The writer recalls her father Umakanta Goswami’s brilliant academic career...

I have written about my father earlier. Our forefathers were adhikars of three satras — Amranga, Jambari and Garaimari. Garaimari was destroyed in a devastating earthquake.

My forefathers had vast landed property and several elephants. My brother and Iused to play with a particular elephant about which I have already written.

I had also mentioned my father’s exceptionally brilliant career. He won several gold and silver medals during his lifetime.

One medal was also presented to him to be worn in commemoration of Her Majesty’s coronation on May 12, 1937. It was sent from the Viceregal Lodge, Shimla.

In 1914, when my father stood first in Assam Valley in the matriculation exam, he received several gold medals, including Khagendra Narayan Gold Medal, Dutta Deva Goswami Gold Medal, Hemdhar Barua Medal and Hem Chandra Baruah Medal.

In 1916, he stood first in Assam Valley in the Intermediate examination and won the Diparu Medhi Medal. In 1920 he stood first class first in economics from Calcutta University and was awarded the University Gold Medal. Besides all these medals, he received George V and Queen Elizabeth Medal and several other medals.

A few years back I went to inaugurate a part of the bicentenary celebration of Calcutta University. I felt very proud to inaugurate the celebration at their old Convocation Hall where, nearly 80 years ago, my father received his gold medal for standing first class first in economics.

I was truly very proud that day.

J.R. Cunningham, who was the director of public instruction in 1923, gave my father a glowing certificate wherein he mentioned that he had followed with great interest the brilliant college career of my father.

Similarly, there were outstanding certificates from various distinguished scholars like F.W. Sudmersen, principal, Cotton College (Guwahati), in 1923, world renowned economist Arthur Brown, barrister-at-law of Inner Temple and professor of economics, Cotton College, well-known professor Radha Kamal Mukherjee and many other renowned figures.

Mukherjee once wrote about my father: “I can personally testify to his diligence and intelligence which are much above the ordinary. He has taken a lively interest in his subject and his range of reading to criticise and to work out from given materials his own conclusion which is so rare even among the best and the most successful students of this university. He obtained an easy first class in the MA examination...”

Arthur Brown used to write to my father from different places like Cambridge and Sussex; Delhi, Shimla and Guwahati.

His residential houses had beautiful names like “Brooklin” at 339, Cherry Hintan Road, Cambridge, “Waverley” at 39, Sidney Avenue, Palmers Green, London or “Edenderry” at Laitumkhrah, Shillong. From each house he used to write to my father regularly.

There were several letters written between 1917 and 1934. My father collected these letters and I have them with me.

In one of those letters, I found that when my father was appointed lecturer of economics at Murari Chand College in Sylhet (now in Bangladesh), there was no agitation in Sylhet against the appointment. Everyone there was happy as they knew about the brilliant career of my father.

Arthur Brown’s letters to my father, sometimes written in a light-hearted vein, even mentioned interesting events and bits of sensational gossip going around town at the time of writing letters.

(To be continued)