Prof. Guru Charan Samanta, the leading figure of Bengalee
Association, Bihar from 1960s till his death, was also a widely accepted
ideological and organizational advisor for the Bengalees of ‘Bahirbanga, or the
Bengalees living in India as linguistic minority in states of India other than
West Bengal and Tripura. Particularly, in the matter of taking up with the
state and central government the issue of Bangla language education (as per the
provisions of study of mother tongue as a language subject given in
three-language formula) at primary and secondary level as also in the matter of
preparation of suitable syllabus and text books (text books written by him and
published by Bihar Text book Committee is still considered a standard) he
played the role of a pioneer in many respects.
His birth place was Ramgarh in Hajaribagh district. His
family was of the ‘Rajpurohits’ of the Rajah of Ramgarh. The Rajpurohits were
Bandopadhyays originally; Samanta title was given by the Raja. We do not know
about his early life in detail. After having his early schooling till
matriculation at his birthplace he did his graduation from St. Columbus
College, Hazaribagh. Then he came to Patna and did his post-graduation in
Bengali and Sociology from Patna University.
During his early days at Patna he stayed at Sister
Pushpa’s school premises. Sister Pushpa or Pushpadi, by this name she was quite
known among Patnaites as an educationist, was running a primary school at Jamal
Road. She worked on the lines of Sister Nivedita; in all her educational and
cultural efforts, young Guru Charan helped her.
During those days, as an artist, dancer and as person
having good understanding of music he was associated with the movement of
Indian People’s Theatre Association. With the team of IPTA he had travelled
many districts of Bihar at that time. He was the organizer of the Bihar chapter
of Bratachari Sangha, established by Gurusaday Datta, to conserve, develop and
popularize a martial folk-dance form of Bengal. This effort of Dutta was highly
appreciated by Tagore. He was a member of Manimela as well and had won the
famed ‘Moumachhi’ prize.
Marriage
The situations how he met his future partner for life
Arati are not known in their exactitude yet it can be guessed that they came to
know one another at Jamshedpur. Arati’s father Narayan Mukhopadhyay was eminent
trade unionist and popular figure there. Guru Charan used to move all over
Bihar with the team of IPTA, was an organizer of young artists and cultural
activists, and as such must have known Narayan Mukhopadhyay and his children.
We do not know whether Arati also worked as an artist in IPTA. But whosoever
has met Guru Charan Samanta during later years, felt it quite amusing and
romantic if not rustic that he called his wife with an intimate ‘tui’; not
‘tumi’ as it usually happen. Arati’s homely name was ‘Phulu’. They married in
early 1961. One condition of the bride was that she would take her ailing
father to Patna and keep him with her. For this she had a talk with her other
brothers and sisters. She had lost her mother at an early age. The bridegroom
not only readily accepted the condition he cared for his father-in-law just
like a son.
After marriage, and that also with an ailing old man in
the family it was not possible for Guru Charan to continue his stay in the
school premises at Jamal Road. So he rented a residence in Kadamkuan,
At that time he started working in a private night
college named Rammohan Roy Institute (presently non-existent). Later he joined
A. N. College under Magadh University as a lecturer in Bengali. Finally he
joined College of Commerce, also under Magadh University and worked there till
retirement as principal of that college.
A new family, a new home! Along with his daily toil his
knack for gardening also found expression. Stories about ‘Soura Kutir’ (that
was the name of the building in which he rented a portion) still linger in the
minds of his living contemporaries. Early morning the young man on his cycle
would be reaching some friend’s home miles away with a bundle of Paat Shaak
(fresh green jute leaves; an eatable in Bengalee homes) as he knew that the
friend loves it. He would reach the residences not only of his friends but also
of his students. In the day students would assemble to get classes from him.
There were fewer utensils in the home. His wife Arati would prepare tea and
serve in whatever way possible – in cups, tumblers of glass, brass, even small
bowls…He had arranged a classroom in his home with blackboard and everything. At
the side of the garden he also had a choice of glass or porcelain jars arranged
in a row, which contained fresh pickles prepared by him!
At Soura Kutir,
Kadamkuan
Eminent Bengalee social activists were keeping close
touch with this energetic brilliant young man. Dr. Ajit Kumar Sen, (popularly
known as A. K. Sen) a highly qualified and learned physician was a member of
the Communist Party of India, a man of the people till death and a strong
patron of all cultural and sport activities of the youth. Three times he was
the Member of the Legislative Assembly from Patna. Naturally he knew this
dedicated worker. Secondly, Dr. Sharadindu Mohan Ghoshal, another learned and
most popular physician at Patna, (more known as ‘Pagla Dactor’, the indomitable
spirit behind cultural activities of Bengalees here came to know him.
