. The meticulous copy editor, Ramesh Lamsal, and workhorse, Bishnu Prasad Gautam, are also bidding adieu to the organisation within a couple of years. Then, it is on motivating editor, Ritu Raj Subedi, on whom the responsibility of editorship falls on.

Here I pause to suggest that the management of the Gorkhapatra Coroporation should take steps to promote journalists and recruit new ones by amending laws and by-laws, and reconstruct the quake-damaged building. It is imperative for the management to motivate the young and energetic journalists, who must not be disappointed by the delayed promotion. If the trained journalists, who have been working here for years, quit their job upon getting better opportunity elsewhere, the publication house will further suffer the shortage of professional hands.

The corporation is located in prime place of the capital city. So the government should construct a multi-story building for multi-purposes. In view of dwindling commercial advertisement, the management can also rent parts of its building for some income. While the ground floor can be used for parking lot, the top floor should be used for assembly of and recreation for the employees who harbour immense goodwill for the country's oldest publication house. These steps go a long way in making the corporation a thriving institution.