Little Russel was a big-hearted human being: House tutor Little Russel was a big-hearted human being: House tutor DHAKA, Oct 18, 2020 (BSS) – In spite of
being a small boy, Sheikh Russel, the
youngest child of Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was a
big-hearted human being as well as used to
help people passionately.
“Russel was very passionate to help
people. He had great love in his heart for
general people,” his house tutor Geetali
Chakrabarty (Dasgupta) said.
On the eve of Russel’s birthday,
Chakrabarty reminisced her memory with the
little boy in a telephone interview with
BSS.
She tutored Russel from August 1972 to 14
August 1975.
When Chakrabarty was a faculty of Begum
Badrunnesa College in the capital,
Bangabandhu’s younger daughter Sheikh
Rehana and his son Sheikh Jamal’s wife
Rosy (1974) were also her students.
Currently, she is living in Sydney,
Australia, along with other family
members.
She retired from her teaching career in
2005 after working at different colleges
in Bangladesh.
On August 15’s black night of 1975, 11-
year-old Sheikh Russel was killed along
with Bangabandhu and other family members.
On that fateful night, shattered Russel
requested the assassins (for God’s sake)
not to kill him but they killed the child
in cool-brain along with his other family
members.
Geetali Chakrabarty taught Russel on that
night as well. She fondly called Russel as
Buchu. Russel used to call his tutor as
‘Apa’, ‘Apu’ and later on ‘Apumoni’. She
stayed at Bangabandhu Bhaban on road
number 32 till 11:30pm on August 14.
She was very close to Bangabandhu, Sheikh
Fazilatunnesa Mujib and other family
members specially her loving student Buchu
(Sheikh Russel).
Talking to BSS over telephone, she shared
her different memories with Russel.
About the first day of tutoring,
Chakrabarty said it was July or August in
1972, she went to teach child Russel at
their Dhanmondi 32’s residence. She taught
him for some days at Ganabhaban as well.
The then Awami League’s treasurer Md
Mohsin (former MP, Khulna) and his wife
Rawshan Ara Mohsin brought Geetali
Chakrabarty to Bangabandhu’s residence.
She used to teach at Mohsin’s residence
too. They placed the proposal to
Bangabandhu’s family to choose Chakrabarty
as house tutor for Russel. At that period,
Chakrabarty was a second year master’s
student of Bangla Department at Dhaka
University.
Recalling the first day’s experience as a
house tutor of Russel, she said: “On that
day, I waited sometimes at the first
floor. Later, Bangamata Sheikh
Fazilatunnesa Mujib, mother of Sheikh
Russel, came. I became astonished seeing
her simple attire and appearance. She was
wearing a light cream-colored handloom
sharee. No luxury could touch her.”
“After few moments, Russel came in smiling
face along with Rama (long time house help
of Bangabandhu’s family). He was around 6
or 6 and half years old. He was in sky-
colored night dress and short haired,”
Chakrabarty recalled.
She said: “Russel sat beside me on chair
after coming there. Rama was holding a
schoolbag. Rama kept the bag on T-table
and stayed standing in curious eyes. She
might want to understand the condition of
new student and new teacher.”
“I took the books out of the bag and saw
those. I asked few questions to him like
name, class, and what he liked etc, etc.
After 10-20 minutes, I left him. He went
inside the residence in smiling face.
Meantime, respectable Fazilatunnesa Mujib
told Russel to give ‘salam’ to teacher. He
gave me salam and went inside,” she said.
The relations between child Russel and
Geetali Chakrabarty did not remain limited
to only student-teacher. Crossing the
student-teacher relations, Chakrabarty
appeared as motherly to Russel.
While recalling the memories, Chakrabarty
was sometimes being driven by emotion, and
the matter of fact, it was understandable
that she was trying to control her tears
while her voice was shaking with strong
affection for Russel.
Russel used to talk with Geetali
Chakrabarty in different matters apart
from study. He used to share different
incidents of his family with his loving
teacher. However, he sometimes became
upset on his teacher as well.
Sharing an incident, she said one day she
gave Buchu to solve five questions of
mathematics.
“But Buchu (Russel) had very apathy in
mathematics. After giving him five
questions (in home work), he solved one
question out of five by taking help. So, I
gave him one more question to be solved.
Getting upset, Russel went inside and
returned to the reading room with his
mother,” she said.
