Prof. P.N. Banerjee, My Babai: A multi-talented person

Prof. P.N. Banerjee, My Babai: A multi-talented person
By Sikharini Majumdar, daughter of Prof. P.N. Banerjee

Timeline Title photo: My father (sitting 3rd from right) with other faculty Professors of Electrical Engineering Department. 

My connection with BE College campus is from my early childhood, when I was only 5 years old. Since then I breathed the air of BE College campus, played on its grass, found my friends, learnt my rhymes, had all my emotions, my good times , bad times , ….. that was my tiny kingdom. I grew up in the surroundings of the Oval ground, Sen Hall, McDonald Hall, Madhusudan Building, Model School and Pandya Hall. My friends were mostly from the campus which is now a history, a memory that is nowhere written on paper, but ever written in my memory. Recently, I was requested by Mr. Asim Deb to write about my father, Babai as I called him for the BE College magazine ‘Sahityika’.

The formal name of my father was Pramatha Nath Banerjee, in short Prof. P.N. Banerjee but he was most famous to his students, ….. I suppose for about 3 long decades, by the nickname of ‘Pagla Banerjee.’ Even my father knew his nickname. Why only my father? Even the professors knew about it. I here mentioned it surely not to disrespect or undermine him. He himself had once mentioned in jest that the students were not aware that his Roll No. for his Matriculation Examination was Mad 144.

He was born on the 20th of October 1928, he was the eldest of the four children of Late Janaki Nath Banerjee and Late Jyotsnamoyee Debi. He completed his schooling from Calcutta Narkeldanga George School but due to fear of bombing in Calcutta the family moved to their village in Faridpur, presently in Bangladesh and he appeared for his Matriculation Examination in 1943 from Madaripur sub-division of Faridpur. He then graduated from Jadavpur University in Electrical Engineering in 1949. He was inspired to take admission in the branch of Electrical Engineering by his maternal grandfather Late Rajendra Lal Mukherjee who was an engineer at the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation during the British regime. After graduation he joined the U.P. State Electricity Board and was posted in Allahabad. Later, on the 14th of August 1957 he joined B.E. College. At that point of time, Prof. (Dr.) Hiranmoy Banerjee, in the faculty of B.E. College Electrical Engineering, was leaving to join Kuljiyan. At the same time, Prof. Sankar Sen invited my father to join the teaching faculty of B.E. College and the then HOD Prof. S.N. Ray fulfilled all the formalities.

Beyond teaching, I found my Babai to be a multi-talented person with various interests but he also wasn’t keen to pursue any one of those as an additional profession. He was greatly influenced by his younger maternal uncle who remained his close friend throughout his life. Both of them were passionate about Classical music. While in Allahabad, Babai took the opportunity and enrolled himself in the classical vocal class in Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad. A die-hard fan of Manabendra Mukherjee, he used to d follow his Nazrulgeeti. Later on, I learnt a couple of these songs from my Babai.

Babai grew up in a musical environment where his father used to play the esraj and his mother was a very good kirtan singer. Let me mention here that his cousins, sons of his Choto Mama, both were professional musicians. The elder, Goutam Mukherjee, known in the music world as Rana, is a classical vocalist and a reputed voice trainer, married to legendary singer Hemant Mukherjee’s daughter Ranu Mukherjee. He was invited a number of times in the B.E. College Reunion function and also in the Annual Social in B.E. College. His younger brother Indranath Mukherjee is a tabla player of repute, both of them are now settled in Mumbai.

He also had great interest as well as talent in drawing and painting. Though he never had any formal training, but his drawings were exquisite. He took up his interest in fabric painting and used to gift those artworks to all our neighbourhood children.

Next, coming to the skilled art of magic, I know that his students had arranged for his Magic shows during their Hostel Feast days. He always displayed an attractive personality in his magic shows and were mesmerising particularly in card games. To add another, he was a great storyteller in his self patented styles, clubbed with unthinkable kinds of humour that was his very own, and couldn’t be copied.

Babai was a very conscientious man and fulfilled all his professional and personal duties seriously and with care. He refused the offer of moving and settling in the U.S. as he felt that as the eldest son of the family it would be selfish of him, distancing himself from his parents and siblings. On the other side, we found him taking utmost care of his extended family, his B.E. College students. He always had a high expectation from his students and his children too. So, at times he was hurt when he found us not living up to his expectations.

