From childhood, the author was affectionate with writing. In the course of the time when that affectionate feeling turns to an addiction he himself was unknown to the author. In that addiction, he started to self-expose by writing over the course of time. That may be the wall magazine of the IIEST, Shibpur(Howrah) or in different magazines during his long journey to India & abroad.
Dedicated To
This book is dedicated to all the “Common Men” of the world who are struggling for survival every moment in every nook & corner of this world.
Preface to the first edition
The context of this book is based on the true scenarios after the post-independence period in India which covers the effects of the division of the united India ruled by the Britishers. In this book, the incidents of the turbulent period from 1950 to 1980 as seen by the writer are described as an eyewitness from the core of his memories. This book is a confession of a common man.
First Part
The context of the incidents narrated here is just after the independence of India. Meanwhile, our country was divided into several parts. Bengal & Punjab suffered due to this division.& India suffered the bounce of the wave of refugees from those parts that were actually with the undivided India. In this process, East Bengal went with Pakistan and West Bengal with independent India as a state.
My forefather’s land was in the then-East Bengal, which is now known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh. However, we had to flee from that well-settled dreamland all of a sudden without any prior indication. We were forced to search for shelter on this side of Bengal, which is a part of the Indian state, to save our lives. We had to search for a temporary shelter means a rented residence along with my family members. Gradually, I grew up with my parents, grandmother, elder sister & brother in those rental houses.
In that period maximum number of people who came all the way from the other side of Bengal searched their shelters here and there like us. Initially, we were residing in Ramlal Agarwal Lane of Barahnagar, which is a part of greater Kolkata, in recent days. With the flow time and the demand of the situation, we came down to Bijoygarh Colony near Jadavpur, the suburb of the then Kolkata. In those days, those areas were dominated by people who were marked as refugees. They marked those areas as words and named them by the names of great souls such as Rabidrapalli, Aurobidanagar, Netajinagar, Viveknagar, Katjunagar, etc. They used to write their address by those names which are followed till date. The tradition rolls on with their successors in the present days as well.
Still, I can recall the milestone film “Pather Panchali“ by the legendary director Satyajit Ray, released in the month of August 1955. The movie was a flop in the very starting days. But when the same film was honored abroad, the demand for the same film was sky-rising, which continued until the present day. What an irony just reminds self possessions are always undermined, and other’s possessions seem better. And it is unavoidable because it is the traditional specialty of our character. What to do we are really helpless in this sentimental issue.
Also, I recall the memory of the increase in tram fare by one paise when Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy was Chief Minister. Owing to the issue total Kolkata was unrest by the waves of student movements. After that, once again, during the tenure of the Chief Ministership of Dr.Bidhan Chandra Roy, I witnessed the furious food movement in the year 1959. The memory of those incidents excites me in my subconscious mind. Although then I was a mere child only. Shoot-at-sight order was imposed, and a number of youths were martyrs in those days. Then, I didn’t start my school life even.
One more incident I remember without informing anybody, I went to see Anita Bose, the daughter of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. That act was, of course, a craze when my age was six or seven only. I went to see her all alone, and when I got back home, I was severely beaten by my mother as punishment for disobedience.
Even today, I listen to the rhymes sung by my elder sister to keep me slept. Those tunes still keep me mesmerized, and I can never forget the magical tunes till my last breadth. In my childhood period, our demand was very limited to lily biscuits, digestive balls, milk ice creams, etc. If any way we get those, we feel like king or queen. So simple was my the then childhood.
Second Part
Still, I remember that we had to change our rental accommodation once every year, or if luck favours after three to four years. During these changes in accommodation, luggage like iron boxes, bedding & other utensils were shifted by human-pulled carts.
We were habituated to live in one type of gypsy life. However, in those days, the maximum number of people were familiar with such a lifestyle and couldn’t settle themselves permanently. During this period, I was admitted to a primary school in our locality. There, I continued my studies up to standard four.
One incident till I remember with sorrow. In those days, we used to write with fountain pens filled with ink. Then in the market ball pens were launched in the market as a replacement for fountain pens. I had hoped if I also had those types of pens. With a lot of hope, I requested my father to arrange one ball pen for me. But he said that after gaining first division in the final exam of class four, I would get that dream pen. But after a successful result also he didn’t give me the pen. Now I realize as the pen was new in the market, the price price of the pen was five rupee cost. Which was a bit costly for us in those days, and it was one form of lavishness.
The kids of the present day are familiar with rhymes. But the scenario was totally different in our childhood. Our elders used to tell us simple poems and short stories about kings & queens or about patriotism. Our childhood lifestyle was ordinary and simple. We grew up gradually with the flow of time.
