Chapter 1
My Childhood Recollections
My Jethu, Mr. Anshu Banerjee, had
been like a Father to me. Although being a part of my childhood during my years
in Allahabad I literally came under his wings towards the end of 1984 when I
arrived in Kolkata with my Father (Mr. Salil Banerjee) and ailing Mother (Mrs.
Leena Banerjee). I was 9 years old then.
From that time onwards he was the ideal Uncle (my Father’s elder
brother). From being instrumental in admitting me to one of the best schools in
Kolkata, to pampering me with all sorts of luxuries that a child can never
dream of, he brought me up with ethics and values. He instilled in me a liberal
thought process by introducing and guiding me to the path of The Mother and Sri
Aurobindo. He taught me the importance of life’s struggles, to always accept
challenges towards growth and to broaden my horizon about life. His brilliant
and unmatched wit and humour were a part of my growing years and reminiscing those
unforgettable moments always bring me great joy. He affectionately called me
‘Gadai Master’.
As a child I fondly remember my Jethu painting many a canvas, writing
books/ short stories and reading a variety of literature. Many of his paintings
were on display at home. He loved to explain to me the interesting world of the
‘Impressionist’ painters during his free time. He would enthral the audience
with his eloquence in reading Bangla and English literature. Whenever he
recited poetry or read prose, his rich baritone voice and modulation capability
was a listener’s delight. I waited for Jethu to recite either from Rabindranath
Tagore or read from Sri Aurobindo or from any of his other favourites. He often
read chapters from ‘Raj Kahini’ by
Abanindranath Tagore to me before bedtime. That story still talks to me in his
typical accent. Jethu had written many books in both Bangla and English during
his lifetime. Some were published. However, some have remained as manuscripts.
I always remember seeing him penning his thoughts on reams of paper. Almost
every week we bought writing paper and ink. He was very fond of fountain pens
and owned quite a collection. He would always appreciate gifts of books and
pens.
Jethu was fluent in Bhojpuri Hindi (as he was from Allahabad) and would
often crack jokes in that language. He credited his Mother (my Grandmother:
Mrs. Manorama Banerjee) for the inheritance of his sense of humour and anecdotes
and we were his constantly entertained audience. Popularly known as Anshuda, he
was the always the central focus of a get-together and the atmosphere would be
heady with his jokes and stories. He could explain the difference between a ‘luchi’ and a ‘poori’ by the way they fell from a height. He said that, if you
throw both from the 3rd floor of a building, and whichever item
would sail its way through the air and fall to the ground
is the ‘luchi’. The ‘poori’ on the other hand would reach the
ground faster and almost immediately fall flat.
Another story goes about a funny phone call. It was the era of land
phones and frequent wrong numbers. Incidentally he received a phone call from a
Bhopuri speaking gentleman asking for someone. Although it was a wrong number,
Jethu continued the conversation with that person for half an hour, constantly
pretending to be a servant and asking him to hold the line as the master was
either sleeping, or busy eating, or reading the newspaper. We had to hold our stomachs
with laughter till the call ended.
Jethu being a Bengali, loved smoking and a routine peg or two in the
evening. He had inherited the habit of smoking from his Father (my Grandfather:
Dr. Indu Bhushan Banerjee). My Aunt (Mrs. Mira Banerjee) tried to keep a check
on his smoking habit and therefore would impose a ration on his cigarette
packets. But he would cheekily buy some loose cigarettes during his morning
walks everyday and store them secretly inside his writing desk. Everyone in the
household except for my Aunt would be aware of this. My Uncle’s drinking habit
was very measured. He indulged in two to three pegs of whisky and some good
conversation every evening. There were times he would talk about the past, or
read something, or discuss an important household matter with the family. Often
I played Jethu’s bar-tender and fixed him a drink or two. He liked to take a
medium peg (he called it Mejo) and I
had mastered the art of fixing the same for him. Never in my adult years did he
offer me a drink. It was only once when I was vacationing in Kolkata during
2007 that he surprised me by offering me some wine.
Some of Jethu’s other favourites were listening to music… devotional,
Western Classical and The Mother’s organ music. Although he looked very smart
and handsome in a western suit as well as in a Dhoti-Kurta, he was most
comfortable in a simple cotton shirt, lungi and wooden slippers. And most of
all he loved catnaps. We would often catch him snoring on a chair, on bed,
anywhere actually at any time of the day. He called it ‘haate dhora ghoom’ (sleep within his grip). He said that he would
often hold a heavy book in hand and doze off while studying during his youth
trying to fool his Mother. And that habit stayed with him till the end. A story
goes that when once he was visiting his younger son (Mr. Arunava Banerjee) in
Mumbai, he used to read and then doze off for some time after breakfast. His 3-year-old
granddaughter (Ms. Aditi Banerjee) would be surprised and ask her Mother (Mrs. Debjani
Banerjee) that ‘buro manushera ki
breakfast kheye lungi pore ghumoye?’ (do old people always eat breakfast,
wear lungi and sleep?). Jethu’s snoring was also quite notorious. Actually most
of the male members of the Banerjee family were notorious for their snoring for
a few generations. The Allahabad house used to reverberate with this sound at
night. Once when Jethu was sleeping with his 5-year-old grandson (Mr. Ayushman
Banerjee) beside him, the child woke up horrified and howled thinking that a tiger
had attacked him.
