The last of the Mohicans of a robust, stellar ‘Left’, he remained true to the ideology till he breathed his last, as his body was donated to Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital.
Legends never die, they live in our hearts forever, their deeds and legacy immortalised for generations to come. For us, the Halim family, SomnathDa’s death means the loss of a guardian.
Comrade Somnath Chatterjee passed away on 13 August 2018. The world knew him as an astute politician and a legendary parliamentarian who played by the book despite his party and political affiliations.
The last of the Mohicans of a robust, stellar “Left”, he remained true to the ideology till he breathed his last, as his body was donated to Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital, in service of man—his eyes were donated earlier and his skin was taken to be grafted on burn patients. I was with him when his body was being rolled into the Anatomy Department and the emotions I felt at the time would forever remain embedded in my heart. I was being reminded of the time my beloved father, Hashim Abdul Halim passed away in November 2015. Life has indeed come full circle with the passing away of my father and now our father figure, Somnath Chatterjee.
No big funeral, no noise, no pomp—he left the way he lived. We understand Somnath Chatterjee’s strength of commitment for an issue that transcends the barrier of mortality. This reminded me of an anecdote about my father. When asked by someone why he wanted to donate his eyes, HalimSaab replied with a naughty grin, “How many people have the opportunity to read their obituary with their own eyes?”
It was on 7 May this year that I last spoke to Somnath Chatterjee at his residence. As general secretary I visited him to deliver the resolution of the People’s Relief Committee, confirming his acceptance to be the chairperson of the organising committee for its platinum jubilee celebrations. I had visited him previously and spoken to him in this regard. His father, the late Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee, an eminent lawyer and representative of the Left in Parliament, had represented the People’s Relief Committee during repressive measures taken against it by the state machinery. Among his numerous contributions to the PRC, he was instrumental in handing over an ambulance which is still in service. The quintessential party man that Somnath Chatterjee was, he asked me if I had discussed the matter, to which I said it was a unanimous appeal from everybody, after which he accepted the responsibility without hesitation.
After the passing away of my father, Hashim Abdul Halim, the former Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Comrade Chatterjee became a father figure for my family. My father used to call him SomnathDa (elder brother) and used to phone him every day at exactly 9 am. Comrade Chatterjee recalled how on the day “Halim” (he used to address my father thus) passed away, he was worried as to why the call did not come, only to find out a little later that “shob shesh hoye gelo (everything was over)”. Whenever we met he made it a point to mention the pain and agony he felt on losing someone so dear to him and also younger. This feeling was shared by their generation of political stalwarts, as Ashok Mitra too echoed the same anguish of outliving his junior colleague when I communicated to him the news of my father’s passing away.
Somnath Chatterjee had a weakness for food, particularly a Kolkata speciality such as biriyani, and also tandoori. My father would have us deliver these delicacies to him, which he relished with much delight and a certain mischief, as his wife kept cautioning him about his dietary restrictions. But like a delighted schoolboy he would tell his wife that the food was meant for the children of the house. The resignation on his wife’s face would say it all. He craved for the famous Kolkata phuchka (golgappa), but as he was not allowed to have roadside phuchkas, my sister Fawzia would prepare them at home for him. And he would eat them with gusto. She made it a point to visit him whenever she was in town from London.
He was a patron of the Iran Society, which was founded by my granduncle, Dr Mohammed Ishaque, and he released the Hashim Abdul Halim number of the Indo Iranica, the society’s journal. He also delivered the Amina Halim Memorial Lecture in memory of my deceased sister, a couple of years ago.
When SomnathDa returned to Kolkata after his formal association with the CPI(M) ended during the trust vote in Parliament in 2008, he, along with his wife, was received at the airport by HalimSaab and their close friend, Dilip Banerjee. The opinions that emanate from that evocative episode in the life of SomnathDa are of immense ideological importance to our parliamentary system.
Hashim Abdul Halim, former Speaker of West Bengal Assembly for six consecutive terms, while delivering the Justice K.M. Yusuf Memorial Lecture on “Parliamentary Democracy in India: Past, Present and Future” said, “If we observe how Parliament has been growing and functioning in India, it would be seen that political parties are trying to control and administer the system vicariously through the Speaker, which is not a healthy practice. In the recent past, we saw this in the incident of Somnath Chatterjee, who was then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, but Somnath Chatterjee maintained the dignity of Parliament and rose to great heights to uphold the independence of Parliament and the office of the Speaker. He will be remembered for long as the saviour of the Indian Parliamentary system.”
The 2008 incident caught the imagination of the entire nation and a young student, Jitty Mol Thomas, wrote to SomnathDa from Kavalam in Kuttunadu, Kerala, on 24 July 2008: “I am studying in the ninth standard and I write this letter to appreciate your proud and courageous stand…The coming generations of India need leaders like you. The stars are twinkling in the sky. But you are twinkling in Parliament…You will not be forgotten by the people…”
The CPI(M) leadership acknowledged that Somnath Chatterjee acted according to the Indian Constitution, and maintained a relationship that found expressions at critical junctures of India’s and West Bengal’s political turmoil. He graciously campaigned for my candidature during the difficult 2011 Assembly elections in West Bengal and issued statements independently or jointly with prominent persons on issues of political import. I had the honour of inviting him to a number of public protests against the establishment, which he graciously accepted and attended, despite his failing health. His daughter Anushila Basu’s words embody his affection towards the party, when she said while standing beside his body, “He never uttered a single word against the party.” An era has come to an end. The likes of him will be difficult to come by.
Comrade Somnath Chatterjee, Laal Salaam.
Dr Fuad Halim is a medical practitioner, a member of the CPI(M) and Secretary, People’s Relief Committee. His father, Hashim Abdul Halim, was West Bengal Assembly Speaker for six terms.