Foreword
A father’s love will permanently be imprinted on the heart of a son, but Jagat Bandhu’s love for his children was intriguing. Discipline to Jagat was essential in bringing up a child. His obsession was his belief that punishment could only develop and entrench desirable social habits in children and foster a particular code of conduct.
One must glimpse the fascinating nature of Jagat – the father. After a good beating for getting either fewer marks, disobeying an instruction, or being unable to answer his question, he would call the child near him and order like a commander to a soldier, “Stop crying …wipe your tears “. With the beat burn still there, the child has to wipe the tears and smile; otherwise, another thrashing. Then comes the question, “Do you know why you got the beating?” It has to be answered else another thrashing. Come evening, he would ask the child to dress up and then take him on his cycle for a good treat, from goodies to ice cream, and when the child, forgetting the morning episode, starts swinging his legs and enjoys the ice cream, an affectionate hand of Jagat pats the child’s back!
His five children were exposed to his discipline to various degrees. The youngest was the only one enjoying the parents’ pampering except for an occasional shout. The two older ones often became a scapegoat for what the youngsters did. If the younger brother did not attend school, why could the older ones not convince him? This became a good reason for thrashing.
Would one call it discipline, eccentricity, or love – this question is thought-provoking and debatable!
The multi-faceted character of a father born in a Zamindar family, being both compassionate and rebellious, turning into a brilliant student, running away from home to join the Army to die for the country in Second World War and subsequently joining the Airforce. There his inherent talent for music and theatre sprouted. He was a dedicated sportsman par excellence, became a family man, and lived on dictated terms. These make the character an exciting personality to read and enjoy.
There cannot be a better witness other than the author of the book, Udayan, his eldest son, who has faced the brunt of his father the maximum in childhood among the five kids. Much later, realisation dawned on him that the man was like a coconut, hard exterior with the softest heart. His understanding, his patience, and his calm decisions drew his friends to him as a trustworthy man. His popularity amongst his neighbours was immense. His demeanour as far as his children were concerned was perhaps more because of his army background or the thought of that generation of disciplining children through punishing. He took pride in his children being considered the best-disciplined ones.
I would call it Udayan’s audacious attempt to write on his father, a complex charactered man. Here was a father who didn’t tell how to live but lived and let the children watch him do it. From beginning to end, the author’s narration intricately weaves around the character bringing to the fore the various facets of the person that makes the book an engaging read.
Udayan summarises, “Whatever little I could achieve is principally due to him.” He must thank his authoritative father, who stood by him, despite many financial issues when he got selected and admitted to engineering, despite all his financial constraints. Jagat’s one aim to impart higher education to his children set him apart from many other fathers. Even the author Udayan, understanding how much his father meant to him, concluded, “He has been a beacon to follow in my life.”
Yes, that was Jagat!
We, the children, in unison, voice a homage to their father –
“Father, you gave us the greatest gift anyone could give another person; you believed in us. You were a guiding light whose love showed us the way.”
– Mamlee Mukherjee – Eldest sister
