Madhyamgram Re-visited after 15 years

We were in Goethals together, he from '56 and I from '55.

He entered our peaceful sleep with a bang.

Most of us students used to get on the Broad Gauge Darjeeling Mail from Sealdah.This used to take us up to the Sagrakali Ghat. Lunch was at a station called Rampurhat. The Farakka barrage was at the planning stage.

We used to cross the river Ganges by a steamer to the Manihari Ghat. Hot dinner was served on the steamer.

At the Manihari Ghat, we used to get on the Metre gauge train which took us to Siliguri by 6 o'clock in the next morning.

This was the junction station where we used to changeover to the narrow Gauge which took us to the school siding at Kurseong. New Jalpaiguri station was not born then. I have just come to know that ours is the only school in India which has its own siding.

As I was saying, he entered our life with a bang. How?

Well, the metre gauge train used to stop at around midnight at a station called Katihar. It is still there, although made quite infamous by Bihar politicians.

Suddenly there was a banging on the train door. BANG! BANG! BANG! We used to get up rubbing our eyes.

This little boy used to come up all smiling, little realizing the confusion he had created.

He is Jayanta Ghosh.

For the last month or so, my brain had been rankling as one of my friends from my group was not making it to the centenary celebrations,

An e-mail from Basant Lama, asking his whereabouts, made me think still harder.

Finlly, I decided to visit his home in Madhyamgram, which is about 30 Km from Kolkata, proper.

I had first visited the place in 1964 with S P Chatterjee and A K Roy.

It was more a village then.

We had gone from Shyambazar via BT Road, Dum Dum Road and Jessore Road.. The VIP road had not even been conceptualized then. It took us about an hour.

The second time I visited Madhyamgram was about 15 years ago.

I had started working at Worthington Pump and my work took me quite often to Madhyamgram.

JK was then posted outside W Bengal. Lucky chap.

I met his parents, his father had retired and his younger brother was in the Air Force.

His father gave me a ripe coconut from their own tree. I couldn't refuse it since they gave

it so lovingly.I carried it all the way to Kolkata. But it was worth it. Very sweet, the coconut.

Well. after that day, I visited Madhyamgram yesterday, 8th Oct.

His house was locked. I understood from his neighbours that JK's cousin lives there and JK lives in Delhi.

I gave my card and contact details to a "para" boy and requested him to ask his cousin to call me.

The journey bore fruit.

His cousin Mithu, called up today and gave me JK's and his son's telephone nos.

I called up JK's number immediately."This telephone is switched off, please try again after some time" the normal refrain from mobiles. I tried again and again. and then finally called up his son's number at 11.00 PM.

His son wanted to know who I was. I didn't reveal me ID. I wanted him to guess from my voice.

He couldn't, although he rankled his brains. Finally I revealed myself after 3 minutes of guessing.

Boy, was he happy to hear from me.

What surprised me was that he was completely unaware of the centenary celebrations, although he lives in the Capital of India.

It just shows the little we have been able to do to make our boys aware of our celebrations.

I am also at fault here as I also did not participate in the initial awareness meetings.

We missed an opportunity to put Ads in all major papers in the metros.

My brain still rankles for a few more names. P K Gupta, Biswajeet Ghoshal, Vardachari Janardanan, N. Venkataraman, Clifton D'Aubney, Roger Brady, Sheane Brady. I wonder where and how they are?

Bye for now. Hope to come with another report soon

Radheshyam