Rahul Majumder
Senior Sub Editor, Aajkal.in
This text is not formal. Not even the writing of a blind devotee, whose every sentence will be soaked with oil drops. This writing is like an afternoon of realization, a bit left behind by Hemant.
It was a strange time when I joined Hindustan Times Bengali. The outbreak of Corona peaked then. The sky was bright blue, the crisp sound of the breeze touching the pure pitch road was audible, and even the color of the afternoon sun was tinged with orange. But around the invisible barbed wire of fear. fear of death So the south-west table of the house became my ‘medium’ to communicate with Hindustan Times. Sometimes it would turn into a sofa in the house. But there are some fun things about working in this reputed company. Let me tell you for now.
Even if you work indoors with your laptop open, neither the walls of the room nor our editor Arghya Prasoon Roychowdhury have ever stood in the way of chatting virtually with colleagues. Not ‘boss’, grandfather. Arghyada It has happened many times when we are overwhelmed by the pressure of finding ‘news’ that will give us a number, Arghyada suddenly called an urgent meeting. We are sure, from the other side of the phone, maybe this time there will be a mild lathicharge in front of everyone. But as soon as the meeting started, that thought was in the field. Arghyada is the ‘physician’ who is in charge of making us stronger by sharing a chat and a laugh. The taste of those patent chats is purely ‘Hindustani’. In this gap, let me tell you one more thing, which is very important. In the department where I was on the news beat, my colleagues were all women. But they never let me get within 50…nay 100 meters of what it feels like to be a minority.
Had a conversation with Sumanda. Suman Roy At first I kept some distance from this journalist sitting in a high position from Anandabazar. A little in honor, a little in the solemn weight of rank. But it was the man who willingly took upon himself the responsibility of teaching his subordinates to find the secret recipe for crafting words. In Sumanda’s eyes, it may have been something of duty or affection. But I have a whole lifeboat in the middle of the river! Even though the organization has changed, the relationship with Sumanda has become stronger. There is no reward for saying that this debt would not have accrued to me without Hindustan Times Bangla. Yes, Sumanda was never told that. Come on, it’s a little late, but today I told everyone.
I don’t know how much I have been able to give to Hindustan Times Bangla, but I have no doubt that what I have received is heavier on that side of the scale. That is why ‘Hindustani’ may remain a part of the mind even today.
