Tarun Bhartiya, a multifaceted filmmaker, poet, social activist and a fellow fighter against fascism  passed away on January 27, 2025 at the age of 54. Born in 1970, Tarun was a promotional voice of India’s alternative art and progress literature circle. Hailing from Bihar, he later moved to Meghalaya, which became his home for the rest of his life. Through his lens and black-and-white photography, he masterfully captured the life, rituals, and resilience of the Khasi-Jaintia people, while his Hindi poetry pulsated with raw emotion, reflecting themes of longing, belonging, and resistance.

As a documentary filmmaker and editor, Bhartiya’s work was both technically brilliant and politically fearless. He edited acclaimed films like In Camera, Diaries of a Documentary Cameraman, for which he received the National Film Award for Best Editing in 2009 — an award he courageously returned in 2015 to protest rising intolerance in India.

Tarun co-founded Alt-Space, a vibrant hub in Shillong for cultural and political discussions, where artists, students, and activists could freely exchange ideas. He also ran RAIOT, a radical digital platform dedicated to amplifying voices from Northeast India and beyond.

Rest in power, Comrade Tarun. Your art, your fight, and your fearless spirit will guide us in the struggles to come.