He was also acquainted with Gopal Haldar, famed novelist
and cultural historian, who used to come and stay at Patna quite frequently as
his wife Aruna Haldar was a teacher of Philosophy at Patna Women’s College.
Gopal Haldar’s elder brother Rangin Haldar was also at Patna – he was a teacher
of psychology in B. N. College.
But best of all he liked Dipendra Nath Sircar (Mantuda), who
was having his Press Sulekha Printing Works just where the road of Guru
Charan’s residence met the main road near Kadamkuan bazar. Behar Herald was
being printed in that press. Whenever Guru Charan found time he went to the
press to gossip with Mantuda. Mantuda or Dipendra Nath Sircar was erstwhile private
secretary of P. R. Das (Priya Ranjan Das, Barrister and brother of Deshbandhu
Chitta Ranjan Das, who founded Bengalee Association, Bihar in 1938).
Some more peoples were there, Such as Prabhu Mukherjee (Prabhuda),
a kind hearted businessman and President of Bihar Chamber of Commerce for some
time and ardent patron of activities of the Bengalees. These names somehow
complete the core of those cultural minds who also felt the urge to organize
bengalees of Bihar to fight in defense of their linguistic and educational
rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution, yet they faced erosion by a rising
evil trend of politics in the state and at the centre. For that they were also
having a platform at hand, the historic Bengalee Association, Bihar which was
to be revived.
Slowly the fighter political bent of young Guru Charan’s
mind impelled him to show more interest in organizing the Bengalee people for
their linguistic, educational and demographic causes. The persons, elders named
above, also found in him a widely informed, ardent organizer.
With Guru Charan’s help and commitments to work for the
organisation if it is revived, they revived Bengalee Association, Bihar. Guru
Charan undertook the task of making extensive tours and re-activating more than
hundred branches of the Association in the state (which included present
Jharkhand as well). He was also included as a second man in the Editorial Board
of a literary quarterly of the Association, ‘Sanchita’. First editors of
Sanchita were, Dipendra Nath Sircar, Guru Charan Samanta, Sanjib Ghosh,
Bhagoban Prasad Majumdar and Shishir Basu. Though avowedly a literary journal,
in the very first issue it editorially declared that it is not just another
literary magazine, it appeals to the Bengalees in Bihar to organize as a
linguistic community for their linguistic and educational rights on a
non-political basis and with a spirit of co-ordination with other communities.
Bengalee Association, Bihar
To know Guru Charan Samanta one will have to know
something about Bengalee Association, Bihar. This organisation was formed in
1938. As a write-up by Bhakat Prasad Majumdar (renowned professor of history in
Patna University) and Guru Charan Samanta himself, published in 1998, in the 60th
year celebration souvenir of the Association quotes first secretary of the
Association Shailendra Nath Dutta saying in his speech during 1st
Annual GB held on 8th April 1939:
“The
problems of the Bengalees in the Province are not of recent origin. Ever since
the separation of Bihar from Bengal, it became more and more acute, specially
since 1918 when the system of domicile certificate was introduced. The matter
came to a head when the Congress assumed the reins of the Government in Bihar
in 1937. The Bengalees were denied their fundamental rights regarding service,
education and commerce, the lofty ideal of the Congress notwithstanding. The
air was thick with reports of hardship and injustice inflicted not only on the
Bengalees from the neighbouring Provinces, who had settled here, but also on
the Bengali-speaking autochthons of the Province. Despite the fact that it was
not they who had come to the Province but the Province had come to them. The
only possible course for us to meet the situation was to form an organization
for the purpose of protecting our rights and privileges.
“A representative meeting of the
Bengalees of Bihar was accordingly convened by our President. In response to
his call, an inaugural meeting of the Bengalees leaders of almost all the
important station in the Province was held on the 12th February.
1938 at the Anglo-Sanskrit School Hall at Patna and the Association was formed.”