Jethu had learnt to operate the computer also. He bought a desktop and
used to write emails and type some of his manuscripts on it. It was inspiring
to see that even at 65-70 years he showed great interest in learning to operate
a new gadget and grow. For him education was possible at every stage of life.
It’s disheartening that such a loveable and towering personality had to
suffer towards the end. The central theme of the party had quietened down. He
almost withdrew from the world. His only worldly interaction would be his morning
walks with some friends, and grocery shopping at the local market. His world
would be his books and his writing. Although it is difficult to accept that my
Jethu is no more, I’m sure his blessings are always there for me and he’ll
remain in my thoughts forever. His influence in my life brought me in contact
with many important personalities, of visiting unthinkable places and it’s all
because of my Jethu’s upbringing that I’ve been able to come this far in life. Let’s
hope I can live up to his aspirations and be his ideal ‘Gadai Master’.
Chapter 2
The World of Media & Advertising
A graduate from the University of Allahabad, Jethu began his career as a
member of the editorial staff of Amrita Bazar Patrika, Allahabad and was
associated with it from 1952 to 1959. Then he worked as an Accounts Executive
with J. Walter Thompson, Kolkata from 1962 to 1965. Thereafter he worked as Manager
of MAA (Marketing, Advertising Associates) in Delhi and Chennai from 1965 to
1970. He joined Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) and worked as the Manager of its
Chennai branch from 1970 to 1972; and finally, he served on the Board of
Directors of O&M and was the Manager of its Kolkata branch from 1972 till
his retirement in 1989. Jethu also served as the President of the Advertising
Club of Kolkata in 1975. He further, underwent Advanced Marketing and Advertising Training at the University
of Toronto, Canada to enhance his knowledge and capabilities in this trade.
Jethu was considered a media Mughal of
his times and rightly so. During his years in the business of advertising Jethu worked
with many important brands (Bru, Eveready, Maruti, Asian Paints etc.) and
thereby met numerous people. He also told me stories about these personalities
and the interesting lives they led. I had the golden opportunity of meeting
many of these people during my growing years such as Mr. Derek O’Brien, Mr.
Nirlamya Ghosh, Mr. Sumit Roy, Ms. Bunny Suraiya etc. who claim themselves to
be the blossomed flowers of Jethu’s constant gardening and grooming. Also meeting one of the founding partners of
O&M, Mr. David Ogilvy and sharing a meal with him was an unforgettable
experience during my teens. Mr. Suresh Mullick & Mr. Mani Iyer were some of
the others from O&M who frequented our home and showed equal passion in the
work they did together. After Jethu passed, many of his juniors, peers and
colleagues stated that he had a knack of making young people feel at ease and of making them
talk. People sought his opinion over issues, as he was the one with the most
unique approach, the most unpredictable 'I-wish-I-had-thought-of-that' kind of
way to solve problems. They also stated that he had a sharp mind and was an
astute thinker. Another person who worked as a copy-writer in OBM during
Jethu’s time as a Director, remembers him as a much beloved personality who was
dominant in the ‘East India’ advertising circles. An anecdote narrated by Jethu’s
old colleague Mr. Nirmalya Ghosh goes this way: Post his trip to Auckland, Mr.
Suresh Mullick returned to India, and on his first day after his return, he
invited Mr. Ghosh out for lunch during office hours. The duo ate leisurely and
on their return, Jethu is believed to have commented that a creative director
(hinting at Mr. Mullick) can stroll in at 3:00 pm post lunch, but not account
executives (hinting at Mr. Ghosh). "That was my lesson number one from the
man," mused Mr. Ghosh. Mr. Ghosh also remembered Jethu to be a man of
principles, as whenever he walked into office, all the beer bottles were
stashed away.
Not only was he an advertising genius, he was also instrumental in
imparting his knowledge via various educational and training programs. He
served as a lecturer at the Bhavan College of Communication, Jadavpur
University Marketing Section and Ashutosh College (B.B.A. Hons. Course). He was
the Faculty in Advertising Course run by Advertising Club, Kolkata, in 1975 and
also in the Ogilvy & Mather International Training Course held in Nepal and
Kashmir in 1979 and 1980 respectively as well as in the Federation of
Automobile Dealers’ Academy training seminar held at Kolkata in 1979. He was
also involved in training the salesmen of Bajaj Group of Dealers in Kolkata for
5 years after his retirement.
