It was the occasion of the banquet of the programme ‘boubhat’ of Samir (Lahiri) (a program, which is part of celebration of marriage). Samir was my classmate at Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics (Calcutta University). I along with my wife came to attend the boubhat programme from Jamshedpur. At Calcutta we were stationed at my in-laws home near Girish Park which is not very far from Howrah railway station. The program was arranged in a night at Kolkata at a place near the Airport. Professor J N Bhar (JNB) (the then Professor and Director of the Institute) used to commute to the Institute from Chandannagar by local train via Howrah railway station. JNB used to teach us at the Institute. He had a car that used to drop him from the Institute to Howrah railway station. So, he came to attend the program from the Institute and was supposed to go to Howrah railway station from the venue of the program. In that programme I heard JNB asking Professor A K Choudhury (AKC) (who was also our teacher at the Institute) to know about me. Pointing towards me JNB asked AKC to know who I amwith whom Samir was so often discussing on several issues related to the banquet. I heard AKC informing JNB that I was Samir’s classmate at the Institute. JNB told AKC that he never recollected if at all he had seen me in his class at the Institute. Then AKC requested JNB to give me and my wife a car lift from the venue of the banquet to our in-law’s home near Girish Park en route to Howrah railway station while going back home. JNB readily agreed. Neither JNB nor AKC could know that I was hearing their conversation. The short story about JNB reflecting his smartness is as follows. After our dinner, JNB was asking in his usual loud voice: “Where is Baidynath Basu? Where is Bouma? You have kept your little kid back home. Hurry up, let us go.” I asked JNB how come he knew me. He said, “How can I forget you, Baidyanath? I taught you; you were Samir’s batch mate! How could you think I do not know you?” This is one of the stories (I have many such in stock) I intend to share with Suhasda (SCDR) who asked me to do. I will be happy if he in turn would like to share it with others.