In the course of time, I got admitted in high school. In our time, higher secondary school was up to class eleven. However, the previous incidents are hazy, but the incident I can still recall them. This happened in 1965, the year of the marriage of my elder sister. Then, Mr.Prafulla Chandra Sen was the chief minister of West Bengal. This year, again, the wave of the food revolution cracked down. Curfew was imposed on the marriage day. Still, I can recall the marriage ceremony was performed very carefully in the midst of curfew.
After that, the memory of another curfew was still alive when the Indo-Pak war was declared. Then, Mr. Lal Bahadur Sashtri was the Prime Minister of India. Then, radio was rarely available in an area that too hardly one or two houses. Those who had radio were considered comparatively solvent. Our house owner was in that category. whom we used to call uncle. On those blackout war nights, the neighbors of our locality listened to the war news & updates from outside the window. The wide and deep voice of the newsreader used to float in the air.
In those days, our mothers were habituated to cooking in coke ovens. Then, the use of gas cylinders and freezers was not started like the present day. People used to go to the market on a daily basis to have fresh vegetables and non-vegetable items. In those days, those who had electricity were considered as high middle-class families. At night, most houses were lighted by hurricanes, etc., using fuel as kerosene. The most plain flow of life rolled on then. Those who had cars and telephones were considered rich families. Those types of people were very rare in our societies. They used to donate one thousand rupees casually during the Durga Puja festivals, where the full budget of the Puja was a maximum of three thousand rupees. Then, these types of social occasions were mainly dependent on individual donations from the residents of the locality there was no sponsor or corporate advertisement that was started in those days.
This is the summary of my childhood and golden past when we used to cross the high walls of the golf green or through the tunnels below the walls to play football with my friends in the grassy green field. Remembering those days, I still feel excited.
My childhood days are full of these memories of loss and gain and some unexpressible excitements which I can touch when I think alone.
Third Part
In the course of time, my childhood silently stepped into adolescence. So far as I can remember, we formed a club by the name “Freinds” with a few boys from our locality.
The elders of the locality used to organize big seasonal festivals & we were arranging comparatively small occasions like Saraswati Puja and small functions with local participants, mainly out of our club members.
After arranging all the programs with the excess money, we used to enjoy a mini picnic in the local fast food restaurant of the locality. The name of the owner was Gopalda, who used to prepare delicious Persian chicken curry and rice with sweet cards. In those days, Poultry chicken was not available at all like the present time.
To raise a very small amount of donation for special occasions, we had to tell believable stories to the people innocently. These days, people will laugh listening to the amount of donations maximum of one rupee, and most people used to give twenty paise only. But we were satisfied with those amounts in my golden childhood days. On the night before any occasion, we were used to making the pandals with the clothes of our mothers and elder sisters, passing sleepless nights for the preparation of the next day's celebration. Today, I can’t express my feelings in language. Gradually, I was promoted to class IX.
Still, I can remember during Durga puja, we, the junior members of the family, used to enjoy relaxation for the four days when we could go outside and come back home late. I used to go to see the puja pandals of distant localities through the local trans going towards Sealdah's south line. Sometimes Simla Byam Samiti’s puja was founded by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose & also big puja pandals like Sanghashree, Sanghamitra of Bhowanipur or puja at Mohammad Ali Park in Park Circus. I was habituated to being abused by my elders as usual, reasoning my late return. Those were my evergreen childhood time.
Now let me tell you about my studies after passing the final exam. Of class VIII, I was promoted to class IX. As my stream was science, the pressure was to some extent, more than four days in week, I had to go to coaching classes either in the early morning or in the evening after school hours. I can remember still whatever monetary crisis was there, my father used to buy new books after getting promoted to the higher class. The mindblowing smell of the new books attracted me to concentrate on studying. I never sold my old books and used to give the old books to my needy juniors as donations. In those days, we believed that I could gather more knowledge by such acts. In the course of time, I was promoted to class XI.
The memories of those days are so dangerous that I still feel shivering with those memories. Those memories of terrors still chase me. I can hear the sound of bombs & pipe guns in my subconscious mind. In those days, the wave of Naxalite movements spread in the nooks and corners of Calcutta and in the remote areas of West Bengal. Literary, those are horrifying times and memories of my adolescence period. The youth who were brilliant and intelligent saw the dream of changing the existing structure of the present society but in a different direction. They could not succeed in their mission and lost forever with the flow of time. as the dark past. They used to terrorize the common people with their new actions. Those days were such that once people went out of their homes, it was uncertain about his safe return. In this context, the famous filmmaker Mrinal Sen launched his legendary film Calcutta ‘71, which is relevant up till now.
Fourth Part
When we were students in class eleven and preparing for the final exam. in that period in August 1971, the Khan soldiers of West Pakisthan brutally attacked the East Pakisthan & tortured the Hindu and Muslim communities in general. Seikh Mujibur Rahaman fiercely protested the situation created by West Pakistan. soldiers.
