Girls in our MA batch

In Darbhanga House (or former palace sold to Patna University) with river Ganga flowing next to its north, on the first floor (at the western end of it), lay our English Dept. Our fifth year classes were held on the southern flank with the sixth year classes at the northern flank facing the riverfront. The doors of our VIth year classes opened to a river view giving us a soothing distraction to boring lectures or in stolen glances towards the girls in our class on the right side front benches. I still remember them all, especially after serendipitously finding this photo in my Patna journey this time (Feb 2-10, 2024).

 All our girl batchmates were quite beautiful: (L-R) : Rosalind Lal. Suman Prabha, Jyotsna Bannerji, Manjushri Mishra,Zenobia Siddiqui and Rama Bannerji. But my favourite was Kokila Bannerji (not in this group). Next, I liked Rosalind. For a while there was some talk of my marriage with Suman, but finally she was married to Kameshwar ( our junior in Vth year), now living in US. Except Suman and Rosalind (obtaining lower grades) in IInd class, all others made it to IIIrd class in the MA results. Otherwise also our batch was considered much poorer in merit (and rather quite boisterous and unruly) than the previous batch of  the famous Meenakshi Mukherji. This photo was taken by me in a picnic on the sands midstream in Ganga in 1958 on New Year’s Eve. Two more of those photos are also given below

I have written a memoir of Dr RK Sinha, our HOD, in his commemoration volume, who gave me a generous testimonial (in my files) when I was seeking admission to Leeds University (UK) where I couldn’t go because my revered father hadn’t the money, nor the will. I have already written above about the injustice perpetrated to me by Dr Sinha both in my results and my BPSC interview for a Patna College appointment purely on caste considerations. Incidentally, I also forgot to mention Mamta Niyogi, my batchmate, who secured a first class in my batch again purely on extraneous considerations.

Memories crowd in of those days of my BA (Hons) and MA studies in Patna College and Patna University, but that must be for some other time. So much only for these lovely photos that ring a bell in my heart!

MY PHOTO GALLERY -1

Here I post some old photos of friends & relatives, mostly taken by me at different times in my life, but mostly during the fifties and sixties, when my passion for photography was at its highest.

I shall continue posting such photographs as I find & choose them. Although this is a completely personal post, not made public at all. And I would like to emphasize that these are all copyrighted and must not be reproduced without permission which may be solicited on bsmmurty@gmail.com.

To the right is Dr RK Sinha, our HOD, English, PU. 

The other photos are introduced in descending order  -

Mother Teresa in Munger in 1981 at the Town Hall  public reception where I (on the mike) was compereing the function and interpreting Mother Teresa in Hindi. Jagannath Mishra, then CM, Bihar, is on the left. 

Below is Dr Walter Hauser & his research assistant, Wendy Singer having tea as he dictates notes at my campus quarter. That was in 1985 when Dr Hauser had come on a research project on Indian Parliamentary elections in Munger constituency. I spent nearly 3 weeks with Dr Hauser touring the constituency as an interpreter and guide.

 

This is Shipra Ganguli, a college days' friend in Patna. Below that a group photo with colleagues in the English Dept of RD&DJ College, Munger in 1960-65, and another larger group with colleagues and college staff around the same time

Below is Bibhakar Jha, son of Prof Janardan Jha 'Dwij'( my father's colleague in Hindi Dept at Rajendra College Chhapara). Bibhakar was my colleague in Philosophy Dept in RD&DJ College, Munger. Then later he joined Jharia College. But died a few years later.

Below id Madan Manohar Varma, my school friend at Patna Collegiate (1949-52), who dis his M.Sc in Zoology from Patna Science College and went for a PhD to US, but died there after retiring as Director of Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, US 

 

 This is Tara Kant Sinha from Munger, 5 years senior to me at Patna College in 1952, who did his MA in Economics in First Class and finally retired from the topmost post of the State Bank of India. He was a close friend of mine and Rana Pratap Sinha, his batchmate in Psychology who retied as HOD from HD Jain College Ara. Both were very fond of singing film songs which tied them together with me in those college days (1952-59). The phot below of the two of them, so inseparable and intimate that their friends used to call them together as TA-RANA.

Below is Rajmani Rai "Mani' a poet friend, Information Officer of PRD, Bihar Govt at Munger who was very popular for his poems which he sang so sweetly. He was also very close to me and I had edited some of his volumes of poems.

Below is an old photo of my classmate at Patna Collegiate School in Patna (1949-52) whom we used to call Buddh Bhai, a promising poet of great merit. This photo was taken at Rajgir where we had gone in a school trip in 1951.

 This ia Madan Varma again , my classmate at Patna Collegiate School who rightly thought that he would emerge as a greater person than myself in life. In the last part of our lives he did emerge as a more successful person in his career. 

At the end of this portfolio is this girl  with a cigarette who turned out to be a close relative of mine in our later life, but who was playing the role of Louka in Shaw's 'Arms and the Man' in a college day function at Patna college around 1955.

One again, below, are these photos of Dr Hauser with Acharya Kapil. And then with my son Ramkrishna Sharan & my daughter Vanita Sharan (that was in 1985) at my campus quarter in RD&DJ College, Munger

All photos (C) Dr BSM Murty