PK Singson, first tribal Deputy Director General of Doordarshan and All India Radio from the North East breathed his last at 7:30 on Thursday morning in Guwahati due to prolonged kidney disease. He is survived by his wife Peki Singson and son Dennis Singson.
According to his dying wish, his funeral will take place at Churachandpur in Manipur, the town where he hailed from. PK Singson’s eldest son Ronnie Singson recently died in Aizawl.
PK Singson, popularly known as Singsong, was the first tribal Deputy Director General of Doordarshan and All India Radio from the North East. This eminent broadcaster from the North East retired from government service on September 30, 2004.
PK Singson also served the Assam government as a chairman of Inter-Media Publicity Co-Ordination Committee and spent his retirement days mostly in Guwahati.
Son of Siehpu Singson and Neichong Singson, he was born on September 14, 1944 at Lungphunlien village near Churachandpur of Manipur. Being from a royal family and prevalence of restriction of their movement, his early education began in the village school itself. After passing primary school in the village, he enrolled his name at Pherzawl High School, Churachandpur where he studied up to class VII. Thereafter he studied at Churachandpur High School, Imphal and passed his matriculation in 1960. He graduated from Govt. DM College, Imphal in 1964. Later on, he did his post graduate in History from Gauhati University in 1967. He married VL Peki Singson in 1970.
Singson was very much fascinated by the programmes of All India Radio when he was a child. It was a quite a new thing for the people of those days that they could hear songs and other programmes by sitting in their own homes. Thus he developed a liking for the broadcast media from his early childhood and started his career as a staff artist at All India Radio, Shillong/Gauhati on September 26, 1967. Although he could get better job at that time, he continued to serve in All India Radio as a staff artist for more than 8 years.
He appeared in the UPSC examination for Assistant Station Director of All India Radio in 1978 and was selected. In 1979, he appeared in another UPSC examination for Station Directors of All India Radio and was selected again. He joined Commercial Broadcasting Service of All India Radio at Cuttack station as Director.
Since then he has had a long innings as a broadcaster in various capacities and was promoted to the higher grade due to his excellence in service. In 1993, he was promoted to the post of Deputy Director General, NER, Doordarshan with the additional charge of DDG, AIR, NE Region.
