I never had the pleasure of meeting Shujaat Bukhari, the soft-spoken editor of the Rising Kashmir with a steely spine, who was assassinated last week. But we remained in touch over the years. He often shared his amazing articles and I told myself: here was another reason why I must visit my beloved Kashmir once again. This never happened.

Earlier this month, he had shared pictures of himself at the Global Editors Network meet in Lisbon, Portugal. He looked dapper and young for a 50-year old.

Before he launched the Rising Kashmir and soon carved a distinct niche for the paper, Shujaat had been known for his in-depth, fearless reporting from the troubled Himalayan state for The Hindu. And that is how I got to know him and his fantastic work.