Unmoved by Distance

Jayasree di (Basu née Biswas), hailed from Jalpaiguri – a quaint town nestled in the northern reaches of West Bengal. She was a contemporary of our elder brother. While he pursued the sciences and went on to become a brilliant engineer, gifted with exceptional intellect, Didi – the daughter of a renowned English professor and colleague of our father – chose a different path. Drawn to the humanities, she embraced literature, economics, and philosophy with quiet passion. Even in her youth, her ability to express thoughts vividly, beautifully, and effortlessly set her apart.

- Arun Kanti Chatterjee

Didi possessed a deep command over both Bengali, her mother tongue, and English. Yet she was a reserved soul. Rather than seeking publication or public attention, she found solace in personal diaries, where she tenderly chronicled the changing seasons of her life.

After her marriage, Didi moved abroad to join her husband, a well-established Bengali gentleman who had made the West his permanent home. With her departure began a long period of separation – decades passed with little meaningful contact. I often wondered how time and distance might have shaped her. Had immersion in a foreign culture and language altered the essence of the Bengali soul I remembered so vividly?