Author: debansu

The state of West Bengal was badly hit by cyclone Aila on 24th and 25th May 2009. Devastations are massive. An estimated 40 lakh people have lost their homes. I don’t have the exact figure of death and other indirect losses. Humanity in the southern bengal region is in crisis. At this situation we, as an organisation of the state, can’t sit idle – ( thats what my instinct says ) .In view of the magnitude of the disaster the alumni association has decided to donate Rs 20000/- to Bharat Sevashram. In order to help the association stay engaged in such activities please donate to the association’s fund whatever amount that might consider appropriate. Those who are in Kolkata and close to the EC members of the association please contact Surajitda / Suparnada / Binoyda / Indranilda / Pradipda etc. directly. Those who are remote like me please transfer your donation to the associations bank account . The details of the same is :

In favour of Baranagar Narendranath Vidyamandir Alumni Association
State Bank of India , Cossipore Branch
S/B AC No. 10774585290
IFSC Code : SBIN0002043

Once you have completed a successful transfer electronically, please update this post by commenting with your amount of transfer, date of transfer and transaction code ( if any ) . It will be easier for Dibakar to issue receipts of the contributions. Please remember at this point this donations are not tax rebatable since we as association have not yet received such a rebate tag.

-debansu

Its an unusual one. Ranjanda ( Ranjan Basu ) and his wife Tukundi drove me through 85 , 101 ( yeah these are the names of expressways there ) on the Santa Clara hills to see the Pacific . It was a bad day when cloud and rain played with us and we prayed for Sun. We discussed what could be done from the associations’ forum. Ranjanda was explaining his ideas on projects supporting students where they can be trained in areas of knowledge required by overseas Industry. He expressed his desire of providing active help on such projects as he learned all these skills from scratch during his struggle for existence when he landed in the U.S. with only under $ 100 bill in his pocket .

Attaching some of our moments here. We two –

Tukundi got us together

Here is the person –

And me now

Kestobabu and Subirbabu were partners. One in the first left room once you enter the school and the other in the adjacent room before the laboratory collapsible gate. They were Headmaster and Asst. Headmaster of our great school for a long period, almost the entire time I was in secondary. They managed the school in turbulent days. I really don’t understand why I used to run away and get into my class room with the very sight of any of them. None of them ever even scolded me. We lost Subirbabu sometime back. The alumni association did not get any chance to felicitate him before he passed away. I posted the other bad news too in my previous update to the site. But we did not miss to honour him this time. The association felicitated Krishna Chandra Chakraborti ( popularly known as Kestobabu ) in its last reunion on 14th Sept. 2008. He could not make it to the the reunion venue due to his prolonged illness. Jogajibanda went with our small memento to his residence and handed him over the mark of our deep regards. We have two snaps of the occassion from Jogagibanda’s phone camera. Those are not the best works of Jogada I should say. But it captures the moments. So thanks Jogada for mailing those snaps – otherwise we would have lost the moment too ….

another

I don’t have enough information to write an obituary on him. As far as I know, he was born in Kolakopa ( presently in Bangladesh ) and was a scholar from his childhood. He got Calcutta University gold medal in Education. He was not a left hander but I was just inspired when he drew the outline of map of India with his left hand in just about 30 secs. I was in class VI then I remember not flapping my eyelids for sometime. When it was needed in class X , I practiced to finish it in 40 secs though with my right hand of course .

আমি বাংলা হরফ পরীক্খা করে দেখছি ।

Was watching the video that Deabnsu now removed for some technical reason, got a little nostalgic – craving the days behind – and was recollecting & rejoining the torn pictures. Just see it through and pardon me if it appears supurfluous –

Scene 1 – The Grand Saraswati Puja

Early morning we three were waiting for the bus for Kumartoli. Hey, please wait for five minutes, I’ll be just back, Ritwick was having habit of getting natures call on and off. Oops, shyed “Little”, now let’s go, we’ll only be two shares for whatever we can earn from this budget. Ritwick was slowly strolling in frustration while we back. Youuu…,”Little” could quickly manage by five bucks; it was not a perfect divide by three in anyway.

