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Time flies

Frantic fortnight. I was too tired to even think of rest. Republic Day today – brings some respite at last!
A string of events on the cards kept me on tenterhooks. Expectedly, the run up preparations for Jan 31st Book launch that would spin off into eight high-voltage programmes packed into two days can only be hectic. With international guests on the list, VIPs, media coordination and hundreds of other modalities to be worked out, one can ill afford to relax even for a moment.

Last 15 days were very eventful. A visit to the hospital to see our ailing former chief minisiter Sri Jyoti Basu with Dr Shija F William, Secretary-General, CPA, opened the floodgates of fond memories. One of the most memorable and best compliments till date was from Sri Jyoti Basu, who, after attending one of my programmes, commented that he had never seen such a wonderful programme in his five decades of social and political life. And his was no ordinary life.

The last time I met Sri Jyoti Basu was with the eminent litterateur Sri Sunil Gangopadhyay and the Commissioner of Police when Sri Basu accepted to become the first signatory to a programme for senior citizens `Pronam’ jointly organised by an organisation called The Bengal and Kolkata Police.

Sri Basu’s compliments still inspire me and it has been a personal challenge to ensure that my every programme is better than the last one. But then, there were thousands whom he had inspired as was evident by the sea of humanity at his funeral. I was at the State Legislative Assembly to pay my homage to him and witnessed how international and national leaders from different political parties and organisations along with people from varied walks of life converged to pay their last respects.

As I stood wondering how many people Sri Basu had inspired in his lifetime, I remembered how aptly someone once said, “If death is so glorious who would not want to die”.

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