‘Warm, kind, wise and brilliant’: Guardian writers remember Kakoli Bhattacharya

Our Delhi correspondents pay tribute to the Indian journalist and Guardian news assistant, who has died of Covid

Every Guardian south Asia correspondent over the past decade can remember the first time they met Kakoli Bhattacharya. A smart, brilliant and tenacious journalist, Kakoli joined the Guardian in Delhi in 2009 as an assistant, translator and fixer - but the role she would play in the lives of all the correspondents who worked with her far outstripped her official duties.

On Saturday, Kakoli - who was known to her friends and family as Pui, meaning birdsong" - died in hospital of Covid-19. She was 51. Her death leaves a great absence. Here, Delhi correspondents past and present share their lasting memories of a much valued colleague and friend.