Memoirs of a Physician: Mone Parhe

 

 

Mone Parhe

(Memoirs of a Physician)

 Author

Dr. Sankar Ghosh Dastidar

 Sent to ISPaD, The Partition Center

By

Apala Egan

 

Report by Sabyasachi Ghosh Dastidar

 Note: Dr. Sankar Ghosh Dastidar was born in Barisal, eastern Bengal, now Bangladesh, in 1920s. He went to college in Calcutta (Kolkata), then capital of British Bengal Province, after finishing schooling in Barisal. As youngsters his brother Amitabha and him used dinghy during monsoon to reach their rural school, while in dry months they walked miles to the school, like everybody else.  Before and after India and Bengal’s partition in 1947 he was active in local politics losing some years in higher education. He completed his medical degree in Calcutta under Calcutta University.

 In post-1947 partition he provided support to penniless, homeless refugees fleeing from East Pakistan to India, as well as to his extended family reaching India. His moral conviction took him first to work at the Panagarh East Pakistan (Hindu) Refugee Camp in Bardhhaman District of West Bengal, India. He gave up lucrative invitation to be a physician in the U.S. and also in Rajasthan state of India to work at refugee camps for few dollars of monthly salary. Later, in late 1950s he joined the Dandakaranya (East Pakistani/Bangladeshi Hindu) Refugee Rehabilitation Camp in Central India established by the Federal Government covering the Ramayana famous ancient forest area stretching in states of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra of central India. He worked from its headquarter in Koraput, Orissa (Odisha), but had to travel to all corners of refugee and tribal areas in ambulance. He served Dandakaranya for over a decade before returning in early 1970s to Eastern India’s Bihar state’s coal mines. After retirement from the Federal Government’s medical service, he opened a doctor’s office in Kolkata serving mostly the very poor – porters, maids and servants, rickshaw pullers, peasants of southern 24 Parganas district as well as local residents of south Kolkata. Even many months after his passing there would be line of poor in front of his office hoping for him to show up mysteriously. After office hour his chamber became a meeting place for Indian independence struggle patriots, almost all refugees from East Bengal/East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, who were imprisoned by the British rulers in prisons in Calcutta, Dhaka, Midnapore, North India, and in distant Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. In 1964 the doctor spent days at Raipur, Madhya Pradesh with his medical team as tens of thousands of poor, oppressed caste Hindu refugees were brought from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, border after the brutal Hazrat Bal pogrom/genocide taking thousands of indigenous minority lives and making hundreds of thousands Hindus forced to flee their homeland for India. Brutality was so severe and so painful that soon government prohibited trains carrying heartbroken and injured refugees to stop at any station so that local citizens do not get traumatized and react against the oppressors for their 24+ hour train journey to Raipur. Dandakaranya welcomed over 100,000 Hindu refugees, and the state of Orissa created a reserved seat for majority oppressed Scheduled Caste refugee population that the natives couldn’t get protection in their Pakistan homeland, and hasn’t got that in their now Bangladesh homeland. The elected assemblyman invited guests to his constituency.

 Doctor authored several books including, Smritituku Thak (Let me Have My Memory), Naba Chalantika Publishers, Calcutta; B.S. 1397 (1991), and Mone Parhe (Memoirs of a Physician), Kranti Prakashani, Sonarpur, India; 1993. He is one of the very few refugees who wrote about their pain and suffering.

 Below is one of the essays from Mone Parhe sharing the plight of a refugee family which was sent to Partition Center by Ms. Apala Egan, who and her family were friends with Dr. Ghosh Dastidar.

A Horrible Story of Partition: Deshbhager ak Mormantik Kahini

Book Cover

 

 

 

 (Rough Translation)

Heartbreaking Story of Partition

Sankar Ghosh Dastidar

Many innocent families have been destroyed due to partition of our land. One of those individuals was Rama Debi of Kanksa (refugee) camp. One day after being severely ill she told me about this sad story:

 Desh (nation) was divided. Mr. Madhab Bhattacharya of an nameless village of Madaripur (East Bengal/East Pakistan/Bangladesh) ordered his beloved student Mr. Anil Mondol to take his guru’s wife, meaning Mr. Bhattacharya’s wife, and his only child of eight-year-old daughter to West Bengal (India). Later the priest planned to find out his wife and daughter in Kolkata (West Bengal, India). He asked the disciple for the next few days to be with Guru Ma and help them. So that mother and daughter have no difficulty, they said let’s try that please. Young wife and the daughter cannot be left alone, that’s why he sent them with a young trustworthy unmarried disciple. This disciple has been doing outdoor work for a long time serving his guru.

Mr. Anil didn’t know about Kolkata at all. He was a poor illiterate peasant. He never went beyond Madaripur. So, with family priest’s order he set out with Guru Ma and their daughter for Kolkata, like everybody else. With everyone he took a steamer (ship) to Khulna, then caught a train to Bongaon. At Bongaon he stood in line like everybody else. College students were writing down names and giving cards. In government vehicle they were taking to camps.

Mr. Anil witnessed that many are changing their last name. Whatever people are saying, cards are being written accordingly. Many were writing Bosu, Rai, Chowdhury, Chatterji, etc. When asked about his name he said Anil Bhattacharya, and said the other two’s names. Within seconds the card went for signature.  The signed card was back. On the card it was written Anil Bhattacharya, wife Rama Bhattacharya, daughter Rekha Bhattacharya.

