JANAK DE – 1937-2010. RIP.
Janak De has died.
He started at Loreto in the mid ‘40s, then went to North Point from 1946 to 1955. He had been on holiday in Darjeeling, staying at the Bellevue Hotel. On January 29 he did not come down for breakfast, so the police were called and they found him dead in his bed. He had suffered from diabetes and Parkinson’s, and was taking rather heavy medication.
On his way to Darjeeling, he stopped over in Kolkata and had lunch with his old classmate, Dhrubo Gupta. He spoke non-stop about his travels, having been in some 30countries, and was planning more.
In his school days, Janak was known as Prof Loco, because he was eccentric. In the UD dormitory at night, he would often stand by the window gazing at the sky and tell some wild tale about astronomy. He distinguished himself in athletics, being one of the select band of sprinters who did the 100 yards in 10 seconds.
When Fr West introduced musical theatre with The Pirates of Penzance in 1955, he cast Janak as the Pirate King. When Janak left school, he went to London, hoping to become a barrister, but lost interest. He married briefly and had a son, Dennis, who survives him. For the past number of years, he was living in Prague, but returned regularly to Darjeeling, the place that gave him the greatest sense of security.
He would have been 71 this year.
Sent by U Banerjee
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3 comments:
The sudden passing of my father, Janak De, has been a great shock to us all.
As a youth at St. Joseph´s School, my father was very keen on sport and a number of chosen hobbies, including acting and singing. He developed a keen sense of discipline as he progressed along life’s byways and approached his study diligently and sincerely, while also providing his wife (Yvonne) and children (Ajit and Yasmine) with all it needed throughout many years of restless travelling and beyond 15 years of marriage.
My father has created many memories for numerous people throughout his life - this was a special talent of his. This sounds like something easy, creating memories for your family and friends, but his talent was very special - that of staying in fond memory to all who met him.
His charm, generosity and light-heartedness, sometimes even improvidence but especially his great wit and sense of humour, got to everyone who had the joy and privilege of meeting him. He was a very gentle man, a father and friend, of great intelligence but at the same time always sincere and honest, and a man of faith.
Being open and understanding, he was always ready to give good sound advice and help in any way. We will miss him very much. Though sometimes contradictory in his character, he inspired us with at once his individuality and feel for freedom, yet his connection with and love for all.
I will end my tribute to my beloved father with a poem, which reflects our feelings and what he meant to us.
No farewell
No farewell words were spoken,
No time to say goodbye,
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knows why.
Gone yet not forgotten,
Although worlds apart,
Your spirit lives within us,
Forever in each heart.
In deep grief,
his family, partner and friends
In addition to my post, I would like to add that my father (Janak De, 06.10.1938 - 29.01.2010) graduated as Economist at Kings College, Cambridge and had amongs many interest, a keen interest in science as also astronomy and though eccentric, as mentioned by Mr. Banerjee (who is unknown to the family) had a great knowledge in these fields but stayed grounded and was a true and reliable person. Because the family lived in many different countries around the world, he respected the need to communicate with people in their own language. Hence his fluency in 8 different languages, ensuring that his family was held in high respected within the community.
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