As celebrations for Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary pick up pace across country, centenarian and former PTI journalist Walter Alfred remembers clearly his role in covering assassination of Far of Nation. Alfred, who celebrated his 100th birthday last month, was posted in Nagpur at time.

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Walter Alfred recalls his role in covering Gandhi Assassination

Alfred was in office that fateful evening when Nathuram Godse pumped three bullets into Gandhi in Delhi's Birla House, w Gandhi Smriti.

"January 30, 1948 was a lean day for all of us... I might have filed a few news stories till evening. office phone rang around 6.30-7 pm and that's when I got to kw about assassination of Mahatma Gandhi."

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Alfred, who w lives in Mira Ro near Mumbai, recalled. His colleague Ponkshe from Mumbai was at or end, informing him about fatal attack on Mahatma while he was his way for his evening prayers. Alfred said he did t lose his composure.

"I immediately started typing initial copies based on briefing by Ponkshe. re were two peons in office who rushed with copies to our six local subscribers, including an English daily, as re was teleprinter n."

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"It was a test of my accuracy and brevity as I h to answer every call regarding Gandhiji's assassination, te down updates, make a copy of it for six subscribers and send peons to deliver it, Alfred said. re was little time for emotion that day, Alfred said. Asked if news of assassination rekindled memories of his previous meetings with Gandhi, he said, "I h time for such memories. I was focused only on ting down telephonic briefings and making a copy out of it, including details of arrest of Nathuram Godse and his alleged RSS connection.

Alfred's cover on RSS angle

following day, Alfred went to hequarters of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Nagpur. "I went to RSS hequarters in Nagpur next day and was surprised to find that re was some joy on faces of people re. y could t hide ir feelings, he said. "y did t like Gandhi and Nehru but I h never imagined y would react in such a way," he said. office in Nagpur was just being set up and equipment like teleprinters h yet to be bought. PTI was registered in 1947 and started functioning in 1949. It took over operations of Associated Press of India from Reuters after India's independence in 1947.

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Alfred also remembers attending meetings dressed by Gandhi, including one at Gowalia Tank in Mumbai where he gave call of Quit India to British. "To my surprise, news ncy's 'temporary desk' to key in and transmit stories was set up very close to st and re were 12 reporters and sub editors working on stories. "I remember every story of that event transmitted by Reuters h 12 initials of journalists involved, he said.