(Annual Proceedings Book 1938-1947)
So, this was the reason to form
Bengalee Association, Bihar of which the first president was Priya Ranjan Das,
Barrister, who was fighting the case against draconian rule of Domicile
Certificate in the Imperial court. The Association was registered on 7th
April 1938. In the year 1974 a translation for the english name ‘Bihar Bangali
Samiti’ was provided. It contained in its emblem two words – ‘Samhati’ (unity)
and ‘Samanvay’ (co-ordination); Unity of Bengali speaking people and
co-ordination with other linguistic communities.
As a parenthesis it may be added here
that ownership and publication rights of Behar Herald, one of the first English
weeklies published in India and definitely first from Bihar (published by Guru
Prasad Sen on 2nd March 1875), was handed over to this newly-formed
Bengalee Association, Bihar by the then owner of the weekly Raibahadur Mihir
Nath Roy. Since then it was published as the organ of the Association. On
21.12.1974 it was converted as a platform and voice of the minorities. Tag line
of Behar Herald is ‘Secularism and democracy is our motto’.
The write-up sketching the history of
Bengalee Association, Bihar, quoted above, also records that from 1948 to 1966
the Association remained inactive. In 1967 it was activised by the people
mentioned earlier (Dr. Sharadindu Mohan Ghoshal, Dipendra Nath Sircar, Prabhu
Mukherjee and others) and Guru Charan Samanta became the young, energetic
motivator of this team.
He proved his mettle as a man of organisation.
Untiringly, walking mile after mile with flaked rice and molasses in his bag,
he built up the rural branches of Bengalee Association, Bihar in the districts
of Singhbhum, Santhal Parganas, Manbhum, Dumka, Ranchi etc. (at that time the
number of branches of the Association in undivided Bihar was more than 100). As
his student Padmapani Chakraborty says in recollections about his teacher:
“After doing research work [with Prof. Samanta, as he was
the Guide – present author] for a while again he was called by the
organisation. Both of us began our journey to Ranibahal. Conference of Bengalee
Association, Bihar will be held there. On a cold, wintry midnight we left the
train at Deoghar. Neither was there any rickshaw available, nor any coolie.
Without wasting time he lifted the luggage himself as much he could, rest he
asked me to carry. Simmering in irritation and anger I began walking.
Understanding the state of my mind, he was saying things to pamper me while
walking.
After
a long walk we reached the house of Baidyanath Mustafi. Entering the gate we
crossed the garden and then went on the verandah. All the windows were closed.
It was dead of night. After much shouting a boy showed his face opening one
shutter of a window. He made it known to us that Baidyanathbabu has gone to
Dumka. So, what to do now? Gurucharanda introduced himself and asked the boy to
open the door. A question came, “who is there with you?” Gurucharanda retorted,
“as Baidyanath exploits you, I exploit him. The boy listened and then
said, “I do not know any of you and hence I will not open the door.” He closed
the window. So we spent the night on that open veranda. Without delay Gurucharanda
spread his bedroll and fell asleep. I could not decide what to do. Remained
sitting for a while on a broken chair. Then I followed the footsteps of my
Guru.
“Next day we reached Ranibahal. We
were taken aback. The conference was to be held just a day after but there was
no preparation. Gurucharanda had some breakfast. Then asking me to remain there
went away, I never knew where. He came back in the afternoon. A few persons
were accompanying him. Like magic, Gurucharanda and the persons accompanying him
constructed the conference stage and completed other arrangements. Next day the
programme began in time.”
Along with this task of painstakingly
building the organisation he was also active in Sanchita (after the death of
Dipendra Nath Sircar he became the editor). Within few months of publication of
Sanchita, he wrote three articles, published in Sanchita consecutively, which
till today amaze the readers by the depth of his grasp over the problems of
Bengalees in Bihar. Name of the first article was ‘Bangla Shikshar Samosya’ (Problems
of Bengali education). The next one was “Bihare Bangla bhashar
bhabisyat’(Future of Bengali language in Bihar). The third was ‘Rajniti O
Bangali’ (Politics and Bengalee people).
Concluding the last article he wrote:
“If we do not accept the part of our responsibility in the governance and in
determining the policies of the state in which we live, and just shout hoarsely
crying ‘unjust’, ‘injustice’, never shall we get justice even if we wait for
ages. Those Bengalees who are thinking that others will take the risk of doing
politics, undertake the labour associated with it while earning a ‘bad name’
etc. and when ‘fruits’ would be distributed, they will come to our homes and
give us our due share, I do not believe that their hopes will bring anything –
neither in near future nor in a distant one.”
