Gem paul

Gem Paul
Gem Paul (May 1, 1983 - June 20, 2009, full name: Gem Paul Palathingal), was an online journalist with the Mumbai Mirror portal, who passed away at the young age of 26.
He wrote on civic and city-related issues and was known and loved for his wacky style and choice of subjects. He was also regarded by colleagues as a very capable sub-editor. He had a great thirst for knowledge and loved sharing new insights with family, friends and colleagues. A complete addict, he was always teased for constantly being logged on to the site, researching various topics. His memories rest here today, and it is perhaps fitting that his friends chose to try and put together the pieces that made Gem who he was.
Gem was very passionate about his stories. While discussing work with colleagues, he would make it a point to ensure that his stories are exclusive. He would work on making his stories well-rounded.Gem loved his work; he valued fair play and would go out of his way to help his fellow colleagues.
Some of his close pals fondly called him Bob. During his early days in the Times of India, someone called him Bob, by mistake, and he immediately responded to the name. In memory of that funny day, some of his close buddies always called him Bob and he never failed to reply.
Interests
An avid reader and foreign movie buff, he was a quiet guy but extremely popular, especially with the people who knew him well. One of his favourite books was 'The Confessions of Nat Turner'. His funda about books was that "You should read all books but collect the ones that make the most impact on you."
He had a passion for collecting movies and building a database. He would often say, "Collecting films is like collecting art." He had a large, eclectic collection of films which ranged from Hollywood blockbusters to Iranian cinema (by the likes of Majid Majidi and Abbas Kiarostami). He was a fan of Malayalam movies from the 80s and 90s. Movies like His Highness Abdullah, Vandanam, Vanaprastham, Chithram, Guru and Bharatham were just some his favourites.
He was extremely interested in topics like history (his knowledge about the World Wars and the Holocaust was considered to be extremely impressive), nature, literature and cinema. His favourite war hero was Erwin Rommel and was extremely interested to gather all the knowledge he could about war strategies and how wars work. His knowledge on Russian dictators and Russian wars was very impressive. He wanted Matryoshka dolls of Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin and the likes.

While not a major music lover, Gem did have a taste for Western Classical music and composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were just some of his favourites.
A complete adventure-seeker and nature lover, Gem often made his weekend getaways a reason to pull on the week. He loved swimming, trekking and exploring new places to the finest details even if it meant sleeping for just a few hours.
When it came to food, everybody who knew him closely knew there was only one dish that could put the ragin' foodie to rest - chicken. Eggs and paneer (cottage cheese) came next to the extent of being shamelessly picked up from friends' food plates. His favourite eating joint was South Bombay's known South Indian eatery - Deluxe; where he would always order the same dish - egg biryani and fried chicken. He also enjoyed South Bombay eateries such as Picadilly, at Colaba Causeway, 5 Spice and All Stir Fry (for which he would actually save up money at the beginning of every month).
Personal Life
In 2005, Gem lost his mother to cancer, leaving behind Gem, his younger sister, Jewel, and his father Paul. In 2008, Paul Palathingal underwent a bypass surgery. Demonstrating great courage and strength, Gem held the reins of the family tight and saw to his family's financial welfare, especially Jewel's education and career.
A man of depth and an agnostic, he used to ask "God may exist, but can you prove his existence again and again?" Gem's Catholic upbringing did little to his faith. His interest in science and technology had his faith directed otherwise. He believed that "If something can be proved by science, then it does exist. But I do think miracles are a great thing."
He shared a very close relationship with his father, whom he considered as role model. Most of his career and personal decisions were taken in confidence with his father. He was often heard quoting his father on various topics. When not watching movies, you can spot him dirtying his house and annoying his little sister, Jewel. He simply adored her and spoke very highly of her.
Few friends were aware of a special friend he had feelings for. He kept it a secret from most till the end.
Healthwise, he was fit for most of the time except towards the end where he suffered from severe backache for which he was taking regular treatment. But, that didn't stop him from playing Table Tennis with his colleagues, which acted as a stress buster.
Student Life
Gem did his schooling at Dominic Savio High School in Andheri East. He finished his (SSC) examinations in 1999. After doing his 11th and 12th in science, he decided to study mass media. He got admission into St Andrews College, Bandra and completed his degree.
A very intelligent and inquisitive student, he was one of the few who was full of praise for the Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) course. He strived to be painstaking in his projects and always had the bigger picture in mind.
Career as a Journalist
He began his career as a journalist with the Free Press Journal (FPJ). He was on the desk at FPJ and edited the Nation and World pages. After that, he joined the Times Group - Mumbai Mirror Online - in November 2006.
By nature, although Gem was dedicated and hardworking, he always managed to find the lighter side of a situation. In the supplements division of The Times of India, where he worked, he was universally known as a prankster, cracking jokes on everyone with no malice whatsoever.
What made him different from the rest was that he was always willing to push himself to do his best. He had the desire to look beyond what met his eye. Some called it raw guts, others labelled it as the foolishness of an arrogant reporter, but he never faltered in his belief. He essayed the various roles of a thinker, an explorer, a reporter, a colleague, a guide, a comedian and a friend, with ease and that made him very popular among those who knew him.
He was a great team player, always ready to help, especially with junior colleagues. As a loved one said, "He is indeed a Gem of a person."
He has worked on city stories such as the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and the Peddar Road sewer work
Gem Paul drowned in an accident at Kolad, near Alibaug in Maharashtra on June 20, 2009.

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