The Untold Story of a KANUNGO by

Debendranath Mahato

 

I may not have gone , where I intended to go ,but I think ,I have ended up where I needed to be....


. Difficulties with me-my inability to type in Bengali scripts on mobile screen. You all appreciate, like most of us in the group, I can also express my thoughts and ideas evidently in a better way in Bengali that enables me also to have the easy access to our immemorial work culture, literature, history, heritage, social, political or religious texts. Many of our old associates and also relatively the youngsters in the group have been posting splendid and impressive articles, write ups on various topics which amazed me immensely with deep admiration and respect. Needless to.mention whatever books and articles so far published have been written by me in Bengali. But unfortunately at this old age of 80 years plus, when I have been suffering from rheumatic arthritis together with spondylitis for sometimes past that causes serious unease to type any lengthy articles on mini mobile screen,the conditions is not identical with me ,and eventually the truth is that I have left my best days behind me.

With all all these inherent disadvantages, still, I am exerting myself to furnish a short write up on the notable memories of my early service Life. After completion of the hazardous survey and settlement training in Midnapur in March 1974, I and many other trainees, specially those of Midnapur origin were directed to report to S.O Burdwan -Bankura RSO headquarter at Burdwan. We joined there on 2nd April 74, and eventually I was posted at Panchra settlement halka camp near Masagram Railway station under Jamalpur circle.

Formerly I had been teaching in a Govt aided HS school near Midnapur town, wherefrom four such colleagues including myself appeared in the special recruitment examination of wbslrs -1 just out of curiousity in the middle of1973 and three of us viz Basanta Banerjee, Binod Mahata and। myself were selected for appointment.
In between the training period, Basanta returned to school in utter despair, whereas Binod and myself stayed with hopes and anxiety.To be mentioned at that material period , pensionary benefits were not admissible to the retiring school teachers.

However overcoming the initial hurdles at Burdwan HQ and Jamalpur Circle Office, I tried to familiarize myself in the new working atmosphere ।in the settlement halka camp. Parimal Samanta, Sasabindu Bhuian, Dipankar Kumar, Pradip Dasgupta , Md Hayat Bux were my contemporary associates posted in the near by settlement camps. Subsequently all of them except myself and Hayat ,left this hazardous job being employed elsewhere with higher salary and for career advancement .

The rural people of Burdwan seemed to be generous having deep sense of hospitality and initially I found accommodation in the school hostel of the village High School along with few teachers, where virtually no students used to reside. However later on I shifted to Memari where Amalendu Bhattacharjee was my neighbour.
I can still recollect so many nostalgic reminiscences of my early service Life at Burdwan, but the overwhelming incidence of my service life cropped up at Kukrahati LR circle(Sutahata) Midnapur,which needs to be imparted.
However , while at Burdwan some of us including myself were striving seriously to unite ourselves under our own association under the leadership of Nemai Mukherjee since deceased, centering Saktigarh mess against the autocracy and misbehavior of the then settlement officer Burdwan -Bankura,RSO.

The significant historical events of that period which, shaped the political landscape of our country and our state too still remain vivid in my memory -

 

1)The general election held in March -April 1977, after declaration of end of emergency , when congress was miserably defeated at the center, and the first Indian Coalition Govt was formed led by Janata Party.

2)West Bengal Assembly election held in June 1977, when left front succeeded in obtaining landslide victory in the state and marked the beginning of the।Left front rule in the state consecutively for 34 years.

However at the end of the year 1977 I was transferred to Lodna settlement halka camp under Onda circle Bankura. So far I recollect , in June 1978 operation barga programme was launched by WB Govt for recordings the names of unrecorded bargadars in the RORs. We were officially assigned the responsibility to educate and enlighten the bargadars about the importance of recording their names in the RoRs vis- a - vis their legal rights and the protection of rights from the exploitation by the land owners in the evening meetings where the bargadars ,khetmazoors and others assembled in large numbers.These evening meetings so organised by the local panchyat and Krishak sabha were also attended by our senior departmental officers viz ADM(LR), Settlement Charge officer, Circle Officer etc which appeared to be inspirational to us and attributed the emergence of conducive relationship between the weaker sections of the society and the field level officers like us responsible for recording the names of bargadars and providing such other direct benefits through land reform measures to them.

Thus our official duties and functions deemed to have been integrated with our social responsibilities in favour of the vulnerable sections of the society in our agrarian sector and I myself and many other associates around me were thus destined to carry out those responsibilities towards that desired goal with dedication.and conviction throughout our service lives.

However at the end of 1978, I was again transferred to Midnapore district being designated as J.LR.O and on my reporting to Collector Midnapore I was eventually posted.as J.L.R.O kukrahati LR Circle (Sutahata) where the operation barga programme incidentally thrown me into serious trouble, the detail of which will be spelt.out on next episode.