At 8.30 am of July 11, when my phone beeped, the least I expected was to receive the shocking news of the sudden passing away of a lovely gentleman, our colleague of thirty-five years, Sk Hakim. We fondly, and of course with tremendous respect for his human qualities, called him Hakim Babu.
He was 62 years of age when death came calling him. With his demise, not only we lost a true friend, but a person with tremendous integrity. We met first in 1984. I had joined as a teacher and he, as peon, at Banamalipur Girls High School, the first such institution in Balipatna block.
Earlier, the girl students of the region depended on the only government high school at Banamalipur. It was difficult for the girl students, for, many had to walk a distance crossing the Kushabhadra river to reach another school. Our school was set up due to the efforts of Manoranjan Ray whose father Mardaraj Ray was an eminent educationist. His primary aim was to promote girls’ education, by then less than 10 per cent of the girls from the minority community went to high schools. It was Hakim Babu who was the catalyst behind Ray’s drive. Ray believed that if a girl received proper education, she would build a civilised family, which would lead to a healthy society.
We, along with some others, worked from the first day of this new school. Hakim Babu’s personality, work ethics and behaviour commanded respect from all, including the headmistress, while the students liked him for his advice and assistance to them during school hours.
Soon, like me, the entire school staff, learned that Hakim Babu was equally popular in and around the large business hub Banamalipur, which comprised 27 thickly populated and large-sized villages called Sahis or Patanas.
He was an active Congress Sevadal member from the time of ex-Chief Minister, a daughter of the block, Nandini Satpathy. We knew that he had a lot of difficulties in running his own family and raising four children. Some even said that at times, they slept without dinner. However, he never showed a hint of that and ran to extend his support to one in need, in whatever and whichever way possible. He was over caste or religion.
Another reason for his popularity was his other service – homeopathy practice. He saw patients, offered medicines, free of cost. Every day, at least three hours prior to the school time, he would arrive on his bicycle, which never had bells or brakes. He would immerse himself in the garden, clean it and water the plants. He would also arrange something for the poor students to eat at recess time, regularly. He often said, “These students are the daughters of our school and it’s our responsibility to groom them well.”
Upon the reopening of school post-Covid, classes will be held as per routine, the flowers in the garden will bloom and the students will score well as they have been since the school was set up in the matriculation examination, but sans the real guardian, Hakim Babu.
May his soul rest in peace.
Mina Ketan Mohanty