She added “Entering the room, Kakima
(Bangamata), goggled at me with a
meaningful look and asked why I gave
Russel one more question. After telling
that, Kakima gave an eye gesture to me
(which means this look was a joke). She
asked me not to do that again. I also told
okay, giving a meaningful upset gesture.”
Chakrabarty said when Russel didn’t want
to read, he told her not to come to their
house from tomorrow.
“I also used to tell him that okay I won’t
come from tomorrow. But as I came today,
read sometimes. When I went to Kakima to
tell her jokingly that I won’t come from
tomorrow, Russel came to Kakima and told
her to ask me to come again from
tomorrow,” she recalled.
One day, Chakrabarty was teaching Russel
in the room of Sheikh Rehana. During the
tuition, Rama or Farid (house help) used
to provide tea or light foods. In some
days, sweets were also started serving
with tea. Geetali sometimes ate only a
sweet or sometimes did not.
Suddenly Russel questioned her teacher why
she did not take sweets. Chakrabarty
replied that she didn’t like sweets. In
reply, Russel said he also did not like to
read, then why she taught him regularly.
About Russel’s love and sense of
responsibility for general people, Geetali
shared an incident in details.
It was a winter’s day. Another child named
Russel stayed at a house near Dhanmondi 32
number residence. Russel used to play with
the boy often. One day, an elderly woman
beggar came to that residence. She was
asked to do a task of the house and for
this she would get a Taka. But after the
completion of the work, she was given only
25 poisa (Taka 0.25). Child Russel got
hurt at that incident.
Russel lovingly brought the woman in front
of his residence and told her that when
his father (Bangabandhu) would come, he
would make a justice. The woman was also
served food during lunch. The elderly
woman was suffering in cold but Russel did
not want to let her go before ensuring
‘justice’.
Then, his mother told Chakrabarty the
matter.
“He (Russel) will make her (elderly woman)
introduce with your uncle (Bangabandhu).
It is uncertain, when your uncle will
come. How will this old woman stay in
front of the gate till your uncle’s coming
during that shivering cold?” Bangamata
told Chakrabarty.
Later, Russel was given a proposal that if
the woman is provided food for dinner and
more money, whether he would let her go.
Probably Russel accepted it (the
proposal).
Russel had fascination for cold drinks
specially coca-cola. Every day he used to
have a bottle of coke. But Geetali tried
as Russel did not drink coke every day.
Later, Geetali shared a painful story in
her life over coca-cola and Russel. The
incident made her emotional even today.
It was August 14, 1975. It was the last
day of teaching Russel as she did not get
the chance to teach him in the next day.
On the black night of August 15,
Bangabandhu along with most of his family
members including innocent child Sheikh
Russel was brutally assassinated.
On that day, when Geetali went to
Bangabandhu’s residence to teach Russel,
he was not in the house. He went to roam
with his mother. Geetali was waiting
alone. Once, she thought about going back
home. At that moment, Bangabandhu in his
natural posture from the upper floor asked
the teacher “why she was alone, where was
her student?”
Bangabandhu used to call Geetali as
master. After being informed that Russel
was not in the house, he asked Geetali to
go to her residence by his vehicle. Then,
Rama said Russel told her to stay and he
would come soon. Bangabandhu fondly told
Geetali that she had no leave as her
student was coming.
Geetali said there was a large meeting at
Bangabandhu’s residence at that time.
Among the leaders, Zillur Rahman, Tofail
Ahmed, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, Mohiuddin
Ahmed and Abdur Razzak were staying at the
residence.
Few moments later, Russel came in.
Generally Geetali used to teach Russel at
Sheikh Rehana’s room. She also tough
Russel at a room which remained locked
always. But she taught Russel for the last
day at Sheikh Rehana’s room.
After sitting for study, Russel requested
Geetali to give him permission to take a
bottle of coke as she did not allow him to
drink coca-cola in the previous day. But
Russel was not allowed to drink coke on
that day and he was asked that he could
drink coke on the next day. Then, they
became busy with study.
Russel was also given a tiny punishment on
that day for doing a mistake in a question
of mathematics. Russel himself selected
the way of punishment of performing sits-
up by holding ears. She left for home from
Bangabandhu’s residence at 11:30pm on that
night.
On that night, Geetali Chakrabarty stayed
at the residence of her uncle, the then
food minister Phanibhushan Majumdar on
Minto Road.
Before leaving the Dhanmondi 32 number
residence, she could not know that she
would never come to that residence again
and Russel would not get the chance of
drinking coke again.
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