Those who have stayed in Patel hall, would invariably recall the long list of restrictions that one had to observe during the introduction period, when you first set feet into the Hall in the second year. One of them was not to go home during the weekends. However, there was this guy, who dared to get away from the Hall during one of the weekends. When this was realized in one of the interactions in the mess, the angry seniors threw all sorts of queries on him. The guy replied in a very cool manner that he had gone to Kolkata to be a part of an anti-reservation rally. While some seniors still shouted at him, after they were gone, I commended him for it. Having been a part of another such rally a few days earlier, I knew what it meant and how it is hard to restrain your feelings when such an issue arises. And then, the guy introduced himself as Ankik Dhar. When I tried to look back in the time today, these were the first reminiscences of Ankik that came to my mind.
During the days that followed, Ankik grew up to be hugely popular in the Hall, with his charm and persona and a friendly attitude towards all. He was full of energy whenever you saw him. (With no offence to many of my good Bong friends,) he had broken the general perception about the Bongs, who had been largely found to be aloof, sitting in their rooms, cramming up the books, in an attempt to build high CGPAs. But Ankik was different. Be it the football field, be it the drams practices, be it the tempo shouts – he was everywhere. He was the ever-reliable goalkeeper of Patel Hall and IIT Kharagpur football teams. While many dream of representing their institute at the Inter-IIT sports meet once before they pass out, he was representing Kgp ever since his second year. He was directing plays and was a regular feature in almost all the plays performed by Patel, and even won a best actor award, this feat too achieved in his second year itself. And not withstanding all these achievements, he did maintain a high CGPA also, 9+ right throughout! And above all, was a great human being and had a wonderful rapport with all his batchmates, juniors and seniors. It was hard to find him without that big smile on his face. His never-dwindling tempo led to the coining of the popular epithet of “Tempo Da” for him.
Quite befittingly, he was awarded the Best Outgoing Patelian for 2009. He got a much-coveted job at JP Morgan and a promising future dawned onto him.
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When I switched on the TV yesterday evening, all the channels were blaring with the news of the blast in Pune. It was being told that the cause of the blast was bursting of an LPG cylinder in the German Bakery, a popular restaurant in an uptown area in Pune. Very soon it was confirmed that it was not so, and a terrorist attack had taken place and explosives had been used. Nine people had died and several others were injured. Heart went out to those who had lost their lives. But for a country which had seen so many of such tragic incidents in the recent past, with much higher casualties, it wasn’t exactly an incident to sit down and mourn. What could have we done, apart from cursing the terrorists and blaming the inefficient government and the intelligence agencies.
Then within a couple of hours, I got a phone call from Mandal. I got the news that had shattered all of us who knew Ankik. He had gone to Pune to meet his sister and the two, along with a friend were sitting in the ill-fated restaurant. These terrorists had taken him away from us. Suddenly, the figure of nine appeared to be too high. These three constituted one-third of that nine! Moments of disbelief followed. Whoever I tried to contact, was either not in a state to talk or was saying, “No this cannot happen”. The news channels were saying that the bodies had not been identified. But the Patelians who were in Pune had visited the site and they had identified the body. It was our very own Ankik! The population of India is over a billion. And out of that billion it was he who was sitting in the restaurant.
And this news didn’t change much either. We could not do anything still! Once someone is gone, what else is left to be done? All day I had been hoping that someone says that he had been wrongly identified and it was not him and he is just injured and is in hospital. Man always tries to hold on to the tiniest of the twigs, in the form of hope, when the fate has pulled him down.
Just a thought goes out to his parents. Sitting far away in Kolkata, it took them just a moment from being a happy family to losing a young son and a young daughter. Indeed, life lies so much in an unsteady poise. One moment here or there, and nothing is left of it. Some people say life is invaluable. May be this is the reason. When something is so delicate, it has to be invaluable. But it does appear insubstantial at times. After all what was his fault? Just going to enjoy an evening with his dear ones? Did he have anything to do with the designs and the motives of those ruthless terrorists?
Rest in peace Tempo Da! You can leave this world, but never our hearts. May the Almighty give all the courage to your family to get across this.
I had this video of him singing Kal Ho Na Ho on Patel Hall’s farewell. Who knew what the tomorrow had in store for him.
Some pictures to remind us of him:
Thanks to NDTV, MSN, The Times of India, Indian Express, The Telegraph, The Hindu and DNA India for covering Ankik’s story.
Ankik, Anindyee and Shilpa and all those innocent people who lost their lives Saturday, Rest in Peace !