In those days, every night at 10 p.m., his appeal to the nation was broadcast on All India Radio on a regular basis. Saying, “Form fort all around you,” and he used to finish his speech with the slogan of Jay Bangla. Those moments were really full of excitement. Then, there was no media publicity as it is nowadays that’s the reason we later came to know that Pandit Ravi Shankar had taken the initiative to organize a Charity show to raise funds for the tortured helpless people in Madison Square of New York City. In that music concert, Pandit Ali Akbar Khan, Allarakha & George Harrison from Just Broken Beetle’s group were performed, including Pandit Ravi Shankar.
The legendary revolutionary folk singer Bb Dilan was also among the eminent figures who performed. The most heart-touching presentation was the song named” Bangladesh” by George Harrison. However, some more stalwarts were also present on that heart-touching occasion.
In those days, lots of people became refugees, losing all their properties and fleeing from the land of horror in India through borders like Petrapole, Benapole, Assam, Tripura, etc. But their main direction was West Bengal. Their only motto was to save the life, similar to the memory of partition in the year of August 1947.
But the total scenario changed when the then Prime Minister of India declared war against Pakistan and defeated the Pakistani Khan troops miserably and banished them to their origin. The new country Republic Of Bangladesh, was birth on the World map. The first Prime Minister of today’s Bangladesh was Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman, who is still known as Bangabandhu.
The effects of those days can be traceable even after so many years, and the people lost their forefathers' properties and traditions. I grew up in this disturbed situation reading Tagore’s poem “Bharat Tirtha” & the great writer and philosopher Sayeed Mujtaba Ali’s “Bharatbarsha,” where he said, “That tradition still rolls on.”
Now, let me tell you something about myself. With all these incidents, the signal of first love also hinted, but I could not feel at all the hint. When I got the hint, in the meantime, my first love was married to someone else. I was too late with my first love. However, in this adverse situation with the sounds of bombs& pipe guns, I appeared in the Higher Secondary exam. ultimately.
In that period, the Naxal movement became dull as all the then-revolutionary leaders like Charu Majumdar, Jangal Santal, etc. of the Naxalite movement were arrested A bunch of brilliant students and some scholars also were caught in the forest Jadugoda of the then Bihar.
But after that started the political rivalry between Congress & CPI(M) parties. They used to divide into areas of their control. Then, the Chief Minister of West Bengal was Mr.Siddartha Sankar Ray, who was the grandson of Deshbandhu Chitta Ranjan Das as well. By profession, he was a renowned barrister.
Fifth Part
In this turbulent situation, I passed the Higher Secondary exam. The tensions and horrifying situations of the Naxal revolution were not there. Although incidents like chopping off the heads of the statues of great thinkers like Vidyasagar, Raja Rammohan Roy, etc., inclusive of breaking their idols, were a regular affair in scattered form.
In those days in the middle of 1971, there was fierce fighting between the police and the students of Jadavpur University, which lasted for four long days.
Soon after that, in Dec 1971, a heartbreaking incident took place when Professor Gopal Chandra Sen was brutally murdered by his own students just one day before his retirement day. He was the Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University in those days. His accommodation was inside the University premises only. On that ill-fated evening, he was on the way to his quarters near the big pond. He was so affectionate to his students that once when he was surrounded by his student who was demonstrating some claims, he ordered the college canteen man to supply dinners to the students who were surrounding him till late at night. The brutal killing of Professor Sen was heartbreaking and a cowardly act by those students. Such horrifying memories are still shameful to our civilized society.
When everything was changing, the trend of change slowly entered in our cultural arena as well. The music world came out of the traditional songs of Hemant Kumar, Manna De, Kishore Kumar, etc. In this way, the premier was Gautam Chattopadhyay, who formed a Band with some youngsters by the name “Mahiner Ghoraguli.”The song he composed is still famous in Bengali and Hindi, both languages. The Hindi lyric of the song is “Na jaane koi kaisi hai ye jindegani hamari aadhuri Kahani ---.”However, this song was not that popular in the seventies as, in those days, stalwarts like Hemant, Manna, and Kishore were dominating the music empire. But in the late ninety when the Band culture was publicized, a number of Bands were formed by the name Lakhhichara, Cactus, etc. were performing successfully on the other side, Kabir Suman, Nachiketa & Anjan Dutta were also popular with new music trends then that particular Hindi song of Gautam Chattopadhyay was in the peak of popularity in Bengali & Hindi both, which is still popular in these days also.
In this scenario, I was admitted to Sir Surendranath College in Mathematics. Honors, which was named Ripon College before independence near Sealdah Station. Hence, my new daily passenger life by local train from Jadavpur Station to the South section of Sealdah commenced on a regular basis. It was a walking distance from the Sealdah station to my college. Over the course of time, I got the charm of cigarette smoking with my classmates through the blowpipe, which was used for the chemistry laboratory. Slowly, when I attained my youth from adolescence, the stage went unnoticed by me.