Doing the works of the Association
Guru Charan Samanta identified two distinct challenges and played pioneering
role in both.
Bengali
Text Books and Syllabus
Perhaps, among those states where
Bengali speaking people constitute a minority, Bihar is the only state where
Bengalee students get text books for Bengali prepared and printed at Bihar, not
borrowed from Bengal. Bihar Text Book Committee (the designated government
body) arranges meetings of the syllabus committee for Bengali if needed and
then text book are written, printed and distributed. Bengalee Association,
Bihar played a pioneering role in this decision of the department of education.
Text books those days carried the copyright page print line, “with the help of
Bengalee Association, Bihar”. Here
it also must be mentioned that in late 70s, when Bihar Text Book Committee was
being formed, the then Secretary of Bengalee Association, Dipendra Nath Sircar
was also a member of the Committee because the government was informed about
this necessity. And Sircar not only fought for Bengali inside the Committee; he
and he alone also fought for Oriya, Santhali, Mundari, Ho and other languages.
BTBC can take pride that it printed text books for all these languages then!
Guru Charan Samanta was an excellent
writer of Bengali primers. He also explored and collected a team of writers. He
knew where the children, growing in an overwhelmingly Hindi speaking society
would face the problems. The primers and some higher text books, printed those
days by BTBC, written by Guru Charan Samanta show the reader how he dealt with
the problem and made study, oral pronunciation and writing easier for children.
The books contained fine poems for children written by him. The illustration
artist knew what this teacher wanted and illustrated that way. Sometimes, if
required, Guru Charan Samanta himself did some drawing for the book as well and
they were quite good. The artist in him was living.
Regarding preparation of syllabus,
Bithika Sarkar, ex-staff of Bihar Text Book Committee reminisces in ‘Guru
Charan Samanta Smarak Grantha’ about a meeting of the Syllabus Committee in
Ranchi. She was amazed to see that Guru Charan Samanta was not only being
sought by Bengali, but the syllabus makers of all the other subjects due to his
knowledge of the method of preparing syllabus and the principles of pedagogy.
Census
The censuses after independence were
showing reduction in Bengalee population in the state of Bihar particularly in
the districts where there wasn’t any reason for population to reduce. Bengalee
Association raised the issue. They pointed out that unknowingly and sometimes
even knowingly, deliberately the language column in the census form was being
filled with ‘H’ instead of ‘B’. Guru Charan Samanta explained the mechanism and
also the evil intention behind it. At times he argued to the point of quarrel
with the census authorities. Sometimes he got printed leaflets, handbills for
distribution to arouse Bengalee community and he himself distributed them. The
handbills asked the families to demand proper form from the census worker, not
to give details in their notebooks and fill up the language column themselves
with a prominent ‘B’.
Bangladesh
war
Came the Liberation war of Bangladesh.
At that time the governor of Bihar was Deb Kanta Barua. He was a man of
literary and artistic mind. Frequently visited the cultural activities of the
city and knew who is who. He called Dipendra Nath Sircar and asked him to
provide two persons knowing Bengali to go with a military convoy. The persons
should be such on whom one can have faith, they must have sense of
responsibility and should be intelligent. Two persons were decided upon. One
was to be Sircar or Mantuda. Other person was to be Guru Charan Samanta. Finally
Sircar could not go. Only Samanta went with the convoy. The truck in which he
was given the seat was full with various food articles. But later, when it was
unloaded he found that below the later of food articles there was a big cache
of arms and ammunitions. The convoy crossed Bangladesh border via Jessore Road
and reached its destination – a camp of the Mukti Vahini. The Vahini men gave
him a big welcome and gifted some Bengali journals, periodicals and books. In
fact, Bengalee Association, Bihar began observing Bhasha Shaheed Diwas on 21st
February since then. At that time, nowhere else it was observed.
On 16th December 1971 a
joint meeting of Bihar Legislative Assembly and Bihar Legislative Council was convened.
It took place not in the hall but in the field in front of the hall. Liberation
of Bangladesh was hailed and flags of India and Bangladesh were unfurled. There
wasn’t any flag of Bangladesh available. So the government asked Bengalee
Association to help them. Finally the task came upon Guru Charan Samanta. He
purchased pieces of clothes of needed colours and spent the night sewing the
flag on his sewing machine. Later it was returned to him and he preserved it
solemnly.
Nandan
Kanan
Nandan
Kanan, the last abode of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar at Karmatar, presently in
Jamtara district, with the railway station already renamed as Vidyasagar, was
acquired by Bengalee Association, Bihar on 29th March 1974. Guru
Charan Samanto himself narrated the story later, “One day in early 70s I was
called by Dr. Sen (Ajit Kumar Sen) to meet Satyen Sen, [erstwhile Vice
Chancellor of Calcutta University and a relative of Dr. A. K. Sen – present
author]. Satyenbabu sought our co-operation in the areas of preservation of the
memories of Vidyasagar, adult education etc. At that time literacy campaign,
publication of the writings of Vidyasagar etc. in West Bengal was going on
under his presidentship. During the talks he said that nothing has remained to
preserve the memories of Vidyasagar. The houses in Calcutta are now others’
properties – even identification of those are not being possible. The house and
the school at Veersingha are in ruins. Only the house at Karmatar remains.
Presently its ownership is with other people. So many memories of Vidyasagar
are associated with the house at Karmatar. While staying here he began the work
of adult education for the first time in India. He worked for women education
and homeopathic medical treatment as well.”
“…I told Dr. Sen it may be explored if
Bengalee Association, Bihar can make this endeavour. Hearing from me that to
make it possible, tallest leader of Bengalee Association Dr. Sharadindu Ghoshal
must agree, Dr. Sen immediately rang his Guru Dr. Ghoshal and then sent me to
him to talk in detail.”
This way the history was made. It is a
long story how Guru Charan Samanta with his comrade Naren Mukherjee went to
Karmatar via Jasidih, Dumka, Mihijam and Jamtara and explored the house. Then
began the campaign for collection of money from the people, organisations in
West Bengal and Govt. of Bihar extending their helping hands, and the house and
the campus was purchased by Bengalee Association, Bihar from the then owners of
Mallick family. After long persuasion by Association of Railway ministry, Delhi
and Bihar Government, the station was named Vidyasagar by Railway Minister
Madhu Dandavate in 1978.
Now this Nandan Kanan has become the
axis for Vidyasagar Bicentenary celebrations all over India.
Guru Charan Samanta was crucial as an
activist of Bengalee Association with missionary zeal in getting these things
done. He never remained in the leadership. Even sometimes not in the
committees. But he formed the committees, apprised the leadership with the real
situation obtaining and suggested the right path to be taken. Being a popular speaker
in Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan and other literary platforms to talk
about the linguistic and edicational problems of Bengali speaking communities
out of Bengal, he was also having the connections, friendships with the intellectuals,
litterateurs and cultural stalwarts in Kolkata or Delhi who would help the
Association if required.
Bihar
Bangla Academy
A brief pre-history is needed here. In
1971, before the general elections, the government of Bihar announced the
formation of ‘Art & Literature Fund’. Bengali remained excluded from it. At
that time the Bengalee Association was hot in the discourse about origination
Bengali language. In the pages of Sanchita Guru Charan Samanta had already
emphasized the strong case for Bengali being a language of Bihar quoting Suniti
Kumar Chattopadhyay’s thesis about the later language forms of Magadhi Prakrit
– split in Purvi and Pashchim Magadhi; Bengali, Oriya and Assamiya being of
Purvi Magdhi family (Magahi, Maithili and Bhojpuri belongs to Pashchimi Magadhi
family). Hence, Dr. Sharadindu Ghoshal, D. N. Sircar ang Guru Charan Samanta
met the then Governor of Bihar. He denied any possibility of including Bengali
as the Fund was created as per Central government directions.
Keeping in abeyance the discussions
about the possibility of creating an Academy for Bengali it was decided that
political efforts must be made to get Bengali included in that ‘Art &
Literature Fund’. Finally after a long struggle Bengali could be included
during United Front government formed in 1977.
Then the persuasion for formation of a
Bangla Academy like Magahi, Maithili and Bhojpuri academies gained force. It
was advised by some quarters in the government to launch a private-level Bangla
Academy which the government would take over. That was also done and Bengalee
Association, Bihar was instrumental behind it, Association also funded it.
Association was regularly raising its demand for government level formation of
Bangla Academy through resolutions in its general body meetings. After much
persuasion the then Chief Minister announced formation of Bihar Bangla Academy
in one general body meeting of the Association held at Purnea and subsequently
it was inaugurated at Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir, Patna on 12th
May 1983 in the presence of many dignitaries including Pranab Mukherjee and
Chief Minister of Bihar. Appointed by the government its First chairman was
Bibhuti Bhushan Mukhopadhyay, the famed litterateur of Bengali from Darbhanga
and first Director-cum-Secretary was Pranab Shankar Mukhopadhyay, an IAS
officer, then working in Bihar.
