She did hang in for me!!!
I forget the context now but I was talking to my elementary school day friend – Sudipta Chattaraj – a few months back and he informed me about his mom’s quick onset of Alzheimer’s. On an aside, I have noticed that among the previous generation (my parents’ age) in India, there seems to be a greater propensity to suffer from Alzheimer’s, dementia and even Parkinson’s. I am not sure whether this is relatively new or a by product of people living longer or I just did not know the names when I was growing up but senior people were still being afflicted by them.
Sudipta was one of those all rounders in our school. He was very good in studies, a great athlete, very gentle and soft spoken and – this one made me most jealous of him those days – had an impeccable handwriting!! Our teacher’s would call it “motor moto” – like pearls!! Sudipta is also the resident pediatrician for all our school friends’ kids. When Nikita and Natasha were young and we visited India, during those invariable bouts of getting unwell, we would make a bee line for Sudipta’s house!!
I was a little dismayed that Sudipta was concerned at the speed of how the ailment was progressing with his mom. I remember – and he reminded me – that I had told him “Ask her to hang in there for a couple of months more at least. I want to come and see her”. That is why Mrs. Chattaraj was the first person I visited in Durgapur after leaving my inlays’ place.
She seemed to have certainly grown very frail and the conversations were not always very coherent. But we talked for quite some time and tried to remember the days when she was our age and we were but kids. Most encouragingly for me, she did pick up on some of my jokes and laughed at them! Ha ha!! 🙂
It was great to see Sudipta and his family after many a year!!
Onekdin pot Sudipto r chhobi dekhlam… Alzheimer’s is probably being diagnosed more
Rajiber ma er kach theke Amar ma schooler scoresheet….jene as to…..mithye balar…..kono abakash chilo na…..are rajib….durdanto sab marks peto……Ami….sarajibon…..Garbo korbo….shuddu..ei bhebe..je…Ami are rajib….5bachar…school katiechi….or Moto manush….sotti biral…..muktor Katha bolchilo…..asol hire….(diamond)…o nijei.
You always flatter me. I am sure I am not deserving of all that. I will take credit that I was your schoolmate for 5 years and add one more to that !!! It was 6 years, wasn’t it?
Tui to mathse sab samay bhalo chili…..abar pramanito
Darun. Sudipta used to come to our house once a week for his Biology tuitions with BNG . Mone ache ??
His father and my dad used to catch the same bus from khola bazar bus stop in the morning. They were great friends too..
Fortunate to have people like both of you as my friends…
Thx Abhijit….tui khub fruits khetis…..amader niye dui Babar koto chinta…..Janina tader moner Moto holam kina…..class eighte….mishraji….parate asten…..khelar achilai….Ami sirke Tor Bari pathiye ditam…..barti….khelar ashai…..good old days……
Great click. Getting emotional