One incident I still remember is one day when I was on the way home from Jadavpur railway station a bit early from my college. I was walking on the road as usual and reached the 8B bus stand. That 8B bus stand is still famous, but the double-decker buses are no more now. However, after reaching the bus stand noticed a group of boys standing with weapons & bombs, etc. That was afternoon time & the road was lonely. Luckily, that area was earmarked for the Communist party, and the colour of the book in my hand was with a red cover. So they ignored me, but the problem was when I crossed the area on the way to my house, that area was dominated by the Congress party, and they felt animosity with the red color in common. So I was in search of a safe way out of this problem, and I saw a few steps before me a lady was walking. I asked her to allow me to walk along with her, and if those boys asked about me, she should introduce me as her nephew. When they saw I was walking along with the lady, they asked nothing of me, and I reached safely to my house. This was the time then. Although this was a very small incident but it stirs me till today.
Sixth Part
In those days, we used to count down the days with eagerness when the festival of the year Autumn festival means Durga puja shall arrive. One week before Durga puja, there was Mahalaya when in the early morning All India Radio used to broadcast the program early in the morning. The local clubs used to spread the program in full volume through loudspeakers. In those days, we used to wake up with the melodious starting tune of the All India Radio. The creator of that tune was the music maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.
In those days, if we listened to the duet songs, guardians would get upset and comment that we were going to be spoiled. That was the reason we were deprived of listening to Md. Rafi & Lata, Kishore & Asha, Hemat kumar & Arati Mukherjee’s duet songs. Although behind the scenes, we listened to those songs secretly. In those days, we were habituated to cinemas in the big field of Bijoygarh, arranging the projectors t for free or with a ticket of 19 paise only. Now, over the course of time, there is a big hall established there to organize functions and film shows named Niranjan Sadan.
A few years before big fares, functions were organized in that big open field during the Puja celebration.
The Puja was named Bharat Mata’s Puja, taking a donation of one rupee only from each family of the Jadavpur area. We had to be satisfied and happy by watching those cinemas and open-air dramas in those days. To enjoy movies in the cinema halls was simply a dream to us. The plots of the dramas were historical and religious; other social plots were not permitted at all. In this way, I spent six months of my college life. I can still remember that day when I narrowly escaped. That day also, I was returning from college, and the area was suddenly cordoned off by the CRPF, and they were checking who was wearing tight pants. I was saved from the unprecedented incident as I was wearing loose pants. Those who were wearing tight pants got the lesson from the CRPF.that evening.
The life was moving through the ups and downs of life. In this doldrums when everyone had lost the direction ahead & targetless in a hopeless mind, my elder brother, who passed Mechanical Engineering and then posted in Goa, wrote me a letter saying immediately to fill out the form for the Joint entrance examination with ten rupees postal order. For this, I had to go to the Reserve Bank Of India. That was another incident. In those days, RBI first introduced an escalator. Still, I feel excited about that very special experience of the escalator. However, by any means, I successfully submitted the form to appear Joint Entrance Examination and stopped going to college from that very day. Now I think about what risk I had taken unknowingly. But there is a proverb: no risk, no gain it is applicable in my case. In this do-or-die situation, I prepared for the JEE exam and got the opportunity to be admitted to Bengal Engineering College. My elder brother came and got me admitted to B.E.College in Civil Engineering. My brother-in-law was my then-local guardian.
Seventh Part
I was happy with the admission to B.E.College Shibpur. But that was lasted hardly for two months. The happiness I had till I got the letter to join the hostel. At last, that day, 10th of December 1972, stepped in. Although I was happy, after all, the college is a premier technical institution, I was afraid of listening to the stories of ragging. So on that day, I started with my brother-in-law along with my bags and baggage. Bags and baggage means my bedding and one steel trunk. Started on the double-decker bus 8B for Howrah bus depot, and from there, we got 55 no. bus towards the botanical garden. That 55no.bus is still there on that route. Still, I recall the shouting of the bus conductor by B.Garden attracting the passengers. The bus fare was 18 paise. Approximately half an hour later, we reached the college centenary gate, commonly known first gate. From there, we reported to the office to see my hostel allotment. My hostel was a Downing hostel. We reached the hostel on a fifteen-minute walk from the main building.
I was surprised to see the hostel. Oh, it is a big fort in the British period there is a gate called the third gate, which can be crossed by jumping to reach the B.Garden and on the bank of the river Ganges. I got my shelter in one room with three other batch mates in the central wing of the hostel. The space inside the room was like a small playground. The height was of a two-story house with old iron beams on the roof. In front of the hostel, there is a big green lawn, and a cool breeze is blowing from the riverside. As the time was winter, the wind was a little bit chilly in that mid-December evening. The illumination of the Garden reached the industrial area was visible. The hostel had three wings: East, West & Central. After my entry to the room allotted for me, my brother-in-law left for home.
