It is with great sorrow that we share the sad news of the passing away of our senior colleague and beloved friend Mr Jayant Kumar, also the Associate Editor of SECURITY TODAY & SECURITY UPDATE publications.
‘Jayant ji’ as he was respectfully and fondly referred to at 1st ASSET, was unfortunately afflicted with the COVID 19 virus and had been battling it in hospital for some days. While we prayed for his speedy recovery, God had something else designed for this wonderful soft spoken human being who was always omnipresent whenever someone needed any sort of help. He breathed his last in the early hours of 13th November 2020. He was 78.
Jayant ji was a man of multiple talents and had spent nearly 15 years with SECURITY TODAY, as its Associate Editor. An electronics engineer from the BITS Pillani’s 1965 batch, and later an adjunct faculty at the prestigious institute from 1985-95, he was a man of high intellect with a sound knowledge of the technical aspects of the security industry. He was a great teacher and there would be hundreds of his students who are now successful security practitioners out there who would’ve attended his CCTV classes in our 1st ASSET security automation training courses to learn the finer points about video surveillance systems.
Mr. Jayant Kumar had a rich and varied experience, which is spread over system design, installation and commissioning of a variety of electronic systems, for defence, airports and other sensitive installations in India and abroad. These systems have included perimeter protection, intruder detection, access control, CCTV and sound communication systems. He was actively involved with 1st ASSET, consulting for electronic security solutions for high value installations of leading energy majors in the hydrocarbons sector and also for real estate developers.
A man of multiple talents, Jayant ji could always be relied on, while editing our magazines to find errors that escaped everybody’s eyes. Apart from security management issues, Jayant ji had an exhaustive knowledge of technology and was always available for not just the SECURITY TODAY in ascertaining what topics needed to be written about, but also our other sister publication SECURITY UPDATE. His inputs were regular and invaluable.
An avid reader, Jayant ji’s thirst for additional knowledge was unquenchable, as he believed that the process of learning could never end. A quiet man who preferred his actions to do the talking, Jayant ji was a father figure to everyone in the organisation, he would go that extra mile to help anyone stuck with a problem with utmost sincerity, and his passing away suddenly has left a void that will be impossible to fill.
He was a mentor, guide and a friend to us. Our only befitting tribute to him can be to work twice as hard to ensure that the high standard of the magazines which he helped set is not only maintained, but improved, and the perfection that he always aspired for can be achieved month after month to reach greater heights. His memory will always be cherished deep in our hearts. The world will be different without you Jayant ji!
We join Jayant ji’s family in praying to God that his soul achieves eternal peace and give us all strength to bear this great loss.