To me, he was a very jovial soul and probably one of the most approachable professors of his time. To him his students were his children and we at home never ever referred to them other than ‘Tomar chhelera / meyera’ and their welfare was his primary duty. He believed that the sole purpose of a residential college was for the professors to be ‘loco parentis’, like our ancient Ashrams.

The following incident will explain it all. During the Naxal period a student who belonged to the Naxalite group came to appear for his Supplementary Examination of the Final Year and my father by chance happened to be the invigilator of the same centre. He was aware that if that student stayed back till the end of the examination, he would be in danger. Twenty- five minutes before the stipulated time for the examination to get over my father quietly told him to submit his paper and quietly and quickly leave through a lesser used path to his car. In spite of earlier receiving a life- threatening letter from the Naxalites. As a result of which we did not allow him to leave campus while my mother and I did all the shopping and marketing.

He always encouraged his students to actively participate in sports, cultural and social activities. He set an example by participating in such activities himself. He loved swimming and took part in the Annual Aquatic Games in the staff vs students free-style event. One year he had won by defeating Mr. Sourav Banerjee, who if I correctly remember, was a National Champion in swimming. He also participated in the Tug-o-war between Staff vs Students during the Annual Sports Meet. He was also passionate about playing volleyball.

Apart from sports, Babai was also a regular member of BE College Annual Reunion’s Cultural Committee and had even played the character of Mohanlal, a minister of the Nawab, in the drama Siraj U Daullah.

I had heard many hilarious stories about him from his students. Once a student who missed a day’s class asked him in the following class to explain the term ‘semi-conductor.’ Prof. Banerjee replied in straight-face that the person who collects money in the bus route no. 55 is the conductor, while the man who helps in calling passengers and helps passengers to board or disembark is the semi-conductor.

Along with his regular teaching assignments he was also the superintendent of Hostel No. 15 and at times had additionally taken responsibility of Hostel No. 16. Later, he assumed superintendent’s duties of Pandya Hall, the then post-graduate students’ hostel and in 1984 left for Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College.

Coming to our campus life, he extended his help and was available to all and sundry irrespective of their professional position in the College. He was a loving Jethu or Banerjee Jethu and Banerjee da in the campus and always available for the kids, or the staff members, he was attached to everyone. Our house door was also always open to all the students and staffs of B.E. College. The evening tea and snacks along with adda of our house was legendary and it continued even when my father was transferred to Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College in 1984 from where he retired in 1988.

However, he was a human being and had certain flaws in his character. His high expectations accompanied with his sense of strict discipline made him impatient and at times my brother and I had to bear his ire, to some extent my mother had also suffered because of it. On the other hand, it had also made him ‘abhmaani’.

He was extremely hurt and devastated by being betrayed by two very loved and close ones that left him totally heartbroken and he left us too early at the age of 73 with great abhimaan.

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সংযোজন
অসীম দেব, ১৯৭৭ ইলেকট্রনিকস ও টেলিকমিউনিকেশন ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং

একদিন ক্লাসে আমাকে কঠিন প্রশ্ন করে পড়া ধরেছেন, কারণ আমি আগেরদিনের ক্লাসটা করিনি। যথারীতি উত্তর দিতে না পারায় স্যার আমাকে বললেন, “তুমি গতকাল ক্লাসে এলে না, শুনলাম ফার্স্ট গেটে পাঁঠার মাংসের দোকান দেবে। খুব ভালো। কলেজের পনেরোটা হস্টেলে রোজ ৭৫ কিলো মাংস সাপ্লাই করলে আর পড়াশোনার দরকার নেই।“

