Everyone’s beloved and highly respected Basanti Kar passed away for the heavenly abode on 18th February 2024. She was 97 and left behind a host of mourning relatives and friends. Popularly known as Basantidi to her numerous admirers, she was very dear to all for her charming and multi-faceted personality. She was an educationist and a literary personality, having started her teaching assignment at the Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Shillongpatty, Silchar in the fifties and then moving over to Government Girls’ Higher Secondary, Dharmanagar in 1967.

After her retirement, she moved over to Nabadarsha, Kolkata permanently and devoted herself to a host of literary, social, and spiritual activities till her last breath.“For me as her nephew, I was loved selflessly by her and everybody says that I was her concern all along till the last. For me painful as it is now as there is a huge vacuum in my life, I had a unique experience during the invitation to the Nabadarsho society. At each house, we went for the Shradh invitation we just could not come out without the resident narrating their experience of her treatment, particularly regarding food. No one could go back without some food. She always liked to treat people to her delicacies even at a later age she was unable to do it herself but under her agile supervision, the help had to go through a rigorous ritual. Strangely her assistants have cried more than us over her demise.

All loved her as she loved all.As she was a very dominating lady all her brothers, sisters, and nephews were very afraid of her and never deviated from any command. Any wish of hers was a command for them. Looking back I sometimes think that they were afraid of her more than God.With me, it was a different game. I was never under her control and I would tell her, Mashi it is either ‘my way or highway’. She used to be irritated but would budge at last as my concerns were different. Sometimes I think I blackmailed her emotionally so that when everyone failed to reason with her, I was the last call. “She always talked about crossing 100 years and we all deeply believed she would. She was perfectly fine. For me she has gone on her wish, choosing her own time and date. For me, she has done ‘Deho tyag’. Let the thought remain for another day but a very dynamic lady we lost and it will take ages to know anyone like her, maybe not in my lifetime.“Basanti Kar will live in our hearts forever. We pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul. OM SHANTI.