Meghalaya: Filmmaker and activist Tarun Bhartiya passes away at 54

Shillong: Renowned filmmaker, poet, and rights activist Tarun Bhartiya passed away on Saturday morning following massive a heart attack in Shillong. He was 54.

Bhartiya, who suffered a heart attack on Saturday morning, breathed his last at Woodland Hospital in Shillong.

Bhartiya, a prominent figure in the Indian art and activism scene, was celebrated for his multifaceted contributions.

He was a gifted poet who wrote evocative Hindi poetry, a filmmaker whose documentaries tackled pressing environmental and human rights issues, and a photographer whose striking black-and-white images captured the essence of Meghalaya and its intricate socio-cultural tapestry.

Beyond his artistic pursuits, Bhartiya was a vocal advocate for social justice. He returned his National Film Award (Rajat Kamal) in 2015 to protest against the "dark times" the country was facing.

He was the founding editor of Raiot, a bilingual webzine published from Shillong. He was also a founding member of alt-space, a platform for independent ideas and cultural discourse.

Bhartiya was a consultant on the British Library Endangered Archives Project and a research consultant to the Northeast India Audio Visual Archive in Shillong.

Recently, he took the initiative to form Shillong Humanists, a collective dedicated to critical thinking and intellectual engagement.

Bhartiya is survived by his wife, Angela Rangad, and three children. His contributions to art, activism, and social commentary will be deeply missed.