ফার্স্ট ইয়ারের টার্মিনাল পরীক্ষা। প্রথম পরীক্ষা, অনেকেই সিরিয়াস, আবার অনেকেই পড়াশোনা না করেই পরীক্ষা দিতে চলে এসেছে। পরীক্ষা শুরু করিয়ে দিয়ে স্যার চলে গেলেন, আর মিনিট দশেক পরেই ফিরে এলেন। হাতে অনেক বই। বইতে লেখা নামগুলো ধরে ডাকছেন। তাঁদের মধ্যে একজন সেই হলে পরীক্ষা দিচ্ছে, নাম অরূপ গাঙ্গুলী। স্যার খুঁজে খুঁজে অরুপের কাছে এসে বলছেন, “তোমার বই তো চোর চুরি করেছে, কিন্তু পালাতে পারেনি। বাথরুমে রেখে গেছে। এই নাও তোমার বই।“ এই বলে অরুপের সামনে বইটা দিয়ে চলে গেলেন। অরূপের তো হয়ে গেছে, ছেড়ে দে মা কেঁদে বাঁচি অবস্থা। পাশেই পরীক্ষা দিচ্ছে মলয় গাঙ্গুলী, সে অবাক হয়ে দেখছে। স্যার তখন মলয়কে ধরেছেন, “কি? কঠিন প্রশ্ন এসেছে? তোমার দরকার এই বইটা?” মলয় না স্যার, না স্যার বলে পালাতে চায়।
এরপর স্যার সেই হলে ঘুরে ঘুরে যাঁদের নামে বই, সেগুলো তাঁদেরকে দিয়ে এলেন।
“যাই, এবার পাশের হলে গিয়ে দেখি, কার কার বই চুরি গেছে।“
সেদিনই স্যারকে প্রথম দেখলাম। নাম জানলাম।

একবার কয়েকজন ছাত্র উনার বাড়ি গেছে। স্যার এতজনকে দেখেই বললেন, “ওঃ, এতজনে একসাথে? বল, বলে ফেলো কি জানতে চাও? চাইনিজ রান্না, নাকি আচার্য জগদীশ চন্দ্র বোসের আবিষ্কার? হাওড়া ব্রিজের ক্যান্টিলিভার? বলে ফেলো, দেরী কোরো না।”
খানিক থেমে আবার বললেন, “পানে কতটা জর্দা দেবে? নাকি এক কিলো আলুর দাম পঁচাশি পয়সা হলে তিন কিলো সাড়ে আট’শ গ্রামের কত দাম হচ্ছে হিসেব করতে পারছো না?”
ছেলেরা স্যারের প্রশ্ন শুনে ভুলেই গিয়েছিলো কি কারণে স্যারের বাড়ি গিয়েছিলো।

স্যার ছাত্রদের যা খুশী নামে সম্বোধন করতেন। ছাত্ররা বুঝতে পারছে না স্যার কাকে ডাকছেন। “হ্যাঁ, হ্যাঁ, তোমাকেই বলছি।“
“স্যার আমার নাম তো এই নয়।”
“তাতে কি আসে যায়?”

একবার রিইউনিয়নে একটি ছাত্র অনেকদিন বাদে এসেছে, স্যারকে প্রণাম করেছে। স্যার বললেন, “তোমাকে তো চিনতে পারলাম না।“
স্যার, আমি অমুক ব্যাচের সিভিলের। আপনি আমাদের বেসিক ইলেকট্রিক্যাল ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং পড়িয়েছিলেন।
বাঃ, তোমাকে যিনি বেসিক ইলেকট্রিক্যাল ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং পড়িয়েছিলেন সেই মাষ্টারমশাই এর নাম বলতে পারবে?
ছেলেটি তখন পালাতে পারলে বাঁচে।
স্যার তো ছাড়বেন না। “তুমি বেশ তো? তুমি আমার কাছে পড়েছো, অথচ আমার নামটাই তুমি জানো না।“
ছেলেটি চুপ করে দাঁড়িয়েই আছে।
স্যার বললেন, “তুমি বললে যে সিভিল ইঞ্জিনিয়ার? তোমার তৈরি করা ব্রিজগুলোর উপর দিয়ে যাতায়াত করা কি নিরাপদ?”

বিই কলেজের ইতিহাসে স্যারের এরকম বহু ছোট ছোট অধ্যায় আছে। এটাই ছিলো স্যারের ইউনিক কথা বলার স্টাইল। এবং বিনা দ্বিধায় বলতে পারি স্যার ছিলেন বিই কলেজের সেই সময়ের ছাত্রদের কাছে সবথেকে প্রিয় স্যারেদের মধ্যে অন্যতম। কলেজের রিইউনিয়ন, স্পোর্টস, এসবে উনি ছিলেন সত্যিকারের প্যাট্রন। বিকেলে ওভাল মাঠে এসে ছাত্রদের খেলা দেখতেন।
আর সকলেই ছিলো ওনার স্নেহধন্য, স্নেহধন্যা।

স্যার, আপনাকে আমরা ভুলতে পারবো না।