Scene2 – Arjun, Spanish and that lady

He was smart, she was elegant. He used play Spanish Guitar, while she was only in sixth standard. The whole class was behind him, he received a “chit” from that lady. Splendid!! How does it look like, boss, how does it feel to touch? Come let’s frame the reply & the entire class was writing it. The string not tuned for long, but the tune remained… the first we tasted how heart beats, the first we realized we also need to play guitar.

Scene 3 – Whole class, Atanu & Ajoy

That duo was always irresistible attraction – were framing the great poetic drama – so nicely framed really it was – who were not there – from Nitha ma’am to …Subol Da…to … forgot all those names…. I was just wondering these two guys having so potential … why can’t be a little serious? Kamal da’s comment during Tiffin breaks … “I know, I too was during those days”

Scene 4 – The “Al Bida”

…came out of those marvelous days, the “fair well”; “boys you all be great in your field, wish you all the best in whatever you do”…an Oracle. Indeed ‘Voice from God’ was waiting listen the last command. We all got so much… my Alma Mater … By the way, we were yet to learn till then – we need to integrate in this big world and some did it seamlessly & effortlessly while few remained unsung.

Scene 5 – We, we & we

We needed job… more precisely we needed to be busy by whatever means. We needed to escape from our neighbors…during the office hours. Scorch summer of Calcutta… yet we need to walk down the road….till Dalhousie… could finish lunch in few bucks. Last when did we have a Will Flake Boss??

Scene 6 – Saurav, […] & who else …

…can’t recollect. We two were speechless. We knew, we wouldn’t be getting up next day early morning. We knew we need not to catch next day’s 8.25 metro. That small company shut its door. What next Saurabh? Speechless… me too…we knew we would be going back to the same routine that we had. We knew we again need to peep into those friends’ pocket for a cup of tea. We knew we were not engineers! We knew we didn’t know what next! The paranoid!!!

Scene 7 – Fly to fly

…”would you like to have a tea or coffee, Sir?”… Ha…ha..Ha…what a great joke man! I was wondering …why…I was wondering …what… I was wondering why I didn’t know how cold it was in so high altitude. I never knew – the cold you are the hot your mass is.

Scene 8 – The landing of Boeing to Bangalore

The weekend early morning, Hello…”Ha chole esechi, ki kore kothay aste hobe bol”…and finally he had arrived to the “City of Toy”, finally that guy decided to try his luck, finally that guy bent in front of …. Hummm… if I can recall it, I never saw him so grim… none is made of iron… even “TATA steel” also gets rust. I know he would fight back giving tons of argument, I know he’s so good at ironing out, so good at camouflage, I know he knew what he would have to do, however I never knew a miser would remain be miser even having millions of Ponds and Euros in his deep pocket.

Scene 9 – Rang de Basanti

I was just collecting those faint pictures, conceding those tattered commitments, was trying to fit in to these dancing faces, rolling it over in our journey. We should not mind if we have done something to get it over…. Get it over ….foolish man… you are what you are today…. Get it over foolish man… you never did anything wrong… did you? Forget, we need to get it over….would like to see you in this joyous mood guys, Saurav… I salute your perseverance for getting into this, salute your hunt for mind in search of solace…being honest I would never say you dazzled with brilliance, but had never baffled with bullshits too…. What a nice quality!! I never saw you leaving half the way … salute to that pensive smile that you used to wear everyday to hide the fight you used to have every time with yourself. You deserved and you got…this is the time you should relish…with your fiancée, with your career, kiss, hug, enjoy the sense of glittery, take the journey in your stride as you decide to be, have the finest moments clicked in, and of course please keep aside some time for yourself to see it through… rest assured you’ll get amused.

Scene 10 – Torturing on eyes

You would be puzzled and would be vividly going through it daggering to the monitor over your specs, torturing your eyes observing Silicon Valley’s soft toys and their ballistic mood. I know you’ll, after all … you were the most intelligent amongst us