Luckily, I got my schoolmate was also in my adjacent room. And we two were discussing the way to escape from ragging. By luck, one of our schoolmates was admitted one year before us means he is now one year senior than us. Getting our news, he came and told us, “Nothing to worry about, just tell my name, and nothing will happen”.
So happily, we finished our first-night dinner at the hostel around 8-30 p.m. The experience of the first-night dinner was really excellent. After dinner, we stood near the lawn, igniting a Woodbine cigarette in a charming mood, inhaling the smoke. All of a sudden, a senior came in front of us, and we were convinced by his gentle, friendly behaviour. By his simple behavior, he fooled us and took us to their senior hostel, where three seniors were waiting to rag us. So, on the first night, we faced the shivering experience of ragging till early morning. Those memories are still alive in the core of my mind to date.
Eighth Part
That ragging period lasted exactly two weeks. To escape from ragging, we used to go out to see the night shows. After attending the second half of class, we used to finish tiffin after reaching to hostel. Before going out to the cinema, we used to tell the head cook to keep our night meal under cover. But we couldn’t escape from ragging. When we went to bed at night, the seniors used to knock on the door, and if we didn’t open the front door, they used to insert a rod through the big gaps in the open windows, which had no doors to close. They used to poke us on the legs through the mosquito nets, so we had to open the main door by force. After opening the door, the then-great ragger, Dada, who was a swimming champion, was also visible. His dress on those nights and his voice were literary full of fear. He used to tell us in his cool voice, “Why have you not opened the door?” and started ragging with new ideas, and that lasted continuously for two to three hours. One style I can recall to singing the famous Rabindrasangeet in the tune of R.D. Burman’s Hindi film songs and the formula of work done zero with a heavy weight on the head and more like this. Sometimes, they used to come for ragging in the evening then we used to flee through the secret stairs of the hostel and hide on the rooftop.
This ragging period was for two weeks and ended with a fresher’s welcome program organized by the seniors. But after the ragging period, those seniors behaved us more than our own brothers. I recall once I suffered from a high fever, then that ragger Dada nursed me for a full two nights till I was normal. Some days ago, I came to know that Dada is no more. I pray to the almighty for the peace and tranquillity of that great soul, our great Dada.
Ninth Part
In this way, we started our hostel life in full swing. Rising in the early morning, we started our first half class at 8-00 am. to 12-00 noon, after lunch again from 2-00 pm to 5-00 pm for the second half. Then we used to enjoy ourselves in our own ways. Some used to play the mouth organ, some were busy with their favourite games, bodybuilding & some with swimming. Night show cinema was regular those days, weekly thrice in nearby halls like Aloka, Mayapuri, Parvati, Jharna, and Bangabashi near Howrah Maidan. Initially, we were familiar with Bengali movies. During the second year, we started to see Hindi and English also.
When we were in the first year, CRPF was posted for a few months on a permanent basis. Our junior hostels, Downing & 13 no., were in Muchi para, and some senior hostels were also there. And the famous Oval playground was also in Muchipara. Mainly cricket, football, and miscellaneous sports events were organized on this ground. The Wolfenden hostel was just adjacent to the Oval Field, which was a senior hostel. Lady's hostel was also in the Muchipara area.
In Sahebpara, there were Lods Field and other senior hostels named Richardson, Pandiya, Sen, and Sengupta were all the names. The names of the hostels were in honour of the ex-professor’s names or surnames. However, in this way, one year passed unnoticed. Another famous occasion was when the barrack servants used to celebrate Shiva Ratri once a year. a beverage in liquid form. The taste of that liquid really brought heavenly feelings if someone took two glasses full. The feelings after drinking that special preparation are literally inexpressible. We used to come every year to Downing Hostel on that particular day even though we were in a senior hostel those days. To enjoy the preparation, our old barrack servant dadas used to receive us wholeheartedly with smiling faces. These were our evergreen youth days.
Tenth Part
In this flow of colourful incidents, I was promoted from the first year to the second year. At the same time, we were shifted to a senior hostel in Muchi Para, known as Hostel Number Nine, for the next three years. I was accommodated in a room on the ground floor of the same hostel. In that hostel, I passed with my batch. mates three long years, i.e., third & fourth years. Almost a major part of my unforgettable memories of my golden past are related to this hostel number nine. This hostel was nearest to the second gate & just opposite this gate, there was the sweet shop of Jathamosai crossing the main road towards the Botanical Garden. We used to go to that sweet shop on Sundays & holidays in the morning & evening to have better refreshments and have a change from the routine breakfasts in the hostel barracks ruined by the hostel staff. Still, I feel crazy with the memories of those fresh and special sweets & hot snacks. Those happy moments are bright forever in my memory whether I went inside the country or abroad.
