Whenever I think of my days in Silchar ...Pritam is always there along with Atanu ,Tinku ,Shakil, Bibhu, Shubasis & Abhijeet . We had a lot of things in common. I would like to call us the transition generation.We had seen Barak Valley and the associated culture loose its pride loose its identity in the wake of Globalization..and change in Indian economy.We had seen the Rabindrasangeet sung at home and at schools fests being replaced by Himesh & Ekta Kapoor morality.
Ok ,lets not go into all of that.But out of that shared hatred for the cheap culture developing around us ...we formed a group.A loose connection...a vague entity keeping us together.Though nothing was ever spoken except between me and Atanu.We were the theorists. Some of us still had the old world ambitions of art and science.Most of us liked Photography especially Me ,Atanu ,Pritam & Subashis.We dreamt of buying a SLR...we wished we had two more bikes.We wanted to trace the rivers of Barak Valley to their staring points.We wanted to capture the face of change that the society was undergoing.We had so much energy.
Pritam had a digital camera...an early canon powershot and a bike ( a Libero i think) and Subashis had a dilapidated Scooter.And yes Tinku had a Honda Unicorn.These were gear we had.We knew so little and had so much ambition that we thought we would change everything.
One day Atanu and Pritam found a skull of a dead buffalo in a field and brought it to my Hostel room in NIT SILCHAR.No one knew what to do with it.But it was something new ....something no one else would touch.Something that would invite everybody's scorn.And dint that suit us?.We did everything that was not cool.And we still do. Later on , on my insistence they disposed of it since being as famous as I was at college for my infamous acts I could not keep it and augment my reputation.
Shubasis Atanu and Pritam formed at GC College the SAP group. And I believe they were the only ones in their respective batches who perused a career in Pure Science after their BSc.The others needless to say opted for MBA in ASSAM UNIVERSITY.
On another occasion we all went to Koomber Bagan near the Koombirgram airport in Silchar.We dint take any towels and bathed in the rivulet with our clothes on. It was while returning from there that we took this pic.I would call it the pic of the era.It was 2007.
Pritam was the silent type.He would rarely speak or give opinions.But he was very straight about somethings..no nonsense...no mushy talks...no crap on religion.
Being an soft headed lucrative Engineer...who would have got a job earlier than me?
But I always wished for a day we would reunite.When we all would have jobs...and of course SLRS and Bikes.
Now with the death of Pritam one of the pillars of that dream is gone.
And we the living view such accidents as a instantaneous dip in a rather dull plain curve.A dip you can avoid by remembering his happy memories ..or in immersing yourself in the protests.And if you feel tired and fatigued in this fight to bring Pritam Justice .. zoom in into the dip ....and it shows ---a helpless 25 year old hand and feet tied ....for five days kept in captivity ..knowing that there is no way out...and one night the butchers come with a knife to slit his throat...and he cries for mercy in front of some inhuman monsters, "dont kill me, dont kill me"....helpless.... helpless ..helpless.....where was humanity then?..where was your God? where was your view of normalcy.consistency ..the determinism that tomorrow shall arrive...?...
leaves me restless and shivering...
