Attitude

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We met the octogenarian and his wife in the train on our way back to Kolkata from Puri on his eighty second birthday.

I and my wife, both suffering from problems in flexing knee joints, were allotted upper berths. While purchasing the tickets, I agreed with an expectation that we would find at least some one younger at one of lower berths who might be requested to exchange. But on board we found none and started exploring the best possible ways to go up .. The elderly couple occupying the lower berths was the patient listeners to our discussion. The gentleman smilingly appreciated our apprehension and informed us that he would prefer to help if he were just ten years younger. His brave declaration prompted me to ask his age and we were introduced.

Shri.Kalidas Ghosh, born on August, 7, 1927 and got his Masters Degree in Bengali Literature from the University of Calcutta in 1950 and took teaching as his profession. He had been with Bramhananda Keshab Chandra (popularly known as BKC) College located at the extreme north of extended Kolkata since 1958 and was retired from active service fifteen years back. He went to Puri with his wife Srimati Biva Ghosh and stayed at the Bharat Sevashram for around a month. Kalidas babu is a man of small stature and himself a diabetic and also suffers from high blood pressure. Biva Debi underwent bi-pass surgery just three months back. They were extremely jovial in their approach and put little importance to their ailments. They, instead, preached a belief that human body was meant to age and suffer from ailments but not human mind and advised us to take care that our minds should not age.

The elderly couple seldom stays at their home at Banhoogly, Kolkata. They spend some of their months at Puri and Varanasi but prefer most to stay at the Garahwal region. While asked whether tiredness hinders their traveling around, pat came the reply from Kalidasbabu,

"No." He smiled and mischievously declared," We have wheels under our feet and we love to travel."

"Why are you choosing places of religious importance? There are so many places which are full of histories and natural beauties. Don't you find them interesting?" I asked.

"Look. We are religious no doubt but that is not the sole point. You may find large cross sections of people from different wakes of life .We love to interact with them and get the feeling that we are touching the real India."

Being a recently retired person and trying hard to cope up with the state of affairs I have been facing problems of finding proper occupations. I thought that they took to traveling as they had not much to do. So, I threw an obvious question. "Have you developed this habit of touring after you got retired?"

"Not at all." Kalidasbabu informed. "I have been using my vacations since I started earning and fortunately for me, after marriage I found my wife also very keen to see places. It is continuing for years".

I came to know that Kalidasbabu lost his parents early and grew up in the company of uncles. He did pretty well in Matriculation and the family elders wished him to go either for science or economics. On graduation, he would have happily joined Indian Railways as his father died in harness while with the Railways. But Kalidasbabu insisted to study Bangali instead and took teaching as a profession against their wishes.

"Was it that you thought teaching as more noble a profession?"

"Partly".Kalidas babu replied."But the most important reason was the long vacations the teachers get. This privilege of the teaching profession , in fact, lured me and I was determine to be a teacher since my boyhood.I knew that I had to earn my bread myself but why to sacrifice most of my precious time to that pursuit? So, I never failed to utilize every summer, puja vacations and went out just after the college closed."

"Don't you need to take break in between?"

"Now a days, yes. We shall catch the train for Hardwar in the third week of September.

Till then we shall remain at Kolkata."

Kalidasbabu's perception of life and vacation is unique and I believe, many including me love to look towards the life in a similar manner. But I found them to suffer from a dilemma always.They preach but can not practice. But this couple is strikingly exceptional. The points of view of Shri.Kalidas Ghosh and Srimati.Biva Ghosh towards life and the sustained determination in long pursuit baffled me and I salute them.