The Places Which Are Mine

 Introduction

 

One of my friends who is also a Chartered Accountant says that most if not all the places he refers to I respond saying that it is my place. He asks if there is any place which isn’t mine. I told him I will send on WhatsApp an exhaustive list of all the places which are mine. While giving it a thought yesterday I thought why not write an article on this and after getting it previewed by him I will publish it.

 

The Places

 

We originally hail from a place called Nimtita. It is a village in the Jangipur subdivision of  Murshidabad district.

 

Nimtita Rajbari, on the banks of the Ganges, is now a dilapidated structure, a testimony of a glorious past. It had inspired Tarashankar Bandopadhyay to write a short-story about a man who refused to change with the times. He saw the mighty river gobble up his estates, but would not give up. Satyajit Ray made one of his great films based on that story – Jalsaghar, with the legendary Chhabi Biswas in the lead role. It was shot at Nimtita Rajbari in 1957.

 

I have never been there but heard from my father that he studied in Gour Sundar Dwarakanath Institution. My grandfather who was a police officer during the British regime had to leave Nimtita and relocate with his family and settle in Shashani, a village in Malda district. I have been there along with my parents while studying in school at Darjeeling. One of my uncles lived and worked in Malda.

 

My father who was a professor in the West Bengal Education Service taught in many government colleges. That gave us an opportunity to live in many places for a few years. When he got his promotion to Assistant Professor he was transferred from Krishnanagar Government College, his first place of posting, to Victoria College, Cooch Behar just after I was born. So it came as a double delight for him. My parents remembered Cooch Behar fondly as it always brought back beautiful memories of their stay. I do not remember those memories as I was too small then. A toddler.  

 

After that my father was transferred to Hooghly Mohsin College. We lived in Chinsurah. I have beautiful memories of this place. I started my school journey here. My first school was Auxilium Convent School at Bandel. It was founded by The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco. It is very close to The Basilica of the Holy Rosary, Bandel (Bandel Church).

 

During those days it was the only English medium school there. My mother is responsible for my education in English medium schools for which I will remain ever grateful to her.  

 

Then we go to live in the queen of the hill stations, Darjeeling. We call it Darj.

 

My father was transferred to Darjeeling Government College after a few years. I took admission in Mount Hermon School. It was an experience I am yet to forget. There are very few schools you have seen with such a huge and picturesque campus. It was the only coeducational school in Darj then. We enjoyed our stay at Darj and I studied till the middle of Class-6 there. My father was transferred to Presidency College, Kolkata. 

 

Mr. Graeme Murray (from New Zealand) our Principal had written two letters of recommendation to the respective Principals of Calcutta Boys’ School and St. Thomas’ Boys’ School, Kidderpore to help in my admission. I got admission into Calcutta Boys’ School from where I finished my schooling.

 

During my career post-qualification I have lived at Port Blair, Andaman Islands, Mumbai for a long time, Delhi, Gurgaon (now Gurugram) after which I have returned to Kolkata where I am living over the last decade.

Conclusion

 

Life is a long journey. It is made up of shorter journeys of all the people you meet, places you live in, and work at, the experiences you have both good and bad. Your journey will be good if all of this is good.   

 

The places I have lived in or emotionally connected to connect the dots from Nimtita to Kolkata. I am still travelling. Remembering all the places I have visited while doing my CA till now. The list goes on and on. Working in a Chennai (then Madras) headquartered general insurance company for the first ten years allowed me to connect deep into the south and then began my love for South Indian movies till date right from Rajinikanth to Allu Arjun.

 

One of my school friends says I am a nomad. A compliment I failed to understand till he explained. Nomad in this context is about variety and richness of exposure and I did get that, rather enviably. He says genuine nomads also are the most capable in dealing with life! Thanks a lot for this heartfelt gesture.

 

There can be no conclusions to an ongoing journey of life.