Memories of the ‘King of Bhadraloks’ will remain strong in our hearts and minds forever

On Monday morning, the 25th March when most of us were getting ready to celebrate Holi, I was jolted with two WhatsApp messages which read that Shantanu is no more. This was truly one of the saddest moments for me, as just two days earlier, he had wished me on my birthday.

And it was only last month that he had addressed the Consocia team at our annual offsite for over two hours, passionately engaging Consocians in a post-Lunch session and dwelling deep into anecdotes and personal experiences on “Stories He Could Not Write”. The team kept on saying “Ye Dil Mange More” and he kept going. Our friendship of three decades was built on trust, stories we shared, and lots of fun we’ve had together. Both of us truly loved the humor, food, lots of action, and parties.

It is still not sinking in that my dear friend is no more. His brilliance in journalism & storytelling shall remain unparalleled. What made him poles apart from other journalists was his curiosity and wanting to file a good story first before anybody else would catch up, and he penned the story with a natural flair and a unique style. I saw him grow from a wire service journalist to a fine book writer. His ability to describe a particular moment with empathy touched all his readers and differentiated him from many other scribes.

When he joined ESPN, he brought in an abundance of good sports stories that the journalists of that time had not even thought of, and he bloomed as a very fine sports journalist. He would call me up and discuss the stories which he planned and at times the chapters of the various books he wrote. It was almost a ritual to speak to him once in 10 days as his hunger for stories would always remain unsatiated. And I was privy to some of the best stories he wrote as a business editor in Outlook and Tehelka.

A few years back when his mother passed away, he started a ritual every year of doing “Durga Puja” at home, bringing together all his friends and bringing the rituals closer to each of us as we enjoyed the four days of festivities. The warmth with which he invited several hundred people to his house and the way Keya and Oindrilla took care of all of us made us feel like a part of the family. His family values were deeply entrenched. I was overwhelmed to be a part of his daughter Oindrilla’s wedding at the Raj Bari on the outskirts of Kolkata.

The Wedding was an amalgamation of traditional Bengali values, music, clothing, and a touch of modern culture with four lady priests conducting the ceremony. Shantanu looked dapper in his Dhoti kurta and Keya complimented him in a hand-painted Bengali Saree. He brought in an element of culture and tradition in every aspect of the wedding.

My wife and I built a very strong bond with the Guha Ray’s and will continue for times to come. The memories of the ‘King of Bhadraloks’ will always remain strong in our hearts and minds forever. I wish my friend a lot of peace and happiness wherever he is and may he keep showering his love to all his friends and family.