Everybody said, with Bhagaban’s (God’s) blessing this is something good has happened.  If it didn’t happen like this, then Guru Ma and their daughter would have gone to P.L. Camp and Anil in would have gotten shelter elsewhere.

Rama Debi didn’t know of this change in her life in government document, there was no opportunity for her to learn about that. Gradually she understood that protector is becoming oppressor. Husband’s student is leaving the role of student like a son, and demanding the role of husband.

Helpless, penniless, unlettered, homeless, devoted wife Rama Debi was repeatedly thinking about pancha-sati (five-divine) fame MahaDebi. Thinking about Bali’s son AngaDeb, Sati Tara started to live under the guidance of Sri Ram with Sugrib the murderer, weak, scared, schemer. When she got opportunity Rama Debi used to tell this story of Krittibashi Ramayana to her daughter Rekha when thinking about her devoted husband. How Rekha’s religious father Sri Madhab Bhattacharya used to read Ramayana, how he read to his wife, repeatedly she used to tell that story of Krittibash Ramayana to her daughter. At that time why her husband used to say her Best of Sati (wife who remains loyal to her husband.) Today she is realizing, how devoted was ChandraMukhi Tara, how she respected Indra’s immature son Lord Mahabir, and because of her husband’s urge to for her son she gave her body to Shugrib, but not her love.  Sati Tara lived with respect of husband Bikramsagar Kapiswar Baliraj with enemy Sugrib with extreme hate. Devotee Rama Debi silently accepted all oppression by Anil so that her faithful young daughter Rekha Bhattacharya is not harmed. If by God’s grace if she ever met her husband, then she would offer at his feet his daughter Rekha Bhattacharya.

A sacrificial victim of partition Rama Debi for five years moved from one camp to another camp in West Bengal. At last for the past four years she was living in my Kanksa camp in Bardhaman district. For nine years while living workless, idle life as a prisoner there arrived a new face.

Son’s age is now five.

At the time of partition in the wide area of rural Madapipur Mr. Madhab Bhattacharya was very well known. He had many followers. Everyone used to respect him as an honest, reputable pundit. It took several months for him to organize his land and possession. After he reached Kolkata he realized that it was not his Kolkata of imagination, it’s a completely different Kolkata, completely unknown Kolkata. Here no one knows anyone, no one keeps track of another person. Everyone is busy with oneself. He realized that finding his wife and daughter is impossible. Without the grace of God, finding them will be difficult. Mr. Bhattacharya believes in God, offers puja daily. He thought, as a poor, devoted, honest Brahmin (priest) even when God divided the nation, took the family away, took every asset away, and sent him to West Bengal as a beggar, then I’m not going to have a new family. For the rest of his life in the name of Bhagaban, God, he would travel from camp to camp looking for his wife and daughter. For long eight years, in the name of God, he would visit from camp to camp in West Bengal with his begging sack in case he can see his wife and daughter.

In the end Madhab Bhattacharya’s long prayer succeeded. Waiting for his eight-year old daughter, now a teenager, finally happened.

One day in distance she thought of hearing her father’s voice, like hallucination. First it was like a dream. Later she realized that it was not a dream. She ran out of her tent. Couldn’t believe her eyes. After getting rid of sleepy mode, wiping clean her eyes, she saw her father Sri Madhab Bhattacharya, wrapped in namabali (printed with God’s words) shawl was going from one tent to another uttering God’s name, coming towards them.

In joy and excitement, she ran towards her mother. She embraced her mother to give the news. In seconds mother’s face became gray. After composing herself, she came out of the tent to see her helpless, sick husband, offered her pronam (prayer) from distance, after wiping her tears she sent her daughter to bring her husband to the tent with warmth and respect. For her husband she laid sitting asan (mat on the floor) made space next to the pictures of deities, and left some food and water under a cover. A hand fan was kept close to her space. She cleaned her bed for her husband. Coming close to the tent the daughter called for the mother. After getting out of the tent the little brother saw the newcomer.

Not hearing from her mother she brought her father inside the tent. She let her father sit on her mother’s placed asan (base) on the floor. After washing her father’s hands and feet with water left by her mother, she offered food to father left by her mother. She started blowing air with hand fan left by her mother. They waited for mother, but mother didn’t return.

After cooking she offered food to her father and brother. She let her father sleep on her Ma’s bed. Soon it became night. Mother never returned. Two days later Rama Debi’s body was seen floating at the pond of Kanksa Village.

 Dandakaranya

 

The refugee lady introduced her son in the background, as Dr. Sankar’s Son as the Doctor saved the baby and the mother at birth. Doctor rushed in the middle of the night for a special delivery. Picture early 2000.

 

A Refugee Family

 

A Forum at a Refugee Village

 

A Road Through the Forest

 

A Dandakaranya Refugee Home

 

A Village Forum at a Refugee Ashram

Going to Dandakarnya area to meet her wonderful inhabitants is either through Raipur in Chhattisgarh in the north, or through Vishakhapatnam of Andhra Pradesh in the east. To reach Koraput it takes almost 24 hours, then one has to add hours to get to villages. 

 

Comment on Social Media:

Fantastic preface.

(Dastidar) helped many people throughout his life.

Dr. Dipankar

April 9, 2022

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