A Tribute to IH Hazarika

Today, I sit back and recall the beautiful memories of the time I spent with my beloved friend IH Hazarika. We first met in the late 70's. Those days I was working in the Medical College and needed to buy a car. Fiat and Ambassador were the only options we had back then and I opted for a Fiat. It was when I met IH Hazarika for the first time at the Walford Car Distributor.

There was something remarkable about him which immediately drew my attention. He had an excellent personality, was gentle and softspoken with a smiling face. We both shared similar stature and taste and thus, an instant aneous bond built up from the very first rendezvous.

As it was my first car, I was very excited and quite restless to keep waiting for it's delivery. I used to frequently visited Hazarika to keep enquiring about the delivery status. There were instances when he said, "Dutta, I shall give you the car if the car comes." But somewhere during those meetings we became very good friends. In the mean time, I received my car after a long wait of 6 weeks. However by then, I not only got a car but also a friend for life.

Later, I persuaded Hazarika to join the Rotary in 1978, after which we use to meet weekly. And when I was elected as the president of Rotary in 1989-90 and needed a good secretary to work in line with me, I chose Hazarika, as not only because he was intelligent and diligent but also my neighbour in Rukmini Nagar which made it easier to work together. We also started visiting each others' homes very frequently and these meetings slowly turned into a family get together. Me along with my wife Bandana and two kids used to visited his house where we also met his wife Shahida, whom I still remember to be extremely polished and an excellent host. His son Dipu and daughter Daisy were always a delight to meet. We spent various evenings together and usually used to talk over food.

Apart from all those good memories, I also remember the most unfortunate thing that happened to him. Hazarika lost his wife subsequent to an operation and was heart broken but always kept his sadness to himself. I can recollect how every year on Shahida's death anniversary he used to visit her grave with a bunch of flowers and offer his prayers. Unfortunately, later he also lost his son Dipu at a very early age. He was survived by Dipu's wife and children Zeephan and Tasha (Ishana), his daughter Daisy, son-in- law Ikramul and their daughter Nikita.

I understand that death is inevitable but definitely very cruel. Moreover, losing loved ones during COVID is the hardest, as we miss the last chance to bid them adieu. Hazarika successfully fought against COVID-19 but his blood sugar level spiked which affected his kidney and he had to undergo dialysis. He finally had a renal failure and breathed his last. But life still goes on as planned by God. Today on his occasion of hisChalisha, I pray to the Almighty for the eternal peace of his departed soul. – Dr. NN Dutta

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