Remembering Milon-da

It was evening filled with reminiscences as Milon-da’s memorial was observed in Jadavpur University’s Gandhi Bhavan on Friday. Former professors, students, current students and teachers came together to recount stories they have had with the creator of the famous ‘dhoper-chop’, and who made it so popular in the JU premises.

The students put together a small audio visual screening recounting his life and how decades back when Milon-da first set his stall inside the JU campus, the culture of students and teachers eating together was the same as it is almost 30 years down the line. Many professors of Jadavpur University Teachers’ Association who have been both students and teachers at the University recalled how Milon-da would create a fuss about the accumulated debts of sometimes even fifteen thousand rupees, but would never stop supplying those endless cups of tea for the JUTA meetings.

A professor of electrical engineering recalled, “Milon-da would always have the necessary stationery — like the gums and scissors — ready for the posters we put up. That was when I was a student. After I became a professor, he would always take out time to talk to me for at least 10 minutes whenever I came to the canteen even if he had a busy schedule.”

One of the teachers said, “We never had the culture of teachers and students sitting together and eating in Presidency College or Calcutta University. But we saw it here, in Milon’s canteen. Milon was also very inquisitive about everything around. Once he asked me what NAAC (National Accreditation Council) meant because he had heard it was coming to college. After I explained it to him I found him explaining to the guards about how we all need to make everything run perfectly as the NAAC was coming to college.”

Milon-da, who came to Kolkata from Chittagong, Bangladesh, had first opened a small stall back in the 1980s inside the campus that eventually grew and took the name of Alapan Canteen. The maker of snacks and sweets for the college students passed away on July 22. He may not be there in person, but Milon-da’s memories and legacy shall always be a part of JU’s history and nothing can ever replace his beloved canteen.