I’m speechless. First time I found myself short of words. I can not even imagine, to be very honest, the pain Ankik’s friends and family have gone through. I’m no one to say anything.
But one thing I know is that our country has lost a brilliant youngster in a really unfortunate incident.
May Ankik and his sister’s souls rest in peace.
Amen!
Hey Sumit,
Its very sad…..what had happened……Such a young guy and his sis….very horrible and unbelievable incident.
Lets prey for both of them. May their soul lies peace. Amen !!!
Sad.
Dear Sumit,
Thanks for sharing your feelings. I didn’t know Ankik personally but being a Patelian myself I’m feeling a great loss at his death. May his soul rest in peace. It’s impossible to find words of comfort but my heart goes out to his bereaved parents.
When Sumit called me and told me about the incident i was unable to believe it. For few minutes i was just shocked. Some of my friends who are batch mates of Ankik told the same incidents. With Ankik there were two more friends who are again very close friend to my room neighbor. 5 people gone in a second. When I saw the pictures of Ankik in this blog tears came to my eyes. I just dont know why it was Ankik ?????
I wish their souls rest in peace.
Sumit
Thanks for your thoughts. Really heart rending to read how death’s jaws have snatched away a life so tender. It’s so ironic that the song he chose to sing at his farewell was ‘Kal ho na ho’. Prophetic! At a time such as this my comfort comes only from God and I pray the same for you and all who mourn. I’m reminded of the lyrics of a song,
Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand!
Finney
Hi Sumit,
It’s really hard when you lose someone you hold close to your heart. Your voice can’t hide the pain that has befallen you. My heart goes out to ankik, his sister and his friend who lost their lives on that fateful day. May their souls rest in peace.
I’d like to quote a few words from Mary Frye’s poem:
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
I hope these words bring some solace to their bereaved ones.
Thank you punebong, Dushyant, Neetu, Aditya, Chandrajit, Arupendu, Finney and Arjun for going through the post and sharing your thought over this.
Its true that the loss can’t be undone in any way and neither can’t it expressed completely through any form of words, but we just hope that if he is there in some different world, looking at this, he would be happy to know that there are people in this world who cared so much for him, whose number is far more than those who plotted to take him away from us.
And whatever world that he is in, I am sure that world is much much better and happier than this was for him. Hope he manages to take care of his little sister there and manages to “live” happily, just as he did here, until that unpropitious moment.
This is really sad … hope their souls rest in peace … and I can understand your situation Sumit … it is too hard to loose someone close to you …
I was browsing my Facebook page over what was a long weekend here and was quite shocked to see the wall post from the IIT KGP site coming through about an IITian who had lost his life in the Pune blast. The PHR tagged after his name, was like salt added to an open wound. The fact that this should be happening to an IITian and a fellow Patelian who is a generation removed and the contemporary of children of my generation of IITians & Patelians is, to say the least, mortifying.
I have already put down my comments on the FB Patel Hall group site and so don’t want to repeat it all over again. I have a couple of observations I would like to share:
Sharing messages in memoriam, video clips and any other bits and pieces of memorabilia which will keep on coming up for a while, with his parents periodically. I can’t even begin to imagine their profound loss and the depth of their grief and shock at having lost not only Ankik but his sister and their daughter also at the same time as a result of this ghastly incident. While nothing anyone can do would mitigate to any great extent their profound grief and sense of loss, the fact that many who knew Ankik personally and many who didn’t, from his alma mater, care enough to recall him and their memories of him, would, I imagine, be comforting to them.
Getting the Institute involved as well, in any scholarship / trophy / award which may be planned to be instituted in his name. It is necessary that the IIT and Patel Hall administrations, together with the alumni, show that they care for an ex-IITian and a Patel Hall alumni and someone who was such a good all-rounder during his period at the Institute. IIT KGP is not a fund constrained organization in any way. For the sake of Ankik, his family, alumni and all present students of IIT KGP it is vital for the administration and the Board of Governors to demonstrate that they care.
I had been to Patel Hall from Feb 9-10, 2008 for the senior alumni reunion, when most of us were visiting KGP & PHR after over 30 years.
Come to think of it, Ankik was there at the time. I must have even seen him face to face and briefly interacted with him while meeting the guys (though I have no specific recollection of him!) He must have been present for the dinner and the entertainment program that followed. Separated by over three decades and 2000 km, our lives briefly intersected for a few moments.
And now this!!!
It’s such uncertainties that make life precious and friendship truly valuable.
GFH.
ME/1976
PHR (C-107, C-117, D-220, B-306)
i dont know him personally but thru your eyes i could share the moments of his life! thanks