WHEN MEMORIES SPRING AFRESH AND A LOST LANE IS REVISITED

WHEN MEMORIES SPRING AFRESH AND A LOST LANE IS REVISITED

Duda after such a long time. Only, my memories are of a much older age of hers when she had matured into a ripened beauty that eludes the middle-aged person. My love and veneration for her and to her memory.

Incidentally, I recall at the age of five having in broken English said -- for I was not conversant with her mother tongue, English, then -- that I liked to eat 'Chingri maachh' (prawns) when she instantly retorted thus : "Chingri is not a fish, Chingri is a poka.", meaning that the prawn is not a fish, it is an insect. I was surprised by this piece of novel information as I had never been told so about it. Today, however, I can only marvel at her sense of European accuracy and see the fine difference in linguistic and thought culture of the Orient and the Occident. Thank you Gopadi for bringing alive Duda from my sleeping memory. It seems we carry our childhood to our grave.

Written by

Sugata Bose

Photo, courtesy,

Melita Malewar

: Lily Pal, wife of Niranjan Pal and daughter-in-law of national leader, Bipin Chandra Pal, with son, Colin Pal.

16Tapan Bhattacharya, Sharmistha Chatterjee and 14 others