A tribute to Jayanta Lal Mazumdar

Deeply saddened by the passing away of my brother Jayanta Lal Mazumdar, we are overwhelmed by the messages of condolence from his friends, colleagues and relatives. He has, indeed, unleashed a flood of memories in all who knew him. Many have shared these with us.

He grew up in an idyllic Shillong when children could play games and run to school on empty roads. Known as Muzzy by his school friends one fondly recalls how they would share one umbrella, in the pouring monsoon rain, on the way back from school. Sometimes they would wait till the weather cleared under the towering pine trees. Another remembered their cricket games together. He was fun to be with, he said. Many spoke of the warmth of his heart and his infectious joy of living.

After school he went to Benaras to study Civil Engineering in BHU. His grieving college friends have shared their memories of his jovial nature and brilliance in studies. They recall how they would make a dash to the Kashi Vishwanath temple before their exams. They remember how they would search the lanes off Godhulia looking for the best Mithai shops and paans. Some evenings they would attend the Aarati at the ghats of the Ganges where the smell of incense mingled with the smell of burning bodies rising from the pyres.

After he graduated from BHU he went to Berkeley, California to do his Masters. There he specialized in Seismic structure design. He would come home for his holidays, bronzed, handsome and debonair. Our college friends were ready to swoon before him!

He was well read, had fine taste in clothes and music and was all set to conquer the world! He took his young and beautiful wife, Munmi, and went back to the States to work for a few years.

They eventually returned to India where he joined the prestigious new Ocean Engineering division of Engineer's India Ltd. Well respected for his expertise he went to many countries for joint projects in off-shore rig designing. He retired as Executive Director in EIL and joined Reliance for a few years.

He finally came back to retire in his beloved Assam where he looked forward to roam the forests and sanctuaries again.

He leaves behind his wife, a son and a daughter and a host of loving relatives. His untimely departure has left a huge void. Above all, he was a good man. If only we could conjure him back to life out of our memories with a wave of a magic wand and a puff of smoke!

–Neena De

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