Jethu made sure that my life gets enriched during his passionate
involvement in media. O&M was the exclusive media partner for ‘Asian
Paints’. Every year an interesting and glamorous entertainment program called ‘Asian
Paints Sharad Shamman’ was held in Kolkata. Eminent personalities from art,
culture and music participated in this program. I was perhaps one of the
luckiest girls to be the audience of a jugalbandi
by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and few dance recitals by
Mallika and Mrinalini Sarabhai and others. Another such star-studded event was
the recording of the Kolkata chapter of famous video ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’
for Doordarshan in 1988. The project was handled by O&M and was conceived
by Mr. Suresh Mullick. Jethu left no stone unturned to guarantee that I attend
the recording at Rabindra Sadan Metro Railway station and witness distinguished
Indian citizens (musicians, sports persons, movie stars etc.) such as Leslie
Claudius, Gurbux Singh, Arun Lal, Suchitra Mitra, Amala Shankar, Ananda
Shankar, Nirendranath Chakravorty, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Chuni Goswami, P.K.
Banerjee and Mrinal Sen. Excitedly I collected autographs of this elite group
and it’s still a part of my proud collection.
Retirement from O&M in 1989 did not deter Jethu’s spirit and passion
for the work he did. He continued his contribution to the trade with
consultation for various brands, guest lectures at various places as well as writing
journals and books. Jethu’s post-retirement stints included working with Amrita
Banzar Patrika & Jugantar, Kolkata again as Director Marketing (1993 to
1995); and with Auto Centre Group, Kolkata, as Marketing Advisor (1996 to
2002). Simultaneously he was the editor of the ‘Federation of Automobile
Dealers Association’ Journal during this same period. He was also the President
of the Rotary Club from 2001-02. After 2002, Jethu devoted all his time to
completing his book rightly titled ‘The Business of Advertising’ which is like
a text book tracing the evolution of media & advertising from ‘Babylonian’
times so to speak, until the advent of social media in 2005. It was published
in 2010.
Chapter 3
The Path of Yoga
Jethu was introduced to the Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother by his
future Father-in-law Mr. Promode K. Sen in Allahabad. He continued to attend
many study circles to discuss and read on Sri Aurobindo and The Mother and was
guided by the devotees and believers in the study group. Thus his journey began
on the path of Yoga and he never looked back. His belief and devotion
influenced the family greatly and with time the Banerjees were devoted to Sri
Aurobindo and The Mother and became part of the Aurobindonian community.
Jethu visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry several times with
his family during his lifetime. I’ve had the good fortune of visiting the
Ashram with him as a child in 1986 and in 1990. I observed that he never smoked
or drank alcohol during his stay there. He visited the Samadhi regularly to
pray and meditate. He also participated in many discussions with Ashramites and
shared memories of the old Ashram days. He was perhaps the happiest during his
brief stays at the Ashram.
Although Jethu did not particularly educate me about the path of Yoga
the family was following, however, I felt a strong attraction towards Sri
Aurobindo and The Mother from a very young age. My visits to Pondicherry
strengthened my belief. For many years we both went to the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan,
Kolkata every evening. Being a Trustee of the Bhavan, Jethu participated in
important meetings and discussions with the other members there. Thereafter, I
used to observe him meditating at the Shrine for some time and then leave for
home. It seemed he surrendered all his day’s earnings (good & bad) at the Shrine
every evening and would gather fresh force and energy from there to begin the
next day. He was a quiet devotee and his sincerity and faith showed in his
silent work for the Divine. He was fortunate and blessed to have had Sri
Aurobindo’s Darshan in 1950.
However, Jethu never lost his wit and humour even in these spiritual
gatherings and one could often hear sounds of laughter whenever he was around.
One Mr. Biswajit Ganguly was part of the Bhavan Trustee group. He and Jethu
often joked and laughed about trivial things. Jethu called him ‘Nater Guru’ or the ‘head of the play’;
thereby teasing him that he rules all the games at the Bhavan. When a Mr.
Anirban Ganguly started visiting the Bhavan regularly, Jethu jokingly announced
that another ‘Ganguly’ has thrown his hat in the ring!
When I was while recuperating at home after my surgery in 1998, Jethu always
used to ensure that I have a positive frame of mind. I recall his constant
encouragement to be optimistic and feel fortunate and blessed by the Almighty.
He often read Sri Aurobindo’s epic ‘Savitri’ to me. He told me it did not
matter whether I understood the content or not, it was important to listen to
it as ‘Savitri’ has healing powers. Jethu was also a Reiki Master and gave me
Reiki healing during those days.
Jethu’s sadhana was in his writing books on Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. He was always researching on
content on them and had written in both Bangla and English. His published works
include masterpieces such as ‘Surya-Pathik
Sri Aurobindo’, ‘Mayer Lekha Mayer
Katha’, ‘Agniyuger Agnikatha’ and
‘Kolkataye Sri Aurobindo Smriti Tirtha’
(this book was later translated and published in English). He was the recipient
of the prestigious ‘Sri Aurobindo Puraskar’ in 2010 for his book ‘Agniyuger Agnikatha’. I remember his
extensive research during the years he was writing this book.
The Aurobindonian community of Bengal lost one of its most beloved and
revered members on 1 November 2011. He will be remembered as a noted scholar,
author and thinker. He will also be remembered by his contemporaries and
posterity as one of the most sincere and faithful children of Sri Aurobindo and
the Mother.
Written by: Gargi Banerjee
Event: To commemorate Jethu’s 92nd birth anniversary on 3rd July 2020
