Mainstream WeeklyIt must have been 1990-91 after I became friends with Samar Da. We used to sometimes go to Calcutta Coffee House to hang out. One day we were both sitting at a corner table in the coffee house. After some time, three-four youngsters, including a girl, stood up with diaries in their hands and started saying autograph please. Samar Da said smilingly, "Suresh, they are asking for your autograph." I said, "Not at all, they have come for your autograph." Because Samar Bagchi was probably India’s first scientist who had regularly conducted a science program called Quest on Doordarshan for a few days. At that time, all the students who had seen him while studying in school considered Samar Da a celebrity. And all the people of that young generation were probably among them. But Samarda kept praising me for some time and kept saying to them that "This bearded man is a bigger man than me! And take his autograph!" Finally I had to say that "I am definitely a big man in your eyes! But for now, please give your autograph to these children!"
This is my 90-year-old scientist friend from Kolkata, Samar Bagchi, who has contributed to building five science museums in East India and once also held the responsibility of heading the museum of the whole world. Most importantly, to free the poor students of our country from the frustration of science i.e. expensive and difficult education, he has done the work of promoting science by making science equipment from junk materials and visiting schools all over the country.
And recently he had asked me that the doctors have advised that it is time for your old pacemaker to be replaced and you should get a new one installed. So what is your opinion? So I said, "As far as your financial condition is concerned, you can easily increase the span of your life by spending some more money." So after the operation of his pacemaker, he went to the school in Purulia within a month. I salute the spirit of such a Samarda. If even a hundred such Samardas emerge in this country, then the country’s superstition and fanaticism can be brought under control. After that pacemaker, he became a little more active for some time. He probably started having some pain in his waist. Due to this, another operation was done. According to my knowledge, this was his fifteenth operation. Being a scientist himself and because his elder brother and younger sister were great doctors at home, he had also done so many operations. But the last operation was done at the age of more than ninety years! And after that he was suffering from some problem or the other due to which he passed away on 20 July 2023 at the age of 91.
It must have been the year 1985-86. In Dharmatala, Calcutta, which is now called Lenin Sarani, some refugees from Marijhapi, probably came here in 1971, when Bangladesh was formed, in front of the Peerless Headquarters. They had still not got citizenship. So, a sit-in demonstration was going on on behalf of the All India Fishermen’s Forum. Medha Patkar, Thomas Kochery and I were also present in support of them. There were many people standing on the pavement next to the protest. Among them were two people of my age, probably fifty-five to sixty years old. And as soon as I got down from the stage and reached the pavement, they surrounded me and asked, "Is Medhaji staying at your house?" I said yes. Then they said that they wanted to meet her. Is it okay if we come to your house tomorrow early in the morning? So I asked him to introduce himself and why he wanted to meet Medhaji? He replied, "I am Samar Bagchi, former superintendent of Birla Technical Museum, Calcutta." The other gentleman said, "I am Ajit Narayan Bose, retired professor of economics at IIT." I asked, "Why do you want to meet Medhaji?" He replied, "We want to meet to talk about his Narmada movement." Anyway, there was no special support for Narmada Bachao Andolan in Calcutta at that time. We had an old friend Niranjan Haldar, who was a one man show. So I thought that both the elderly people are quite sensible. And if these two are also ready, then it is good. So I gave them our home address. And surprisingly, both of them were present at our home at six in the morning. This is the beginning of our introduction with Samarda and Ajitda.
Both of them were disillusioned with the old communist party. Hence, the ghost of Soviet Russia’s model of development had not completely left their minds. In this Ajitda turned out to be more radical. Samarda had already come back mentally somewhat disillusioned due to his visit to Soviet Union. It took some time for Ajitda. But he too soon got ready with the concept of development. And as soon as he got ready, he immediately proposed to start a magazine in English. Which was later started as NAPM Bulletin. And Ajitda was given the responsibility of editor.
At the insistence of Ajitda and Samarada, a day-long conference of NAPM was soon organised at the Students Hall in College Street, Calcutta. As far as I could observe, probably the maximum number of activists of Calcutta had gathered at the Students Hall that day. Seeing the presence of such people who did not even want to see each other’s faces, I felt that this was a very good time to form a committee. But our old friend Niranjan Haldar obstructed and did not let that happen. And the day-long conference ended in speeches only.
But after that another meeting was organised at 18 Suryasen Street! In which Friends of Narmada was established! In which they started making me the president! So I said that I am in Calcutta today by the grace of Mrs. Khairnar! There are frequent transfers in her job at Kendriya Vidyalaya! And it is not known where she will be sent tomorrow? Therefore and another important thing, do not make the mistake of giving leadership of such processes to a non-Bengali in Bengal! When there are so many great people in Bengal! Do not do this! So Manindra Narayan Bose was made the president of the Bengal chapter of Friends of Narmada!
In this entire episode, Ajitda and Samarda’s role has been very important! And it has helped me to get closer to them! Although both of them used to come to my house regularly! And there used to be heated debates! Because both the Marxist and Socialist parties are people who sympathize with the Soviet Russia’s model of development! Who think that only that development is right! Because apart from Ajitda and Samarda, I also had relations with Professor Madhu Dandavate and Mohan Dharia! And they also used to say the same thing! "Suresh, till when will our farmers depend on rainwater to do farming?" So I told them that all the big dams built across the world in the name of irrigation are being rejected in every way on the scale of technology today! And the most important thing is that all the dams are being rejected after seeing a huge difference in the cost of building the dam and then in its evaluation in the cost-benefit ratio! It is only India which is copying their old technology!
Samarda has very well written a very good essay on the concept of development of Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. Similarly, he has also tried to write the history of science. Most of his writings have been in Bangla. He got the opportunity to write a regular column in the magazine of a political party named SUCI. And in my opinion, he has done most of his writing on the concept of science and development. Samarda was a very good person along with being a scientist. I have seen two people in my fifteen years of stay in Bengal, who had almost no ego and greed. One of them was writer-journalist Gourakishore Ghosh. And the other was Samar Bagchi. Both were my family friends. Therefore, I have seen both of them very closely. I have spent thousands of hours hanging out with them. And they have formed a very close relationship with the entire family of both, and with our family. We have enjoyed the opportunity of sharing food, living together, from Kalamandir in Calcutta to Doverlane Sangeet Mehfil. Perhaps our fifteen years of living in Calcutta (1982-97) was the most beautiful time of our lives, and the best time of literature, art, and human relations with each other. In which Gourda and Samarda deserve the most credit. Despite being a scientist, Samarda helped Maitreyi Devi in her orphanage, and looked after the work of that orphanage after Maitreyi Devi left. Similarly, Gourda too had started an ashram for women, started by his father. He too looked after its work after his death. And the human quality of both was of a very high level. I feel that both were born only to love. With the departure of such Samarda, Calcutta feels empty to me. Heartfelt tribute on his first death anniversary today!
— Dr Suresh Khairnar, 20 July 2024, Nagpur.