Where I got rooted to India

Whenever I think of Sahibganj, the first thing that comes to my mind is its picturesque beauty. Bound by the Rajmahal Hills and the Ganges, the town epitomised a rustic simplicity, which was ingrained among the people who lived there. Not many places are gifted with such scenic treasure, of being bound by the hills and the river, that apart Sahibganj would have been like any other non-descript town, till a few years back, of southern Bihar, unless the Jesuits from Malta decided to build a school there.

My uncle Benu Banerjee was a teacher of the St. Xavier's School in Sahibganj for more than a decade and I got admitted there in KG2 in 1975. My paternal grandfather accompanied me from Kolkata and he still lay in the midst of the Ganges, making Sahibganj his eternal abode. I left Sahibganj to join the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Purulia, in 1980, but the time I spent there still remains vivid in my memory, not least because it was my first school but because it was the place which rooted me to India.

St. Xavier's, Sahibganj, was quite a reputed school then and it attracted students not only from its natural hinterland but also from Kolkata and many other places of the country. David James was my first class teacher and, as it happens probably to every child, he still holds a special place for me as do my other teachers, K P Mitra (Class 1), Brother Andreas (Class 2), Ronnie Ried (Class 3), Miss Meenakshi (Class 4), Bhaskar Sharma (the Bengali teacher), Mr Dey, P C Chowdhury, P K Acharya, A D Acharya, Swapna Banerjee and many others .

Mr James' mother, Mrs James and her two daughters Rosie and Margaret were very fond of me and would often provide me with chocolates. I later learnt that Mrs James was originally from Croydon, which is not far from Hounslow, the place where I live now.

Mr and Mrs Munshi, our next door neighbours, were more like my guardians. Their son (Sushim Da) lived at Chicago the last time I heard from him, and for a very long time I was lucky enough to have a fair share of their affection. Mr Munshi (I used to address him as Jethu meaning in Bengali uncle who is older to one's father) used to umpire cricket matches and probably was the main inspiration behind my prolonged interest in cricket. Jethima (Mrs Munshi) was often strict and would not spare a word while taking anybody to task.

Mr M K Biswas' elder daughter Ratri was my classmate and his wife (Mala Kakima) was another embodiment of love and affection, which was no less than my own uncle and auntie (Mrs Banerjee). Within the staff quarters we were a motely team comprising among others Kuntal (Mr S C Mian's son), Rajesh and Suresh (Mr Raphael's sons), Gujju (Mr Biswas' younger daughter), Sushil (the school laundryman's son), Agnes and her brother (kids of Mr Daniel, who was in charge of shopping for the hostel kitchen). Then there were the Martins and the Josephs. Undoubtedly it was much more diverse than my hometown Belgharia and it gave me my first flavour of a mini India. We had regular picnics and other celebrations, respected each others' beliefs and upheld a sense of fellow feeling. Our diversity never came in the way of celebrating the shared values.

The school was an extrapolation of the same flavour but in a much wider canvas. We had students from many different parts of the country. Initially, I was very close to two Bengalees Ramapati Sanyal (who is now a doctor) and Ashis Banerjee but later on also got closer to others like Randhir Prakash, Rohit Karna, Sanjay Kumar, Chetan Anand, the Kumar Brothers (Rajesh and Rakesh, if I remember correctly), Ramanand Bhagat, Md Ibdouzzia, Anil Yadav, Rumi Bilgrami, Sangeeta (Mr Roy's daughter), Joyeeta Biswas, Dominic Marandi, and Vinay Murmu. Manoj Kumar was very good at playing popular songs using a comb and a piece of paper and Amir Yousuf was a good pace bowler. (There was a Chinese guy in our class and I sincerely apologise for not being able to recollect his name)

Then there were others including some of my uncle's students - Abhijit Chanda, Amitava Biswas (Bablu-da, Dr Biswas' son), Chung Kafa (he was a good footballer), Joseph Chiu (goalkeeper of the school team), Suman Banerjee, Deepankar Roy, Bartik Acharya, Biton Banerjee, Bubanda (Dr Ghatak's son), Kailash Bhaiya (P C Chowdhury's son). The long list might be tiring for those who haven't had a feel of the school in Sahibganj but all these people are still very vivid in my memory. The range of people in St. Xavier's , Sahibganj probably had a profound impact on shaping my idea of India, which takes pride in its diversity and celebrates pluralism.

So, looking back, I remember Sahibganj for its scenic beauty and also as a special place where I spent my formative years. I remember St. Xavier's as my first school and many happy memories. But more than anything else, I remember the place, the institution and the people for giving me a flavour of India and rooting me to the very idea that she stands for.

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