After spending two years in that hostel, we could foresee our future, which was totally hazy during our first year of hostel life. When we were in the first year in the Downing Hostel, the long five years seemed to be a never-ending period similar to the sea whose other side meets the horizon only. Who knows when we can cross the spreaded sea?
One incident I still haven’t forgotten is one day in the afternoon time, I noticed one healthy person was taking his lunch, and the head cook, along with his assistants, was attending to severe him royal treatment. I was surprised, and soon after that person left, I asked our head cook about the matter behind us. The head cook cleared the query and told me he was a Naxal activist during his college tenure & was caught red-handed by the police with two revolvers in Mohammed Ali Park near Park Circus. After completing of engineering graduation, he was doing a Master's Degree at IIT, Kharagpur. After doing a master's degree. he was a professor there.
Another senior was also there, who was in his fourth year then who was a specialist in Marshall Art. During the Naxal period, he fought with police with stained guns for quite some time. His nickname was Captain. However, after passing out, he was settled in Glasgow with a lucrative package & luxurious lifestyle. What an irony of a revolutionary ideology!
Like this, a lot of stories are there. of that dark period of Bengal, which brings tears now even The only son of the widow's mother was brutally murdered, whose memory is remembered as a martyr and in his statuary with garlands offered on that particular day. He was a brilliant son of that ill-fated mother, the one & only dependent. How that mother passed the days after losing her only son, only God knows. Oh, what an end of a bright future, the result of a directionless vulgar movement to change society instantly. How the leaders brainwashed those innocent, intelligent, bright youths, it’s really horrible, and I feel shivering when I think alone in my lone times.
Eleventh Part
During college life, sometimes we used to go to Sen Mahashay’s sweet shop & have a special tea just opposite our centenary gate or, more familiarly first gate after attending the session of the second half of the daily classes. That was the oldest shop of Sen Mahashay so far to my knowledge. Now, there are a number of branches all over Kolkata at present. The sweet curd of that shop was really delicious. That tradition is still rolling on these days still. I still haven’t forgotten the style of preparation of tea in earthen pots in the special roadside tea shop.
In this context, another incident happened in my life in that period when I was just a grown-up youth. During summer vacation, I used to go to my elder brother’s place, who was posted in Vadodara those days. After the vacation, I was on the way to my college and boarded on Viram Gaon Express, which takes almost forty hours those days. So it was inevitable to pass the time, I had to make friends with co-passengers. From Vhillai, a middle-aged person was my fellow passenger. In the course of time, he came to know about me, and he requested me to take tuition of math& science subjects for his daughter, who was then in tenth standard. I was so excited that I accepted his proposal immediately. He gave me the direction and detailed address & told me to meet him that day evening.
Reaching the hostel, I the matter elaborately to my room partner Swapan (who left us four years before for his heavenly abode). Listening to the offer, he got excited and jumped a little & advised me to go immediately to the place and not miss the opportunity.
At last, I started alone for the address, which was near to Botanical Garden. The road's name was Danesh Seikh Lane. Reaching near to the address, I was confused and saw a few local youths in a club I asked for the exact house. Then immediately, they reverted back what is the reason why I was searching for? When I told them the matter, they just shouted at me and told get lost instantly otherwise, it would turn against me. I understood and, without speaking more, just ran away from that place and felt relieved reaching my safest hostel room. After that incident, I really forgot to think about love in dreams even.
Twelfth Part
A new Cinema Hall was built during our third year near the second gate named “Lipi.”Still, I remember the opening day opening show was a just-released picture, “Roudra Chaya” in Bengali, starring the matinee idol Uttam Kumar & Anjana Bhowmik. Lipi cinema was started keeping in mind about the then B E College students. We were habituated to seeing mainly the night shows. In the case of super-hit movies, when the picture hall declares “House Full,” the board outside special seats were arranged in the front row for the college students.
The longest movie I watched in that hall was Prithvi Raj Kapoor’s legendary picture ‘Mughal E Ajam”.The movie is still bright in my memory as movies have single intervals only, but in this movie, there were three intervals, and the total time was four and a half hours. We had taken tea three times outside the hall. As of then, everything was not available under a single roof in the present day.
Another incident is still bright in my memory of the opening day of “Manoranjan,” a Hindi movie, when the then Mega Star Shammi Kapoor came along with Jeenat Aman for the inaugural show. There was a heavy rush and enthusiasm among the people then. Some of our friends were so crazy that they tore his long hair and some part of his kurta, and they showed those very proudly after coming back to the hostel. God only knows what their satisfaction is. We watched there Bobby&Sholay a number of times there.
