The past couple of years have been particularly eventful, if not cursed. For, there simply seems to be no end to stories of personal tragedies - of loss of close family, friends and relatives. And as a corollary to this, my tributes, too, have been quite frequent. Of course, not that I love to, but I'm somehow being forced into doing this.
My association with Bormi - late Chandraprabha Devi - began almost eight years back when Durga Puja began to be organizsed in our locality. As a mother of Tiken Sarmah, one of the prime movers of the puja, Bormi came across as a kind-hearted, soft-spoken and pious lady. There was a kind of special aura around her that one could barely miss or not get attracted to. Full of warmth, she also always wore a smile that was too infectious. Wife of Late Surendra Nath Sarmah, Bormi wore many hats during her life. She was one of the first few employees of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Ltd, Namrup, in the early 1960s, and, prior to that, she had also served at the Dibrugarh court. She was also a very good sitar player.
While my association with Bormi wasn't that long, it felt like I knew her for eons. She was a familiar face in our Durga Puja mandap and would ensure her presence at the crucial rituals conducted on the occasion. The passing away of Bormi on February 4 is a huge personal loss for me. I will sorely miss her warmth and that infectious smile. On her Adya Sraddh today, I pray for her sadgati. Om Shanti!
- Anirban Choudhury
Also Watch: