Favourite

My uncle, Late Sudhir Chandra Pal, Gold Medalist in M.Sc (Chemistry) interested me in many things. Chess I learnt to play from him when I was six years old. He introduced me to my career and also an author who is still one of my favourites. Both my uncle and the author are no more but the memoirs of the days spent with my uncle and the stories of my favourite author keep me going. 

I read my first book of Sibram Chakraborty at the age of seven and I still continue to read stories written by him. In my childhood I laughed at the funny incidents narrated in his short stories. To-day I try to understand them. I try to analyse and salute him for his creations which will remain to be read through generations.

The very name of Shibram Chakraborty causes one to laugh. He is famous for having written funny stories enjoyed by all ages. He had to carry on writing to win his daily bread. There are stories of his activities. Shibram Chakraborty did not have a bank account until he was awarded ' Ananda Puraskar' a felicitation by Anandabazar Patrika group for his contribution to Bengali literature.

The author lived in a boarding house in 134, Mukataram Babu Street near College Street at Kolkata. He spent his entire life there and suffered for want of money but  never bowed down before anyone. It is told that he used the nearby laundry as his dressing room and the wall of his room as the telephone directory.

Once he was asked by a famous critic about his daily life and his writings. He said woke up in the morning and took breakfast and then slept for some time. Then he woke up and ate his lunch. After lunch he slept. He woke up in the evening and returned to the boarding house. Then he ate his dinner and went to sleep to wake up again next morning. The critic scratched his head puzzled and asked when the author wrote his absorbing stories which made 8 to 80 years people laugh spontaneously. At this Sibram Chakraborty said that he wrote the next day. The critic stood laughing.

Sibram Chakraborty was admitted to R.G.Kar Hospital and was taken to the Emergency Department. Dr Amiya Dutta, MBBS ( First Class first - Gold Medalist) an intern then was given the duty to attend to the ailing Sibram Chakraborty. After treatment the author opened his eyes and Dr Dutta to find whether he had regained full concousness asked him what food he preferred at which he said he wanted to eat ` aloo dum' (potato curry). Incidentally Dr Amiya Dutta was beside me when my mother passed away in a nursing home at Jalpaiguri. Dr Amiya Dutta signed my mother's death certificate on 10th October, 2012.

I am fascinated by the short hilarious stories written by Shibram Chakraborty. He worked hard to be a writer having started as a newspaper distributor in the morning, a security guard finally to become a loved writer of the children and my favourite author. But it pains me when read the painful life he had to lead in 134, Muktaram Babu Street. He used the newspaper as a table cloth spread over his bed which doubled as his dining table.

We readers are selfish wanting to extract the last thing out of the our favourite author without giving back anything to the author. The author does not know how much he gives to his readers. To-day Shibram Chakraborty is no more it is only respect to the author.Each time I read his short and touching stories I realise that I lost an opportunity to meet Shibram Chakraborty. I lived in College Street in my student life. Heard that he lived nearby but the idea of attempting to meet him never came to my mind.  Only solace I have his books with me.  

A thought pains me when I find that very few take time off to read Shibram Chakraborty. I was surprised to find a class with 12 students attending  post graduate studies  had not heard of Shibram Chakraborty. Shameful.! It hurt me. I questioned myself how can the works of the great author be lost. Not because he is my favorite but his talent cannot neither be forgotten nor ignored. Shibram Chakraborty will continue to live in the memory of Bengal readers for quite sometime. He is still relevant. Shibram Charaborty is dead but not his works.