Let
us listen from Pranab Shankar Mukhopadhyay, the first director of the Academy,
“Joint Secretary of the Academy, Guru Charan babu became my nearest
colleague….Academy was not financially comfortable during those days. So we had
to be choosy. Yet, two excellent programmes could be made successful in the
first year. The first one was a seminar on ‘Rabindranath and national
integration’ (the subject was chosen by the vice chairman of the Academy, Gopal
Haldar. The second one was celebration of 90th birth anniversary of
Bibhuti Bhushan Mukhopadhyay. In both the programmes, along with eminent
persons of the state, many from West Bengal also participated. After three
decades, names of the persons remaining bright in my memory are, Bhabatosh
Dutta, Somendra Nath Basu (both dead) and Nirendra Nath Chakrabarty. Both the
programmes earned wide acclaim. Reason was not only the presence of honourable
speakers. Rather the programmes impressed many due to the reception given to
and care taken of the esteemed guests, good communication with the masses, neat
management etc. Lion’s share of all these responsibilities was with Guru Charan
babu.
“Guru Charan babu always tried to take
fast decision and avoid any blockade to the works of the Academy due to
red-tapism. Discipline and courteousness was the ingrained qualities of the
man”
Let us listen from another person,
Dipak Goswami, who was then the librarian of British Library, Patna and helpful
to Bihar Bangla Academy in many ways. “After that, one by one the publications
began – ‘Bihare Bangla Sahitya by Nanda Dulal Roy, Kedar Rachanabali
(altogether three volumes) by Kedar Nath Bandopadhyay, ‘Ashalata Singha rachanabali’,
‘Biharer sampratik bangle kobita’, ‘Bangla o Bangalee’ by Shailesh Kumar
Bandopadhyay, ‘Rabindra Prabaha’ by Ram Bahal Tewary….Books were being written
at some place, recommendation and editing work were being done at Patna whereas
printing and distribution had to be arranged at Kolkata. Day after day I have
seen, how untiringly Guru Charanda labored for all the publications. He
contacted the writers, persuaded the Publication Sub Committee to accord
recommendation to the manuscript, contacted the artist for cover design and
then arranged agreement with some press in Kolkata to get the book printed. And
most important – since there was no market for Bengali books in Bihar, arranged
single handedly the sale of the books from Kolkata.”
As
a helpful teacher and unsparing guide
He was at the same time a friendly
teacher and a rigorous unsparing guide. Purnendu Mukhopadhyay recollects that
during his college days he used to stay at Ramkrishna Mission Ashram hostel at
Patna. One other student Asim De Bhoumick was his roommate. Every year Durga
Puja was celebrated in the Ashram for four days. One year, days before puja,
Asim met Swamiji of the Ashtam and complained that the Ashram puja is never
decorated as other puja places. Swamiji offered to pay the expenses if Asim
would take the responsibility to decorate. He had no knowledge about decorating
a puja place. But he was not nervous. He went to his ‘Sir’ for Bengali of 50
marks and stated his problem. Sir, i.e. Guru Charan Samanta assured him. A few
days letter Asim went to his ‘Sir’s home. His roommate Purnendu accompanied
him. ‘Sir’ was ready there with sufficient numbers of ‘Kalsi’s and Dagra’s well
painted and decorated all over with beautiful ‘alpana’. Two rickshaws were
loaded and both the friends returned happily. Later, their ‘Sir’ also provided
them paper cuttings with various festive designs. Both the friends are witness,
that when Asim needed a book, his ‘Sir’ himself came to his hostel on cycle and
delivered a copy of the book.
On the other hand, his student for
post graduation and doctoral research, Padmapani Chakrabarty recollects that at
six in the morning he used to reach his teacher and guide’s home. They would
sit on two bricks, face to face, at the back yard (this was his own house
behind Commerce College, where he worked; he got the house constructed and
shifted in mid 80s). Sir would go on explaining the things chapter-wise, in
various papers of the subject, without fumbling or taking recourse to the
books. His wife or his sister would serve tea – to ‘Sir’, with saccharine in a
flask, and to the student, in a cup. Yet when he got his degree, his ‘Sir’
warned, “remember that you took lessons from me, you haven’t learned much, be
careful in life”, and then, showing last line of his student’s thesis, said,
“wipe out that line where you have shown your respects (emphasizing the ‘a’ in
Bangla ‘shraddha’) to me. That’s not needed.”
During
the 90’s
He retired from his college in the
beginning of 90s. By that time there was a sea-change in the political climate
of the state. On the one hand, since in the state level constituted Minorities
Commission the Bengalees had a say due to a prolonged battle for it, the Bihar
Minorities Commission Act passed by the Government of Bihar in 1991 at the
instance of the central government act, recognized Bengalees as a Linguistic
Minority. Hence the official status, claim for a vice chairman in the
commission, alternately with the Christians, continued. Grants etc. to the
Bihar Bangla Academy also continued. But, on the other hand, the community
faced an atmosphere of insensitivity to its problems, due to larger nationwide
issues of reservation and communalism taking the centre stage. Also because, in
future days, the persons appointed as vice chairman to the Commission or as
chairman and director to the Academy, included such people who had no
experience of the decades long struggle of the community for its issues. Though
during this period Academy got Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, a great benefactor of
the Bengalee community three times as Chairman, he also could not change the
situation much.
Bangla Academy stopped publication
work after publication of an already composed manuscript by Prof. Kalyani
Mandal in mid 90s. The manuscript submitted by other writers were lost or
dumped. Guru Charan Samanta then paid his time to the Association only and
arranged various programmes through the platform of the Association. A Survey
of Bengalee population in different districts of Bihar was undertaken in early
90s. Some All India Conferences were organized during the period. Moreover this
was the time when his big English expository articles about the condition of
Bengalees of Bihar were published in various newspapers.
Then came the separation of Jharkhand
in 2000. Since a major portion of Bengalees were living in Jharkhand, Bengalees
in segregated Bihar began facing an existential problem. In the Association
also, representatives from this despairing sections began wrangling and
infightings. Guru Charan Samanta was not a man to leave the battle midway. But
he needed a younger comrade-in-arms who would share his optimism and would be
having the vision and grit to take the helms of the squabble-ridden
Association.
At that point he met Dr. (Capt.) Dilip
Kumar Sinha. Dr. Sinha was persuaded not only by him but others as well to
assume the leadership. Dr. Sinha assumed and made a powerful turnaround for the
Bengalee Association firstly and then for Bihar Bangla Academy and lastly, for
the post of Vice Chairman to the Minorities Commission. But that is a different
story.
Meanwhile, in 2004, Guru Charan
Samanta lost his wife. That shook him a bit. Son was living in Bangalore.
Daughter was living in Anand, Gujrat. He began spending more time in those
places and finally sold his house at Patna.
But he was not a man to sit idle.
While in Anand he went to Baroda and explored the frescoes by Nandlal Bose on
the inner walls of Kirti Mandir. He managed good images of the frescoes and
published an excellent write-up on these. Whether he was in Bangalore or in
Anand he would invariably come to Patna and stay either in the guest house of
A. N. Sinha Institute or SBI, or at the residence of Bhagoban Prasad Majumdar
(his old associate) or at the guest room in the hospital of Dr. Sinha, just to
get involved in the programmes of the Association or of the Academy. In 2011,
during 150th Birth Anniversary celebration of Tagore he was Patna
guiding people and designing the programme. He was at Patna in 2012 when
Academy held an International Seminar. He was again at Patna to attend the
seminar of 2013, but just a few days before he had to go back due to failing
health.
Doctors at Bangalore diagnosed
prostate cancer. He passed away on 9th April 2014.
He had Masters Degree in Bengali and in Social Science.
He was an excellent writer. His poems are strewn over the various Bengalee
textbooks for children whereas more than 500 articles he wrote remain published
in various journals and newspapers all over India.
He was a man of varied interests including photography,
gardening, and designing and ethnological field studies. In fact in his habit
of photography even, he was a man ahead of time. Now there is internet and the
importance of archiving things; social media has become an important platform
of mass communication. Guru Charan Samanta himself kept photographic recordings
of the programmes he organized for Academy or the Association. It is due to him
that images of those memorable events are available today. Only he is not to be
seen in those. In his memory, Bihar
Bangla Academy has published a book ‘Guru Charan Samanta –Smarak Sankalan’
which gives more information about him.
Bidyut Pal ªªªªª
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