Joykrishna Ghosh outside the hospital. (Amit Datta)

Calcutta, Jan. 17: His 32-year vigil had ended, now it was time to cry.

Joykrishna Ghosh, the man who had been Jyoti Basu’s aide since 1977, tried to hold back his tears but couldn’t.

“What can I say? I have become an orphan for the second time today,” Ghosh said, hours after doctors declared the CPM patriarch dead this morning.

Ghosh, whom Basu used to affectionately call Joy, was like his shadow since the day he became chief minister.

He remained his Man Friday till Basu slipped into a coma in hospital.

“I had been with Jyotibabu since 1977 when he became chief minister. I used to function as his confidential assistant,” Ghosh, 65, said.

“I received his love, trust and companionship. Even till the day he slipped into a coma he kept telling me to bring him back to Indira Bhavan. He said I had told him he would be kept in the hospital only for one day. Then why wasn’t I taking him back home. He wanted to die in Indira Bhavan only.”

Ghosh said he had “spent so much time” with Basu that he didn’t know what life would be “without him”.

Several Indira Bhavan staff agreed, saying Ghosh would be virtually jobless in Basu’s absence.

“Joybabu used to come to Indira Bhavan every morning sharp at 11.30 and stayed till Basu finished his lunch,” said an employee. “The last few years he used to drop in even late at night to check if Basu was all right.”

A CPM state committee member said Ghosh would be given party-related work. “Joybabu is an asset to the organisation,” he added.

An Indira Bhavan employee recalled a touching gesture that showed how close Ghosh was to Basu.

Ghosh, he said, had peeled a banana and offered it to the ailing leader with two pieces of bread and an apple. “Joybabu was like a second son to Burasaheb,” he said.

Ghosh’s main job was to go through the letters people used to write to Basu and reply to them as the former chief minister wanted. He also kept track of what Basu ate.

“Basu was fond of delicious dishes. But many times we heard Joybabu shouting at Basu not to take rich food,” said another Indira Bhavan staff.

“Except for the last two years, when Jyotibabu’s health deteriorated, Joybabu used to interact with doctors,” said an Indira Bhavan staff.

Ghosh also kept Basu posted about important party programmes. Whenever a VIP came over to see Basu, it was Ghosh’s responsibility to ensure that the guest felt at home.

Over the years, Basu had also grown fond of Ghosh’s wife Debjani and his two daughters, Jacintha and Lucia.

“My daughters used to call Jyotibabu dadu and used to call him up every day,” Ghosh said.

“Sometimes,” an Indira Bhavan official recalled, “Joybabu’s two daughters used to spend the whole day playing with Basu’s three granddaughters. He used to enjoy their company.”