Tribute to Prof. Baradananda Chatterjee, Our Vice Principal

Tribute to Prof. Baradananda Chatterjee, Our Vice Principal
Amitava Datta, 1970 Electrical Engineering

Photo above: A file photo of Dr. Chatterjee with his family, wife Dr. Asima Chatterjee and their daughter Julie (Dr. Julie Banerjee later).

In our time (1965-70), we had our 2 terminal examinations (1st Terminal and 2nd Terminal), then Test and then the Final. The first 3 were college’s internal examinations where as Final was a Calcutta University affair. And the Final examinations in the five year’s courses were, in sequence B.E. Preliminary, B.E. Intermediate (Part 1), B.E. Intermediate (Part 2), B.E. Final (Part 1) and B.E. Final (Part 2).

The first and second terminal exams were inconsequential and some of us used to take these examinations not so seriously. We even coined a phrase “Zero Save”, meaning some marks more than zero (not necessarily the pass marks). I too was a member of this “elite club” and in the very first term examination of the first year, scored 3 and 5 out of 100 in each case in Chemistry and Mathematics respectively.

According to the procedures those days, if any student was not doing well in any examination, a “Love Letters” used to be sent to his/her father/guardian, intimating them of the performance of their wards and asking them to come and meet the Vice Principal (along with the student) on a specific date.

One Saturday when I went home; the “Love Letter” had already arrived and there was total pandemonium within the family. My mother who herself was a brilliant student and reputed teacher of a HS School was oscillating between anger and grief. My father was irritated more due to the reason that he was required to travel to the college for an unpleasant task than his son’s poor performance but it was my grandmother who stole the show asking me “Tui Ei Duitaa BishoyEi Higher Secondary Tey Letter Paicili Naa?” When I replied in the affirmative; her next question was “Ki Koiraa Paicili? Tukcili Naa Ki?”. Now that was something I could not digest and next day early in the morning I ran away to the hostel.

On the appointed date, my father and I met the Vice Principal Dr. Chatterjee in his office. Before that I faced some ragging by the seniors but those were “Ele Bele” as compared to what I faced in the room of Dr. Barada Chatterjee.

We (1965-70 batch) come from the era of Slide Rule and we started using it from the third year. Upto the 2nd year, we used Log tables for calculations. In the Log Tables that was available in the market there used to be lots of formulae related to Integral Calculus, Moment of Inertia etc. These were not permitted in the examination halls where we were provided by the college, Log Tables without any such formula etc.

Dr. Chatterjee used to move in the examination halls with a stapler and would staple the prohibited pages of the Log Tables procured from outside by any student and carried to the examination hall. It was also alleged that he used to carry a pencil and an eraser; visit the toilet and erase/alter answers to questions or drawings on the walls written/made by someone to help his classmates.

Such being the reputation of the Vice Principal, he was not the darling of the students (at least for the junior students). Surprisingly, he was not given any nick name and was to be referred as simply “Boroda Babu”.

One Sunday evening in December 1967 (I was in the 3rd Year and residing at H 11), as I got down at Gate no 2 from a bus no 55; found a hostel mate rushing towards the opposite side of the road to board another bus coming from B. Garden and going towards Howrah. When I asked him what was the matter; he shouted back “Boroda Hapis. College closed tomorrow.”
Now after so many years, reading a post of my batchmate Satyadas Chakraborty (1970 ME) on that “Bataitola Kando” in which he has narrated his ‘encounter’ with Dr. Chatterjee, my mind traversed back so many years and remembered the then Vice Principal Dr. Barada Chatterjee, so dreaded by us.

We knew that his wife Dr. Asima Chatterjee was a reputed scientist and professor of Chemistry and their daughter Julie also was a brilliant student. But this time, I tried to know somewhat more about him and this post is to share what I could gather.

Professor Baradananda Chatterjee was born in 1912 in Guskara in the Burdwan district. Lost his parents before he was nine years old and was brought up by his elder brother Passed. Sir did his B. Sc. in 1932 with a Second Class Hons in Chemistry from the City College and in 1934, obtained his M. Sc. from the Calcutta University with a First Class and with Physical Chemistry as his special subject. Soon after he began his research work and was conferred the degree of D.Sc. In 1937, he was awarded the Nagarjuna Gold Medal by the Calcutta University. In 1946, he was awarded a Govt of India research scholarship which enabled him to spend two years at the Universities of Wisconsin, Missouri and Cornell in USA and do post-doctoral research there. On his return to India, he was appointed a Physical Chemist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi and taught Physics and Chemistry of Soil and Clay to the Post Graduate Students.

Dr Chatterjee joined BE College in 1947 and became the Professor and HOD of Chemistry, Metallurgy and Geology in 1956 and later the Vice Principal in 1964, His longest teaching span was with the BE College where he taught Physical and Inorganic Chemistry and Electrometallurgy.

Dr Chatterjee was not only an eminent teacher but also a great research scientist of national and international repute. He was an authority in Soil Sciences. Notwithstanding his stature, fame and high position; he used to lead a simple, quiet and honest life.

On the 9th December 1967, Saturday he suddenly collapsed on the floor at his residence when he was about to leave for the college after lunch. He had an attack of Coronary Thrombosis and breathed his last after about nine hours and at at the same night. He was only 55 years.

Sir, after 51 years of your departure and at this age of 70+, as I read about you; I bow down my head with all humility. Due to our juvenile excitements / ignorance / delinquency, we could neither understand nor appreciate your intentions to not only exhort us to become good students but also to instill values in our characters, in a selfless manner. Looking at the contemporary academia, it won’t be any overstatement that teachers and persons like Dr. Baradananda Chatterjee are rarely found these days.

Pronam Sir.

I touch the future. I teach.
– Christa McAuliffe