G.P. MITRA

I still remember his youthful face. He taught us Physics and Mathematics in Holy Cross School. He warned us that the 'Notredame students' were working harder than us. Later on, I heard that he warned them that WE were doing better! His face was fair, he was so enthusiastic while teaching, and when the teenagers from Holy Cross School played pranks on him, he went beetroot red.

Mathematics was my favourite subject; Sir Gouranga Prasad Mitra was our teacher in Holy Cross School. I was introduced to him in 1972, after he came back from the liberation war. I did not realize then that Sir Mitra would be a lifelong inspiration to me and many others. When he taught in class, he singled me out, asked me for solutions, and asked me to demonstrate the solved problems to the rest of the class. I am sure he repeatedly boosted the morale, uplifted the solving power, and elevated the confidence of students every single year and even when he retired, his active interest in our career paths made him our 'Dhrubotara'.

Sir Mitra left this mortal world on 1st March 2015. I read the tributes on social media and our discussions elsewhere when even in death he thought of contributing to this society by leaving the body for the 'Mitford hospital'.

Sir Mitra came to visit me in my Purana Paltan house back in 1974 when I was a student of class eleven. He spoke to my mother about how I should perform even better. We formed a group of ten high performers; we took private lessons from him in my grandfather's house in Eskaton. What an epitome of patience he was, he solved each and every problem, especially in statistics and dynamics, his brilliance guided us. Thanks to him, we all excelled, I took statistics as my honours subject. Sir Mitra was delighted!

A few years down the road, I met him again in a train ticketing booth. I was leaving for my fieldwork in Demography (PhD). He stood in line and asked about all my sisters, my cousins, my friends and their careers. Amazing, I thought. How could he even remember who my friends were, this must have been twenty years back? I was amazed with his memory! It wasn't the end. He stood there and asked me about the exact nature of my research, what I trained in etc. He introduced his son and daughter. He beamed when he said 'Nashid is my student', wherever I go, Suhrawardy hospital, BMC, CMH, all are my students'

Today I take up my pen in glowing tribute to this man whose life needs to be celebrated. He not only taught us mathematics and physics but through his own life he showed us how to live a life of dignity. I had seen Sir Mitra with his two arms. Eighteen days into his marriage though, he lost his left arm in a road accident in 1973. He continued teaching with one arm; he taught us, collected his books singlehandedly, corrected them and became an exemplary warrior. By his side was his non-compromising comrade, his wife Mrs Mitra, who has been a pillar of strength, making sure that 'defeat' was a word long obsolete from their dictionaries. If anyone deserves an award 'Ekusher Padak' or 'Shadhinota Padak', it is G.P.Mitra.

The writer is an academic, Nazrul exponent and writer.