“My grandmother on my mother’s side, Manashi Guha (nee Dasgupta), who we call Didu, was the first graduate in our family from Dacca University in 1946 with Philosophy and Mathematics. In the wake of the Partition, she came to Calcutta with her family and began working in an office of the Labour Department of West Bengal. She also took admission in Calcutta University to pursue her Masters but could not complete it partly due to financial restraints and partly because migration certificates from Dacca did not arrive on time. After a year or so, she began teaching in Narkeldanga High School in Calcutta till around 1959, the family moved to Lucknow. They returned to Calcutta in 1968.
From 1959 onwards she lived as a homemaker. I personally remember her as a perceptive woman of varied interests including reading, travelling, sewing and cooking. She also possessed a gentle sense of humour and wit that made her capable of thoughts that were both amusing and profound. Most importantly, she lived by example and taught us the value of a sound education and courage in times of immense economic, social and communal hardships. ”
Contributor: Amrita Bandopadhyay (grand-daughter)
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