'Karmayogi Soul'; "He was a very sincere patient, always followed instructions" Tributes to Dad-part 2

My love for fiction reading, and belatedly writing came from my mom's love/craze for Bengali fiction..... dad was never much thrilled by the idea of 'power of written words' etc ...... .my daughter was taught how to blow 'Shankh' Conch  by my mom. missing is a 'small word', yet very emotive and powerful !!

Maa left us on Nov 10-11, 2019 

"Oh. Sorry to hear the news.
I thought he was in Kadamtala.
My  condolences to you, brother and your families.
He was a very sincere patient, always followed instructions". 

Dr Ajay S Kanbur, Consultant Urologist and Andrologist, Shivneri Hospital, Thane, (Near Mumbai), Maharashtra

                                     Late Nibaran Chandra Deb (1 Dec, 1933 to 29 Oct, 2020)

(do not get confused with surnames 'Deb' and 'Dev' --- Meghalaya Board of School Education had called me 'Dev')

Dad’s life was hardly a barren page. His life and career -- that a few man can match chiefly because the generation has changed and for his generation, things came – both - easy and also in complex manner which we cannot fathom (understand) but as he is gone we know the blank space left behind. 

It's Pathetic really . I too miss them a lot . Remember my Childhood days spent on their Laps - Mitalee Gupta. Chennai

Pronam ! Jekhanei aachen bhalo thakben aar sodasorboda sobar bhalobasa aar hridoye aachen . - Ashis Roy, New Delhi 

"Shradhanjali.. they are now in a better place than earth.. send your prayers to them to receive continuous blessings of them." - senior journalist, Tehseen Munawer 

Parents are precious - T N Ashok, senior journalist and writer

(former Economic Editor, PTI)  

In fact between, 2019  Diwali and this year’s (2020) , we have lost both our parents .

Therefore to expect that someone would share our journey is perhaps only a dream. Just like a poet has sung - "Came a gust of wind and the flower fell from the stem"; in the life of we two brothers and a sister and the family- the time space of 12 months so ----- Ek hawa ka jhoka and it is – Toota Daaali se phool.

Well, who can be blamed ? – Neither the garden or the breeze can be held responsible. Life comes and goes but it is the deeds of the human beings those remain. 

The fragrance of a garden or the flight of a bird are only permanent things man can really talk about. Baba’s life has revolved around many places. It was in his fate, his job and later the jobs of two of his sons – that he moved around the places. In the year 2020, people have debated a lot about migrant workers. But we know our dad lived a life of a 'forced migrant' – one way or the other. He knew of Sylhet , and villages like Mandal Kapon and Sitasree. 

A student of University of Dhaka, he served with the Assam Rifles and stayed in parts in Jairampur (NEFA/Arunachal Pradesh), Dimapur,Wokha , Mokokchung, Zunheboto, Kohima (all Nagaland), Lunglei (Mizoram),  Siliguri (West Bengal), Mumbai, Bengaluru,Hyderabad and also Delhi. 
But he did not yet seem settled till the last journey to the heavenly abode.

Dad was a strict disciplinarian as he served in the para military force-Assam Rifles. Somehow he was destined to work with uniformed personnel. Prior to Assam Rifles, for a short spell he worked with the Forest department in Assam.Therefore, when we grew up and heard about the saying –"Assam khaley forest ey" – meaning – corruption in Assam is maximum in the forest department, we got a handle to tease him. 

      However, Baba has his style to dismiss the joke saying that is 'why' he did not survive long in the department and later moved onto a 'better organisation' called the Assam Rifles. About this force he liked the description given over 150 years back- that is – ‘Friends of the Hill people’. 

But about the Assam forest department he had an interesting and adventurous story of living in a tent one night when wild elephants almost attacked them. Baba used to say- “Thanks to some Assamese and tea garden workers they could chase away the pachyderm by playing flutes and making odd noise beating thalis and utensils”.

 Thus when Prime Minister Narendra  Modi urged country men and women to beat thalis to chase away the corona virus, baba had things coming a full circle.                

Some obit remarks:

"My prayers are always there. May the Karmayogi souls who shaped a son like you get sadgati. 🙏💐"
- Prafulla Ketkar, Editor Organiser 

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During their period we were blessed by your Dad & Mom like close one which we all cherished. Definitely their souls will rest in peace in heaven like such kind hearted souls. We prayed to Shri Krishna to bless them & rest of you to live in peace happiness and prosperity.

- Bidhan Chowdhury (and Shikha Kakimoni), (Mr Bidhan (Kaku) served in Nagaland as Sr Principal Private Secretary to the state Government and they were our neighbours in Kohima, Midland House

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Parent's loss is beyond repair but for people like you it is more deep a scar and takes lot of time even to realise the fact. Please be very confident.
I was touched by your blog. Stay blessed always.

- Binny Yadav, Documentary filmmaker, educationist and Managing Director/Editor-in-chief Asian Newsmakers

Blogger & Bro 

তোমার ৺ মা , ৺ বাবার বিদেহী আত্মার প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা জানাই | ঈশ্বর যেন তাদের প্রতি সহায় ও সদয় থাকেন | তৎসঙ্গে তোমাদের সুখ ও সুসাস্থ কামনা করি |

- Shyamal Kanti Deb, Retd Agri Dept, Tripura Government (Mr Deb is my wife's uncle and my respected Uncle(Kaku)-in-law

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Please accept my heartfelt condolences and I pray that the joy of the Lord God almighty be your strength in this hour of our irreparable loss of our dearly beloved father.God be with you and all the dear ones.

- Dr Sukhato Sema,

Vice President, BJP Nagaland.

Rtd Principal Director, Health & Family Welfare.

MBBS, MS(Obs & Gynae) AIIMS(Gold Medallist)

(regrets not all comments have been retained in whatsapp msg etc. Moreover, many people conveyed their respect to Baba and their sympathy to us over phone)