‘HELLO uncle! I am Amit Speaking’ a pause, then again ‘could you recognise’? Frankly I couldn’t. As such I don’t like quizzes. Not that I am very old, but like my school teacher would always say ‘This boy doesn’t have enough Grey Matter in his head’. Much to my annoyance, the early morning caller kept on giving me clues and playing ‘Pehchan Kaun’. Finally, he turned out to be my old neighbor Mr. Moitra’s son. Our adjoining houses had made us close friends for nearly five years but since early nineties, after shifting to Nagpur, we completely lost touch with Moitras.

Moitra Sb, addressed by all as ‘Dada’, was my senior by ten years, a thorough gentleman, technical wizard, tall, soft spoken, with equally talkative better half of unmatched cooking skills, whose shrill and shrieking voice, too wouldn’t rattle ‘Dada’, while he relaxed in his century old, grandfather’s easy chair with a Cigarette, watching twirling smoke rings, brooding. Because of his simple, no nonsense, honest and straight forward nature, though technically much sought after, he never got his timely promotions, which he never repented a bit. In late Eighties, his son was studying in Kolkatta and would come home only during festivals and his little daughter Rashmi would dart in and out of our house at her free will and time. Yes Yes! I remember you all. How did you get my number? Surprised, I had many questions. ‘Ever since Baba passed away four years back, I have been trying to locate and connect with you as by the end ‘Baba’ wanted to talk to you’. Ohh! So ‘Dada’ is a history now. I was quick to pay my condolences.

How could I forget him? In the remote mining location, ‘Dada’, would go out of the way to stand up in support of even the lowest level of workmen to ensure his safety, justice and honor. Sumer Singh a workman in one of the mine died in an industrial accident. The ‘Preliminary enquiry’ had pronounced the deceased at fault and absolved senior officials, who were actually responsible, to ensure their careers weren’t affected adversely. But in process the family of the deceased would be deprived of full compensation. Mr. Moitra was the technical member of the enquiry committee from company HQ to finally endorse the findings of the PME and close the case file. Moitra Sb knew the ins and outs of the machine involved and was aware that workman hadn’t breached any safety codes. One evening, he walked up to late Sumer Singh’s quarter in the colony, whose wife hadn’t even had time to grieve and cry as three small children in the house needed her care and attention. Financial consequences of wrongfully blaming the deceased would have spelt doom for this innocent family.

Back at home, much to the annoyance of his wife ‘Dada’ sat in his chair till late night, smoking and brooding over the case. In office, next day, behind closed doors he prepared the ‘Technical Observations and Findings’ in the accident, precisely pin pointing the deliberate dereliction of duties by some irresponsible officials. His report stirred and rattled even the senior most management of the company as just for the sake of ‘Dada’s honesty and penchant for truth, this would damage the careers of identified officers. The company chairman, too summoned ‘Dada’ to his chamber and pressurised him for hours to alter the report, even promising the due amount of compensation to the family of the deceased. ‘Dada’ sat unmoved. A group of senior most officials, backed by a powerful lobby of businessmen, assured ‘Dada’ an astronomical amount, much in excess of the retirement benefits, to ‘Tweak’ his ‘Findings’. ‘Dada’ didn’t budge, rather went home unruffled and slept off. Finally, threats and monitory lures ceased and his report had to be accepted. ‘Dada’s ‘raw courage’, honesty and ‘steely resolve to withstand’ the wrongful pressure and resist the ‘lure’ of ‘bad money’, had won. That evening while celebrating success, he said ‘we all are mortals and before going up, I shall confirm that for life long I stayed honest and in turn you must assure me to give confirmation to your juniors to continue the chain.’ I have got his confirmation today ‘honesty is immortal’. chain must continue.