Shri Tarun Kumar Bose - my favourite "pastry uncle"- MAMBU

by Smita Kundu
(New Delhi, India)

T.K. Bose- A totally ' self made man - who had the confidence to take risks and implement things...

It was with a heavy heart I learnt that Mambu my favourite uncle(my mothers elder brother) passed away on the night of November 4th /5th in Kolkata. I was left with the responsibility of breaking the news to my mother who was still in the train from Kolkata to Delhi after visiting her " Dada- who she revered as her father and his word was the ultimate in her life.

Mom had gone to meet her brother who was not too well to celebrate the sacred Indian / Bengali ceremony between brother and sister - " Bhai Dhuj"/Bhai Phota.

I was given the responsibility of breaking this news to her once she got down in Delhi. It was a difficult task - I had to hide my emotions to break the news...

Never ever to say "No" - when given any responsibility. Even in July 2011 he immediately came down to give support to his younger sister(my mother) for a period of 3 weeks when she was sick and I had called him.He was on the last month of his "Presidentship of Rotary Club of Kolkata " and he had won the Best Presidents award...


Very fond of eating and giving us treats. We got treats from him for all the major hotels including 5star Hotels in Delhi when he came stayed with us in Delhi. My friends from college days called him " pastry uncle". He would come with pastries and patties from ' Wengers" of Connaught Place everyday- which I would once again share with my friends in college..

Intellectually very strong till the last . Even at 79 he could solve my Daughters 12th class physics problem albeit slowly and she appreciated him.

He had a difficult Childhood where there was hardly much monetary stability at home in Cuttuck, Orissa , India with my Grandpa giving up his business, earnings. However my Grandma managed to get resources for him to study in Jadavpur Engg College ( Kolkata, India). He stood 1st class 1st in Electrical Enggineering. Despite the best result he couldn't get a job and had to work as an apprentice without pay for a year. The now the public sector giant BHEL - then HEL gave him an opening in Bhopal. Meanwhile he went in for an marriage arranged by Didi - his elder sister...

With a view to progress fast in life he left the complacent public sector job to take up a job in Private sector " Crompton Greaves" in Bombay.He was so good in his job that " Voltas" offered him a plum posting . Meanwhile he would be support his mother and siblings - the day he started earning.My mother says she owes her education and job to him....

He left even that job to take up further risk in life by opening a firm in Nagpur-"Nagpur Transformers". Though he put in a lot of effort and got lot of orders from State Electricity Boards- he couldn't manage the financioal aspects of business.

It was a major setback for him to close down his factory -"his baby". Even at the age of 65+ - his expertise was recongnised by a group at Mirzapur who was opening a Transformer factory. They treated him like a family member ....

But since they didn't open the factory - he came down to Delhi to Software Business. Again he could execute an order from abroad - but realised aftyer a few years that he did not have the expertise in the field. and maybe deteorating health conditions too.

At 70+ he left Delhi to settle in Kolkata. There also in a few years time he put his energy in improving the conditions of people of Sunderbans - who still look up to him even now. He won the best Presidents award of Rotary Club of Kolkata.
Karma was what he believed in ....He believed life was meant for working and follwed it till the last.
We will all miss him.