In those days, there were two improved dinners & one grand feast were arranged every month. We eagerly waited for those lucrative, delicious menus for IDs & GF in short form. Some of our friends also used to bring guests. The main attraction was the famous sweet dishes from places like Burdwan, Nadia & Krishna Nagar, etc. After the heavy dinner, we finished with a sweet pan and 555 cigarettes, which was the essence of the lavish dinner. The cigarette we usually visible in Hindi movies, especially the villains used to smoke, making rings. There were varieties of preparations with mutton and fish I can’t forget those tastes till I am alive.
The memories of those evergreen days still I recall when music was still used as a part of entertainment. Our adjacent hostel number eight, which is now identified as Dr. D.Banerjee Hall, used to play the famous dialogues of Sholay films like “Kitne Aadmi The Kaalia,” “Basanti there ijjat ki shawl Hain” and the hit songs of Bobby picture and so many others from Bengali and Hindi movies. Once, one of our batch mates made the sound of a running horse in the mouthpiece his name I couldn’t remember now.
I can remember another batchmate whose nickname was Sky Lab, whom I had rarely seen to study the books in the syllabus.
I heard that he used to visit very frequently to the National Library, the British Library, etc. He is also missing, and we don’t know his whereabouts. One incident I can remember the very next day there was the final exam. As usual, he came from his house at eight p.m. and after dinner, he went to sleep. But we were stuck with a problem. Around 12 midnight, we called him to solve the problem when he was in sound sleep. After so many requests, he woke up & solved the problem, and slept again as usual. Not only this he was a good singer, good writer, good table tennis, carom & badminton player as well. In one word, he was a genius. But in the course of time when he lost away, nobody knows, though I tried so many times to get his whereabouts. All the geniuses may be like him only.
Thirteen Part
A few more incidents are still bright in my memory. In our college days, the bus fare from Howrah station to the Botanical Garden was eighteen paise. This bus fare was the same for quite a long period till I was admitted to the college. But suddenly, on one fine morning, they increased the bus fare by two paise & the fare was twenty paise without any prior notice, which resulted in an argument between a college student and the bus conductor. Hot talks continued between them for a few minutes when the conductor lost his temper and assaulted the student physically.
Immediately, the student came down from the bus and informed the other fellow students to help him. The situation became worse when almost all the students came out of the college campus, attacked the staff of the buses, and stopped the bus service instantly. The situation was really out of the control of the then-authority & it was a real mesh. After four or five days of the interference of the college administration, the situation became normal.
Another incident I can recall was during the emergency period when the prime minister, Mrs.Indira Gandhi, declared an Emergency period. During an emergency, any type of procession or meeting was banned. But till date, I can remember that we have participated in a long procession with our fellow students that lasted for at least an hour up to the Shalimar Railway crossing. The police only witnessed the situation without any action.
Again, all the hostel mates decided to hire a bus for a tour to Shantiniketan, Tarapeeth, Bakreshwar& Messengore Dam and gone for an outing. We hired a bus from the same fifty-five bus route. That was a four-day tour. During the last phase of the tour, we reached Tarapeeth late at night, around 10 p.m., when the temple was closed. I and my room partner went to see the deep jungle nearby and lost direction but were miraculously saved by some local people otherwise, we had to face danger. My roommate is no more now. He left us for his heavenly abode five years before. That was really an exciting experience of my college days.
After the end of the tour, the day we returned to college was the last day of the reunion fest of our college. That day was the program for modern songs. The special appearance was of those days one of the star singers in India, Manna Dey, and with him, the supporting tabla maestro was Radha Kanto Nandi. So far, I can remember Manna Dey sang twenty-five songs at a stretch, hit film songs in Hindi & Bengali both. That, too, almost for almost two hours. What a mesmerizing presentation by the great artist, hats off to Manna Dey.
The reunion was organized every year for four days to reunite with the passed-out seniors and the college students. The first day was with Rabindra, Nazrul evening, and the second day was classical music evening, which lasted for almost the whole night. In this classical music, almost all the Stewarts of Indian classical music were invited. The names are P T Kanan, Malobika Kanan, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma etc. On the third day, a famous drama or sometimes light and sound shows by Anand Shankar was also presented. And still, I remember the amazing presentation of the sitar in the early morning on the classical music program by Madam Jaya Biswas, who was also the wife of Professor Sanat Biswas, who was a Sheriff of Kolkata also later. Her magical music and appearance, like the goddess Venus, was the end of the program when the sun rose slowly in the light red eastern sky. Madam Jaya Biswas was the closest disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. The memory of the magic tune still creates resonance in my subconscious mind.
