A Tribute to Mahendra Bora

My father, Mahendra Bora, breathed his last on Wednesday, February 12. He was my father, teacher, my inspiration and above all my moral compass. Born in Dhing (Nagaon district), Papa graduated from Dhing K.B High School and came to Cotton College for higher studies. After completing his ISC from Cotton College he made his way to IIT Kharagpur. Circa 1952, it was the only IIT in the nation with 300 individuals selected based on the results of a fiercely competitive entrance exam. Papa made it to IIT in his very first attempt. There he pursued his passion- an undergraduate and graduate degree in Architecture. After graduating from Kharagpur, Papa came back to Assam to work for the government but within a few years we left for higher studies which took him to sunny California to pursue a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California in Los Angles. Decades later I took him to visit his alma mater in downtown Los Angles. He became a different person once we entered the campus and he got excited to show us around all the places he spent time in from the library to the cafeteria. I knew that this place was instrumental in his modern outlook.

I would ask Papa if he ever was tempted to stay back in the US. Heused to say that while he was tempted, he believed his knowledge could be best put to use in his homeland Assam. He would always talk about his time in the US in the late 1960s. He travelled the country and I think those experiences shaped his forward-looking views which defined him.

Papa was a man ahead of his times. The unknown always piqued his curiosity and he would waste no time in reading up on a new topic. I learnt many things from Papa as any child would from their parents. The most valuable lesson was how he kept up with his changing world. He encouraged my mother to pursue a career in addition to being a homemaker. Today, when I step out to work every morning, I recall the support he gave his wife to juggle between home and a career.

Papa was an avid consumer of information. He instilled in us the love for reading. He would take us to the Guwahati Book Fair in Judges Field to buy us books. Whenever he visited us to spend time with his grandkids, he would miss his daily dose of local news but, that didn’t stop him from getting well versed in US politics or the latest developments in technology.

I would call him every morning during my commute to work. We’d catch up on all the topics that he was most passionate about - politics, cricket and history. He would catch me up on what was going on in India from Dhoni to Modi.

A gentle soul with infinite patience and an ever optimistic outlook, Papa’s “never say die” spirit was annoyingly unwavering at times as I was growing up and quick to complain about many things which were not “going my way”. However, I now realize that it was this optimistic spirit which always kept Papa going to learn more and put this learnings to make a difference. He believed he could make a change and he did. I will miss you Papa. Praying for your eternal peace.

– Rinki

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