Ramola Chakrabarty

I Was always in awe of Jyoti babu and as far as my memory goes I was always conscious of his existence. I had always been curious about him as a person although it was not until my marriage that I actually interacted with him personally.

As a student I was involved in student politics and used to frequent the Alimuddin Street. I remember Promod Dasgupta would always come and talk to us. He would sit and interact with us, share a cup of tea and muri with us.

He was a lot more approachable than Jyoti babu who was far more reserved. We would pass by his room, see him and feel honoured . It used to be a big deal to catch even a glimpse of him -- even in those days. But it was after my marriage to Subhas that I was formally introduced to him.

When Jyoti babu saw me, he had said, 'Oh, it is you who Subhash has married'.

After that we would meet occasionally. Once we were traveling to Bardhaman for some work and I was in car with him. It was summer and the sun was beating on my face; he told me to swap places with him so that I could be more comfortable. I felt touched that he had even considered my discomfort in spite of being such a big leader.

I was quite close to his wife and would often call up to discuss food recipes. The doors to their home were always open for us.

In those days we used to stay in Patipukur and had put up at Indira Bhavan for some time. I remember thinking that it was such a pretty place and that it would suit him, especially since he had not been keeping too well. I told boudi about it and he was finally convinced to shift there sometime in 1993-94.

When we started celebrating his birthdays, he was opposed to it as he felt it was not the right thing to do. He had to be convinced that he was more than a leader and it would give people a chance to get close to him. He loved interacting with the masses, and once his initial apprehension dissipated, he began enjoying it. Initially, the plan was to involve only children but later we decided to throw open the gates of Indira Bhavan for all. Everybody wanted to get close to him, and his birthday gave them that opportunity.

When he retired there was a human chain all the way from his home to Netaji Indoor —something that touched him immensely.

With old age, many of his reservations melted away and he became a lot more keen to talk about his past and his childhood. I only wish I had recorded those talks as now they will never be repeated.

Had Subhas been alive he would have told me that I was a good for nothing for failing to preserve those wonderful gems.