Posted by on Mar 4, 2014 in Miscellaneous Jottings | 2 comments

He was fearless, free from greed and selfless in serving others. In the manner in which he lived his life, Saratchandra Pandit (1881-1968), popularly known as Dadathakur, was an emperor of honesty, a god of determination. Since he had a wonderful sense of humour and of the absurd in life, the sorrows and sufferings of an extremely austere life never appeared to be a hindrance for him. If anyone referred to Dadathakur’s own pecuniary conditions that bordered on poverty, the bare-chested, dhoti-clad Brahmin would laugh it away saying, “I had an attack of kala-azar (black fever) in my childhood. Although I got cured by an administration of antimony injection, I contracted the anti-money syndrome at a tender age.”

Saratchandra Pandit aka Dadathakur

Saratchandra Pandit aka Dadathakur

Forget the iron chest, Dadathakur didn’t even have a money bag. He would say, “Those whose chests are as devoid of feeling as iron could only save as much money to keep in an iron chest.” He would say, “I have opened an account in a ‘river bank’. It is not easy to open a current account there. So I have a floating account and sinking funds.”

As a schoolboy, Dadathakur once mentioned to his uncle that it is difficult to go to school barefoot walking over the hot sands at the bank of the river. His uncle soon asked the local goldsmith to visit their house. Saratchandra was very happy — he expected that his uncle would order a pair of golden shoes for him. When the goldsmith came, Sarat saw that the man was walking with the help of clutches. Uncle said, “Sarat, look, he doesn’t have one leg. You have two legs and still you have a problem?” Saratchandra never again wore shoes all his life.
dadathakur_bengalitranslator.net

It is from his uncle Rasiklal that Dadathakur learnt the mantra of “It is better to starve than serve.” Thus, very early in life he began to plan for an independent vocation and left college midway without completing his course. In 1902, he established a printing press in his own house by buying an old wooden hand-press. The press later shifted to Raghunathganj and in 1914, from his press came out the illustrated weekly named Jangipur Sambad, which is still alive a hundred years after its birth. In Dadathakur’s own words, “I was the proprietor, the editor, the compositor and the proofreader of my enterprise.”

That was Sarat Pandit — man whose spine was straight and whose manners were equally upright. He announced with immense self-pride, “See, I, first person, singular number, always capital, never takes help of another alphabet.” He was a man worthy of such a claim for he never took a walking stick in his hand, never wore sandals and never had a boss!

Dadathakur’s ready wit and sense of humour didn’t leave him till the very end of his days. On his death-bed when his daughter-in-law brought Horlicks for him, Dadathakur promptly said, “Daughter, now I am leaking from all sides. Do you think Horlicks can keep my death away?” (A pun involving the English verb ‘leak’ and the second syllable of the brand name Horlicks). Then he made a thumbs-up gesture towards his wife and said wryly, “AR LINGER KORBE NA, EBAR FINGER DEKHABE.” (It won’t linger much longer. It would soon defy you.)

*In Bengali the expression BURO ANGUL DEKHANO or “to show the thumb” signifies defiance.