Fourteenth Part
In the course of time, the last phase of hostel life stepped in. This means we are now final-year students and can see the other side of the river now. Just waiting to pass out. In the final year, we were accommodated in single-seated hostels. From our hostel, I shifted to Sen Gupta Hall in the Saheb para area with my batch mates of hostel number nine. All the senior hostels were in this area. Only Wolfenden Hall was located adjacent to the famous Oval Ground of the Muchi Para area. My other two room partners also were accommodated in my next rooms, which were side by side only on the first floor. Some batch mates from other hostels were also accommodated in the same hostel. On the back side of the hostel, outside the boundary wall, there was a paint factory named British Paint, which is now renamed Berger Paints. Gradually we became familiar with the factory sounds. Slowly, we became self-dependent; this is the change in phase with the situation.
Now, let me brief the political scenario during that period. Then, the Chief Minister of West Bengal was Mr.Siddhartha Sankar Roy & the Prime Minister of India was the Iron Lady, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Then the CPI{M} Left Front was in opposition and joined under one umbrella of Janata Dal under the leadership of the successor of Acharya Binoba Bhabe, unanimous leader of the Sarvodaya movement Jay Prakash Narayan along with Mr.Morarjee Desai. The time was the middle of the year 1976. At that time political situation was in a turbulent stage. Some days ago, Mrs. Indira Gandhi declared an emergency and arrested Jay Prakash Narayan, keeping him in jail custody with inhuman torture resulting in the damage of one kidney. He was famous & known by the name JP or Loknayak, and he was recognized as an undisputed leader all over India.
In those days, Calcutta was the cultural heritage of India. Then, there were a number of theatre groups that originated from Calcutta. Aii the stalwarts like Utpal Dutt, Ajitesh Banerjee, Sambhu Mitra, Badal Sarkar and so many others. Among them, Utpal Dutt, Sambhu Mitra &, and Bijon Bhattacharya were pioneers of modern dramatists. We witnessed the waves of mass movements fall out on the roads of Calcutta at almost regular intervals. Obviously, the thrust of those movements inspired us, and we felt the intensity of those movements by heart.
Very clearly, I can remember that in that period, one of our batch mates, who is now a theoretical leader of the CPI(M) party and politburo member, told us after dinner when we were preparing for sleep to gather in the Lords’ Ground with an iron rod of the mosquito net stand. They got information from some reliable sources that some miscreants would attack the college students from the other side of the nearby Ganges river. We had almost five hundred students gathered there & passed a sleepless night to the next day early morning and returned to our respective hostels. Nothing happened that night. maybe they got the information of the gathering of five hundred students to resist them. Definitely, they were afraid of the information of the mass response of general students that night. Who knows what actually happened on that night? In this turbulent situation, we appeared in the fifth-year final exam. That was the end of our five years of hostel life. And again came back to the normal routine of life in the rental accommodation in Central Road, Jadavpur area.
Fifteenth Part
As the result will be out after three months, I got three months of breathing time after the final exam. So I had. the opportunity to gossip with my local friends and have plenty of tea time in the local tea shop. Hence, I enjoyed the grown-up feeling all of a sudden. The result was declared in time as scheduled, and I passed out successfully. Now I have to search for a service. But where the job opportunity only applies with reference to the advertisements of the newspapers. A number of interviews I appeared also, but I was unable to join as the job locations were in other states outside of Kolkata. And my mind also doesn’t permit me to go away from this enjoyable gossiping life with my childhood friends in my locality. So, the process of applying and appearing in the interviews continued without any fruitful outcome.
So, like waves, one or two interview calls I had received but some didn’t get the final shape may be for outside Kolkata, or some may not met the unfulfillment required criteria. But the time passed with my childhood friends was in full swing in my locality. Our sitting and gossiping place was Anilda’s tailoring shop. When we passed out engineering, the job opportunity was promising for Civil engineering only. Some of my batchmates from the Civil engineering branch got placement just after the results came out.
Sometimes, when I met them used to imagine when I’d also get the satisfaction of a successful placement. Again, sometimes used to think, let's continue what is going on and enjoy this free life. During this optimistic period, I was attracted to a charming local teenage girl who used to pass through the tailoring shop every evening with a Sitar to attend music class like a swan. And I used to wait like a thirsty bird waiting till she returned. When she passed, the road produced a resonance of buzzing sound in the core of my heart. Today, I just can’t explain what attraction was there in her rhythmic movement. However, later, I came to know she was in an affair with someone else. Really, the truth shocked me like anything.
After seven to eight months, I got a job opportunity in the Titaghrah industrial area. Now I got a taste of employment used to attending shift duty from Sealdah South to Sealdah Mainline. A few months later, I lost my father. After some more months, I got a better opportunity in a multinational construction company & posted at HFCL project site Haldia in the Midnapore district of West Bengal. Slowly, the Calcutta residence was winded up & I was habituated to join assignments inside the country and abroad. The colourful memories and experiences are still alive in my memory. I am a most ordinary common man & this is the manuscript of my confession.